The Prince of Egypt
USA 1998
Reviewed by Leslie Felperin
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
Ancient Egypt, biblical times. The Children of Israel, slaves in Egypt, grow restless and sing of a deliverer. To quell their spirits, the Pharaoh Seti orders a cull of their children. An Israelite woman sets her son Moses adrift in the Nile in a rush basket to save his life. He is found and adopted by the Queen and grows up thinking himself a blood-brother of Rameses, the heir to the throne.
Moses meets a slave girl, Miriam, who recognises him as her brother. At first disbelieving, Moses learns she speaks the truth. While intervening on behalf of a slave being whipped, Moses accidentally kills an overseer. He wanders in the desert where he remeets a nomadic shepherd woman, Tzipporah, and her family. Moses and Tzipporah marry. Years later, God, the Deity, tells Moses to go back to Egypt and deliver his people. In Egypt Rameses is now Pharaoh. Moses reveals his birth to Rameses and confronts him about the slaves; to prove the power of God, he turns the Nile to blood. Rameses refuses to free them, and God sends via Moses eight more plagues, but only after the tenth, which kills all the first born of Egypt, does Rameses let the Israelites go.
Moses leads his people out of Egypt. At the Red Sea, God parts it so they can cross. Rameses, having changed his mind, pursues the Israelites with his army, but as soon as all the Israelites are ashore, the sea washes back, wiping out the army. The Israelites wander in the desert until they reach Mount Sinai where Moses brings down to them the Ten Commandments, as writ by God.
Review
Once prominent features on the shoreline of Hollywood and the Italian film industry alike, biblical epics have been all but subsumed under the tide of secular films since the 50s. Back then, they were the ultimate literary adaptations: kudos-winning stories of such impeccable pedigree they justified the expense of producing them, while they could also be guaranteed to make back their money internationally, appealing to America's bible-belt and Australasia's Koran-cape alike. And because of their grand scale, biblical epics were ideal for showcasing new film-making techniques, from colour to widescreen ratios.
So it makes sense for DreamWorks to choose to resurrect the genre in animated form, thus furthering the company's international box-office ambitions and demonstrating its achievements in animation. Given the very different religious sensibilities of today, it also makes sense that DeMille's The Ten Commandments is more of a touchstone for Prince of Egypt than the Bible itself. The sequence when Pharaoh talks to a young Moses at the palace with his monuments behind him is an almost exact reconstruction of a scene from the 1956 film. Animation can even go one better by lining up Seti's profile exactly with the statue in his honour, underscoring the egotism of his project. And while this film pulls back from including the orgiastic golden calf sequence (its outcome presumably too much of a downer for today's audience), one team obviously had a ball pulling together the montage of the ten plagues - even cattle murrain!
Certainly technically-minded cartoon connoisseurs will feel many shivers of admiration on seeing this. It's almost impossible to tell the difference between computer-generated effects (used to produce travelling scenery shots in a chariot race, a wonderful St Elmo's fire-like burning bush sequence and the Red Sea parting) and the more traditional techniques that create the characters. Though the svelte figures are generally less cutsified than those in, say, Mulan, the overall visual methodology isn't markedly different from Disney's. Executive producer Jeffrey Katzenberg was ultimately responsible for the cohesive look of Disney animation from the early 90s, a form-following-function aesthetic that gave each film a distinctive and apt visual signature. He and his team pursue the same strategy here, going for a monumentality that fits the story well and certainly induces some sense of religious awe. Backgrounds dwarf the figures in imposing landscapes, suggesting the scale of this empire and the onerous task of constructing it, but also seeming to mimic a God's-eye view, watching Moses grow up from afar in the palace he shares with his 'brother' Rameses. Where Katzenberg and Co could have been a bit more ambitious is in the use of music. If they really are trying to take the form upmarket and target an all-ages audience, something a little more mature than the usual hokey show-tunes would have been welcome. Perhaps they should have taken a tip from Martin Scorsese, one of the few US film-makers to pursue religious themes in contemporary cinema (The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun) and commissioned a score by Philip Glass.
