Humans have been making movies for over a hundred years, and a film’s plot may be subject to various inspirations or adaptations. Although most of the movies produced are secular, a significant number of films bear religious themes. One of the biggest influences of religious films has been the Bible, whose stories have often been adapted for television and cinema (Safoora & Khosraviyani, 2022). According to Reinhartz (2022), two main types of movies are related to the Bible. The first type directly retells Biblical stories, such as the Exodus from Egypt or the life of Jesus Christ. The second type uses Biblical books, novels, verses, and figures but weaves them into non-Biblical, often fictional narratives. In addition, Reinhartz (2022) asserts that the Bible serves as a vehicle for filmmakers to address sociopolitical issues, reflect on the human condition, explore existential questions surrounding evil and mortality, and convey themes of destruction and redemption through their cinematic works. One film adapted from the Bible is The Prince of Egypt, a 1998 animated musical drama directed by Simon Wells, Brenda Chapman and Steve Hickner. The film, which is adapted from the Bible book of Exodus, details the story of Moses and how God used him to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, where they had been enslaved.
The Prince of Egypt is a cinematic retelling of the Biblical tale of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt. The story begins with the oppressive rule of Pharaoh Seti over the Hebrew slaves in ancient Egypt. Fearing a rebellion, Seti orders the killing of all newborn Hebrew boys. However, one infant, Moses, is spared when his mother sends him down the Nile River in a basket, where he is discovered and raised by Seti’s wife as a prince of Egypt, alongside Seti’s son Rameses. Moses grows up unaware of his Hebrew heritage until a chance encounter with an elderly Hebrew man triggers long-buried memories.
After accidentally causing the death of an Egyptian overseer, Moses flees into the desert, where he receives a divine calling from God through a burning bush to liberate his people, the enslaved Hebrews. Returning to Egypt, Moses demands that Rameses, the new Pharaoh, let his people go. When Rameses refuses, a series of devastating plagues strike Egypt, culminating in the death of all firstborn Egyptian sons, including Rameses’ child. Devastated, Rameses finally relents, and Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt. However, Rameses pursues them with his army, leading to the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, which allows the Hebrews to cross while drowning the Egyptian army. The film concludes with Moses guiding his people towards the promised land, where he ascends Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God.
One of the biggest challenges that filmmakers of theological and historical movies face is maintaining the authenticity of the story or the events from which such films are adapted. However, the theological and historical accuracy of the film is not questionable, as The Prince of Egypt faithfully follows the plot of the Exodus narrative. Critics have lauded the movie for being careful with its visualization of religious text. Lott (2020) states, “The Prince of Egypt is cinema as it uses the medium of film, and particularly music and animation, to elevate and expand upon a religious epic in a tasteful yet respectful manner that provokes an emotional change within the viewer, while still being accessible and appreciated by general audiences” (p. 84). The events discussed in the film come from the book of Exodus. The story of the slavery of the Israelites is captured in Chapter 1 of Exodus, while that of his birth and development is in Chapter 2 (Hollinger, 2018). The call of Moses comes from Exodus Chapter 3. The subsequent chapters retell the story of Moses and his interactions with the Pharaoh up to the ten plagues narrated in Chapters 7 to 12 of Exodus (Hollinger, 2018). The film, therefore, effectively retells the events in the book of Exodus and how God delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh Rameses.
The film does not just retell a narrative but also extensively explores various themes that are captured in the Bible. The first is Moses’s identity. Although Moses was raised as a prince in the Pharaoh’s household, he was Hebrew. He grew up knowing he was Egyptian until he learned the truth about his identity. He struggles with his dual identity but ultimately makes his choice by killing an Egyptian overseer and escaping to the wilderness (Safoora & Khosraviyani, 2022). Another theme explored in the film tied to the Bible is destiny, or the belief that an individual is born to achieve a particular purpose. Moses’ destiny, from the very beginning when he is not killed, and his subsequent adoption into the royal family reveal that he is born to do and achieve great things. The importance of destiny is more profound when Moses meets God in the burning bush, where he is empowered to be the deliverer of Israelites from Egyptian captivity (Safoora & Khosraviyani, 2022). While these themes are not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, they are brought to the fore in the film. The themes are also consistent with various stories in the Bible, where God would choose an individual to be a leader or a prophet, and often, such an individual would be uplifted from a lowly place.
In summary, The Prince of Egypt relates to this course’s learning objectives, as it is adapted from sacred texts, specifically the Bible book of Exodus. The film, through the entire storyline, follows the events described in Exodus. By visualizing the Bible story, the film brings to life the narrative and highlights the history of the Israelites, which is intertwined with divine calling and protection.
References
Chapman, B., Hickner, S., & Wells, S. (Directors). (1998). The Prince of Egypt [Film]. DreamWorks Animation.
Hollinger, M. (2018). THE PRINCE OF EGYPT AND THE BOOK OF EXODUS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE FILM THROUGH NARRATIVE CRITICISM AND SOCIO-RHETORICAL INTERPRETATION.
Lott, K. (2020). Deliver Us to Cinema: The Prince of Egypt and Cinematic Depictions of Religious Texts. Literature & Aesthetics, 30(1).
Reinhartz, A. (2022). Bible and Cinema: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429285585
Safoora, M. A., & Khosraviyani, M. (2022). A comparative study of the themes and Contents of the holy books in the adaptations of cinematic animation Case Study: The Prince of Egypt and Elephant King Animation. Rahpooye Honar/Performing Arts, 1(3), 47-64. http://doi.org/10.22034/rpa.2022.252401
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