Prince Of Egypt:

Playing With The Big Boys

by By Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman

Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steven Hickner, and Simon Wells
Production Design: Darek Gogol
Art Direction: Kathy Altieri and Richard Chavez
Songs by Stephen Schwartz

Voice cast:
Moses, Voice of God:Val Kilmer
Rameses: Ralph Fiennes
Tzipporah:Michelle Pfeiffer
Seti:Patrick Stewart
Miriam:Sandra Bullock
Aaron:Jeff Goldblum
Hotep:Steve Martin
Huy:Martin Short
Queen:Helen Mirren
Jethro:Danny Glover

Before the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome, Egypt was the jewel of civilization. That jewel was hewn, cut, and polished through the sweat, toil, and pain of countless Hebrew slaves until the God of Abraham heard their cries and sent to them - a deliverer. Although this story has been told before in cinematic form, it has never been done with the passion and panache of Dreamworks SKG's "Prince of Egypt". This film is more than a benchmark in the way American animated features are presented; it also represents the first time in fifty-one years that the Disney Studio has been equalled - and in some ways surpassed - in the animated feature film department.

The eight-minute opening sequence, set to the song "Deliver Us", is a near-perfect pairing of all the elements that make an animated film work at the highest level. We are introduced to the massive temples and palaces of Egypt (and the agonizing slave labor involved in building them) in a series of dazzling perspective and crane shots courtesy of Production Designer Darek Gogol. Working in tandem with Art Directors Kathy Altieri and Richard Chavel, Gogol recreates this cruel yet breathtaking world in a way no Hollywood set could hope to duplicate. We see Moses placed in his reed basket and set adrift on the Nile to be found by Seti's queen, establishing the entire backdrop to the story while introducing us to nearly every character we will meet eighteen years later. It is a masterful blending of spectacle and storytelling economy.

It would be superfluous to recap such a well-known tale at this point. Suffice it to say that this story is told with dignity, respect, and a few interesting twists; almost as important to the central plot is the fraternal bond between Moses and Rameses which is established early in the film during an exhilerating, impromptu chariot race. Rameses' ambition for the crown of Egypt is matched only by his insecurity and his unabiding love for the adopted brother who ultimately destroys him. This bond makes for some of the most complex scenes in the film; even as Egypt crumbles under the assault of seven plagues, Moses and Rameses recount happier days and hope for reconciliation in the face of unrelenting destiny.

The direction, by the triumverate of Chapman, Wells, and Hickner, is outstanding both in terms of pace and style. One fine example is Rameses' final refusal to free the Hebrews. In the last shot of this scene, Rameses' son is centered against a hieroglyphic motif of Hebrew babies being thrown to crocodiles; his placement makes him the next child in the design, a chilling foreshadowing of his death in the following scene. Earlier in the film, Moses has a vivid fever-dream in which entire walls of these hieroglyphics come to life to tell him the truth about his origin.

The character designs are a departure from the Disney style, a considerable accomplishment since one-third of the animation department was hired away from that studio. The sharp, angular features and distorted proportions of many of the characters make for wonderful, exotic expressiveness. In fact, one striking thing about this film is how little dialogue was actually needed; much of the most important exposition is done through facial expression and poses. The SFX, handled by Dan Philips and Don Paul, do not disappoint, whether they are simple as Moses running through a darkened temple with a lighted torch or as awesome as the parting of the Red Sea (accomplished by nearly thirty digital technicians).

Moses and Miriam The vocal cast does fine work indeed; Val Kilmer conveys Moses conviction - and anguish - in a believeable manner, and Ralph Fiennes portrays Rameses with the requisite arrogance of the "morning and evening star". Most surprising are Sandra Bullock as Moses' faith-filled sister Miriam and Michelle Pfeiffer as the defiant nomad beauty Tzipporah. Patrick Stewart is in fine stentorian form as Seti, and don't miss Helen Mirren's honeyed delivery as Seti's queen. (History tells us that Rameses The Great's favorite wife and titular Queen was named Nefertari.) Steve Martin and Martin Short never really get the chance to cut loose as evil court magicians Hotep and Huy, but provide good comic performances nontheless.

Stephen Schwartz' tunes work well enough, especially when numbers like "When You Believe" turn into a joyful paean to liberation, sung in Hebrew. However, the low point of an otherwise outstanding film comes during his number "Playing With the Big Boys" in which palace magicians Huy and Hotep threaten Moses with the power of Egypt's gods. Not only is this number somewhat stagey, it is not even needed; Moses spent all of his life in Egypt and is well aware of what he is up against. Nearly lost in this busy number is the fact that Moses' God-empowered staff defeats the magicians.

Taken as a whole, however, this is perhaps one of the most important animated features ever made. To measure this film in terms of its box-office gross would be to seriously underestimate what Dreamworks is attempting to do: bring American feature animation squarely into the adult realm bereft of silly sidekicks, funny pets, fast-food figurines, and faux-Broadway posturings. And even if Dreamworks SKG turns out to be the only studio to pick up it's own gauntlet, it should be well worth watching them rise to that challenge in the future.