Credits
- Producers
- Penney Finkelman Cox
- Sandra Rabins
- Screenplay
- Philip Lazebnik
- Additional Screenplay Material
- Nicholas Meyer
- Supervising Editor
- Nick Fletcher
- Production Designer
- Darek Gogol
- Score Composer
- Hans Zimmer
- Original Songs
- Stephen Schwartz
- ©DreamWorks LLC
- Production Company
- DreamWorks LLC
- Executive Producer
- Jeffrey Katzenberg
- Associate Producer
- Ron Rocha
- Production Supervisors
- Animation/Final Line:
- Mark Swift
- Steve Pegram
- Effects/Story:
- Maryann Garger
- Scene Planning
- Stephen Childers
- Robert Crawford
- Deirdre Creed
- Craig F. Simpson
- David Valera
- James Williams
- Brian Riley
- Senior Co-ordinators
- Editorial:
- Andrew Birch
- Sweatbox:
- Bret Babos
- Co-ordinators
- Story:
- Tiffany Powell
- Layout:
- Linda Jo
- Frederick Lissau
- Scene Planning:
- Kristen McKittrick
- Animation:
- Charlie Kranz
- Rick Ziegler
- Final Line:
- Randy Sefcik
- Tim Kinnaird
- Backgrounds:
- Mark Tarbox
- Effects/CGI:
- Kim Mackey
- Noel Wolfman
- Scanning:
- Ross Michael Field
- Carrie Wilksen
- Plotting:
- Sergio Armendariz
- Checking:
- Ameane Owens
- Colour Models/Visual Development:
- Lisa Fuerst-Brosnan
- Digital Paint:
- Courtney Barron
- Brian Faiola
- Film Recording:
- Kathleen Kelly
- Supervising Production Manager
- Ken Tsumura
- Production Managers
- Bill Damaschke
- Digital Colour:
- Matthew Teevan
- Technology:
- Bernadette J. Gallardo
- Software:
- Lisa Kelly
- Digital Operations Manager
- Barbara McCullough
- Post-production Executive
- Martin Cohen
- Artistic Supervisors
- Story:
- Kelly Asbury
- Lorna Cook
- Layout:
- Lorenzo Martinez
- Backgrounds:
- Paul Lasaine
- Ron Lukas
- Visual Effects:
- Don Paul
- Dan Philips
- Colour Models:
- David Svend Karoll
- Scanning:
- Stuart Campbell
- Animation/Digital/Final Check:
- Pat Sito
- Shauna Stevens
- Digital Paint:
- Jill Tudor
- Music:
- Marylata E. Jacob
- Casting:
- Leslee Feldman
- Costume Designer:
- Kelly Kimball
- Script Continuity
- Adrienne Lusby
- ADR Voice Casting
- Sandy Holt
- Loopease
- Story Artists
- Ronnie Del Carmen
- James Fujii
- Ken Harsha
- Todd Kurosawa
- Tony Leondis
- Mike Ploog
- Scott Santoro
- Tom Sito
- Additional Story
- David Bowers
- Randy Cartwright
- Rebecca Cassady
- Paul Fisher
- Carole Holliday
- Frank Tamura
- Colour Models
- Alison Flintham
- Li René Herman
- Eric Kurland
- Susan Van Der Horst
- Heads of Technology
- Rob Hummel
- Bill Villarreal
- Ruth Scovill
- Software Development Lead
- Dylan Kohler
- Senior Software Developers
- Lance Williams
- Matthew Arrot
- NILE Software Leads
- Jim Cracraft
- Michael Seales
- Gavin Ferris
- NILE Software Developers
- William Ballew
- Paul Burry
- Derek A. Chan
- B. Dolores Edwards
- Luke Evans
- Mark Glenny
- Jim Leuper
- Jacques Rendu
- Nathan Wilson
- Technology Co-ordinators
- Steven Halpape
- Jeri Heit
- Chris Miller
- Maria C. Yaneza
- Technology Writers
- Richard Morris
- Chris Ratner
- Julie Dean Smith
- Mary-Margaret Stratton
- Technology Consultants
- Chris Angelli
- Brian Brenton
- Matt Elson
- Barton Gawboy
- Jim Reimer
- Craig Upson
- Graphics Software Lead Developer
- Saty Raghavachary
- Natural Phenomenon/2D CGI
- Patrick Witting
- E. Jane Gotts
- Character Design
- Designers:
- Carter Goodrich
- Carlos Grangel
- Nicolas Marlet
- Additional Character Design:
- Pascal Alixe
- Peter de Séve
- Dan Haskett
- Cathy Jones
- Emil Simeonov
- Sculpting:
- Kent Melton
- Raffaello Vecchione
- Visual Development/Design
- Barry Atkinson
- Luc Desmarchelier
- Hani D. El-Masri
- Barry Jackson
- Craig Mullins
- Christian Schellewald
- Paul Shardlow
- Bruce Zick
- Samuel Michlap
- Supervising Animators
- Older Moses:
- Kristof Serrand
- Younger Moses:
- William Salazar
- Older Rameses:
- David Brewster
- Younger Rameses:
- Serguei Kouchnerov
- Tzipporah:
- Rodolphe Guenoden
- Jethro:
- Gary Perkovac
- Hotep/Huy:
- Patrick Mate
- Miriam:
- Bob Scott
- Aaron:
- Fabio Lignini
- Queen:
- David Brewster
- Seti:
- Kristof Serrand
- The Camel:
- Rick Farmiloe
- Yocheved:
- Rodolphe Guenoden
- Horses:
- Jurgen Gross
- Animators
- Moses:
- James Baxter
- Arnaud Berthier
- Dave B. Boudreau
- Emanuela Cozzi
- Bruce Ferriz
- Lionel Gallat
- Maximilian Graenitz
- Luis Grané
- Steve Horrocks
- Jakob Hjort Jensen
- Cathy Jones
- Fabrice Joubert
- Teresa Martin
- Simon Otto
- Jane Poole
- Pedro Ramos
- Erik C. Schmidt
- Andrea Simonti
- Dan Wagner
- Eric Walls
- Rameses:
- Dan Boulos
- Paul Jesper
- Brad Kuha
- Jean-François Rey
- Tzipporah:
- Philippe Le Brun
- MaryAnn Malcomb
- Ken Morrissey
- Andy Schmidt
- Hotep/Huy:
- Manuel Almela
- Miriam:
- Cecile Bender
- Antony Gray
- Queen:
- Robert Milne
- Seti:
- Kent Culotta
- CG Crowd Animation
- Mark Chavez
- Li-Han Chen
- Michelle Cowart
- Wendy Elwell
- Ryan Roberts
- Michael Spokas
- Mike Ullner
- Additional Animation Animators
- Claudio Acciari
- Cinzia Angelini
- Gary Dunn
- Jerome Guillard
- Ken Hettig
- Duncan Marjoribanks
- Claire Morrissey
- Sylvia Muller
- Scott Petersen
- Emil Simeonov
- Sean Springer
- Derek Thompson
- Frans Vischer
- Kathy Zielinski
- Susan Zytka
- Final Line Animation Department Lead
- Brett Newton
- Supervising Character Lead
- Moses:
- Brian Clift
- Character Leads
- Moses:
- Millet Henson
- Mariateresa Scarpone
- Young Rameses:
- Judy Howieson
- Rameses/Son:
- Kay Sales
- Tzipporah:
- Tanja Majerus
- Dawn Pearce
- Hotep/Huy:
- Sarah Marsden
- Jennie Langley
- Miriam:
- Caroline Brophy
- Mariateresa Scarpone
- Aaron/Moses:
- Irene Parkins
- Queen/Yocheved:
- Aurea Terribili
- Julia Woolf
- Seti:
- Sylviane Burnet
- Horses:
- Jennie Langley
- Miscellaneous Characters:
- Nicola Courtney
- Ronan Spelman
- Fox:
- Mickey Cassidy
- Department Supervisor
- Bardel Animation:
- Catherine Schoch
- Additional Final Line Animation
- Fox Animation Studios
- Heart of Texas Productions, Inc
- Effects 2D Department Lead
- Al Holter
- Effects Supervising Sequence Lead
- Red Sea:
- Henry Labounta
- Effects Sequence Leads
- Chariot Race:
- Sean McLaughlin
- Leonard F.W. Green
- Burning Bush:
- Jamie Lloyd
- Ed Coffey
- Playing with the Big Boys:
- Stephen Wood
- Plagues:
- Doug Ikeler
- Rosanna Lyons
- Red Sea:
- Jeff Howard
- Effects Animators
- Chariot Race:
- Andrew Brownlow
- Olivier Malric
- David Navarro
- Burning Bush:
- Esther M. Barr
- Lynette Charters
- Conánn Fitzpatrick
- David Lyons
- Paul Teolis
- Playing with the Big Boys:
- Michael Duhatschek
- Jeff Topping
- Plagues:
- John Huey
- Jane Smethurst
- Red Sea:
- David Allen
- Doug Cooper
- Hock-Lian Law
- Bud Myrick
- Moon Seun
- Amie Slate
- Digital Effects
- Chariot Race:
- Robert Naudon
- Dennis Recchia
- Ed Shurla
- Pei Zhu
- Burning Bush:
- Stephen Krauth
- Plagues:
- Bob Lyss
- Red Sea:
- Joe Alter
- Suzanne Berger
- Jonah Hall
- Raymond Hetu
- Dan Kessler
- Rodney J. McFall
- Lisa Suzuki
- Additional Effects Animation
- Brett Hisey
- Diann Landau
- Raymond Pang
- Bob Simmons
- Animation/Digital/Final Check
- Benjamin Berkman
- James Bird
- Torien Blackwolf
- Bonnie Blough
- Laura Craig
- Chuck Gefre
- Brendan Harris
- Rachel Lagdao
- Denise Link
- James Scholte
- Justin Schultz
- Colin Sittig
- Kathy St. Germain
- Claire Williams
- Layout Department Head
- Mark Mulgrew
- Key Layout/Workbook
- Clive Hutchings
- Douglas Kirk
- Armen Melkonian
- Marcos Mateu Mestre
- Damon O'Beirne
- Jean Luc Serrano
- CGI Layout
- Harald Kraut
- Lu Uyen Pham
- Layout Artists
- Guillaume Bonamy
- Eric N. Clark
- Mick De Falco
- Christophe Lautrette
- Benoît Le Pennec
- Nol Meyer
- Felipe Morell
- Julia Woolf
- Fedja Jovanovic
- Matt Lee
- Kate Moo King
- Mark Marren
- Francisco Mora
- Brad Morris
- Kenard Pak
- Edmund Perryman
- Alexandre Puvilland
- Ritche Sacilioc
- Tim Soman
- Blue Sketch
- Steven Todd
- Background
- Steve Albert
- Armand Baltazar
- Desmond Downes
- Thomas Esmeralda
- Nathan Fowkes
- Bari Greenberg
- Tianyi Han
- Tang Kheng Heng
- Ruben Hickman
- Wade Huntsman
- Yoriko Ito
- Bill Kaufmann
- Joty Lam
- Kevin Turcotte
- Karl Wehrli
- Zhaoping Wei
- Donald Yatomi
- CGI/Digital Background Artists
- Carolyn Guske
- Robert Lowden
- Carolyn Ensle-Rendu
- Additional Editor
- John Carnochan
- Associate Editors
- Sim Evan-Jones
- Vicki Hiatt
- Art Directors
- Kathy Altieri
- Richard Chavez
- Titles/Opticals
- Pacific Title/Mirage
- Additional Vocals
- Ofra Haza
- Hebrew Children Performers
- Shira Roth
- Michel Patrician
- Christopher Marquette
- Justin Timsit
- Boys Choir
- Boy Choristers of Salisbury Cathedral
- Soloist Boy
- Andrew Johnson
- Music Conductors
- Gavin Greenaway
- Harry Gregson-Williams
- Rupert Gregson-Williams
- Orchestrations
- Bruce L. Fowler
- Additional:
- Ladd McIntosh
- Yvonne S. Moriarty
- Ethnic Arragements
- Jeff Rona
- London Music Co-ordinator
- Maggie Rodford
- Executive in Charge of Music
- Todd Homme
- Supervising Music Editor
- Adam Smalley
- Technical Music Advisers
- Marc Streitenfeld
- Justin Burnett
- Music Recorder/Mixer
- Alan Meyerson
- Music Recording Adviser
- Slamm Andrews
- Soundtrack
- "Deliver Us" by Stephen Schwartz, additional arrangements by MartinErskine & Andrew Lippa, performed by Ofra Haza, Eden Riegel; "All I Ever Wanted" by Stephen Schwartz, performed by Amick Byram; "Queen's Reprise" by Stephen Schwartz, performed by Linda Dee Shayne; "Through Heaven's Eyes" by Stephen Schwartz, performed by Brian Stokes Mitchell; "Playing with the Big Boys" by Stephen Schwartz, performed by Steve Martin, Martin Short; "The Plagues" by Stephen Schwartz, performed by Ralph Fiennes, Amick Byram; "When You Believe" by Stephen Schwartz, performed by Michelle Pfeiffer, Sally Dworsky; "When You Believe" (from "The Prince of Egypt)" by Stephen Schwartz, with additional music by Babyface, performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey; "I Will Get There" by Diane Warren, performed by Boyz II Men
- Sound Design/Supervision
- Lon Bender
- Wylie Stateman
- Additional Audio
- Mark Ormandy
- Peter Zinda
- Recordists
- Matt Colleran
- Tom Lalley
- Re-recording Mixers
- Andy Nelson
- Anna Behlmer
- Shawn Murphy
- Sound Editors
- Neil Anderson
- Chris Assells
- Greg Hainer
- Phil Hess
- Chris Hogan
- Craig Jaeger
- Randy Kelly
- Tony Lamberti
- Pete Lehman
- David McMoyler
- Brian McPherson
- Rick Morris
- ADR
- Supervisors:
- Curt Schulkey
- Mike Wilhoit
- Group:
- Roger Aaron Brown
- Hamilton Camp
- Louise Chamis
- Erin Donovan
- Laurie Faso
- Ruben Garfias
- Nick Jameson
- Lauri Johnson
- Steve Kramer
- Anne Lockhart
- Don Maxwell
- Randy Montgomery
- Michelle Ruff
- Doug Stone
- Leeza Vinnechenko
- Mixer:
- Greg Steele
- Foley
- Supervisor:
- Kelly Oxford
- Artists:
- Jim Moriana
- Jeff Wilhoit
- Recordist:
- J.C. Lucas
- Mixer:
- David Alstadter
- Religious Consultants
- Everett Fox
- Dr Burton Visotzky
- Rabbi Stephen Robbins
- Shoshanna Gershenzon
- Character Voices
- Val Kilmer
- Moses
- Ralph Fiennes
- Rameses
- Michelle Pfeiffer
- Tzipporah
- Sandra Bullock
- Miriam
- Jeff Goldblum
- Aaron
- Danny Glover
- Jethro
- Patrick Stewart
- Seti
- Helen Mirren
- The Queen
Steve Martin- Hotep
- Martin Short
- Huy
- Bobby Motown
- Rameses son
- Eden Riegel
- young Miriam
- Ofra Haza
- Yocheved
- James Avery
- Aria Noelle Curzon
- Stephanie Sawyer
- Francesca Smith
- additional voices
- Certificate
- U
- Distributor
- United International Pictures (UK) Ltd
- 8,599 feet
- 98 minutes 53 seconds
- Dolby/DTS/SDDS
- In Colour
- Prints by
- Technicolor