One of
my great loves in life is the artform of animation. It has lifted me, moved
me, transported me and claimed much of my working life. So when anyone or
any studio undertakes the creation of an animated film, my very best wishes
go out to them...for if they succeed, it is a success for all of us in the
world of animation and if they fail, it, likewise, is a failure for all of
us.
I believe that the animated film is still in its infancy.
The possibilities for this magical medium are limitless. It seems obvious
that animation can and has rocked cradles and entertained young audiences
very well, but there are many (myself among them) who feel very strongly that
this genre of entertainment is in no way limited to children. That is why, if you'll forgive this rather lengthy
introduction, I have looked forward to The Prince of Egypt with the
greatest anticipation. When one considers the time, subject matter, budget,
and talents involved with the men creating this film (Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey
Katzenberg and David Geffen) how could the wonderful world of animation expect
anything less than pure magic, emotion, and maybe even a film that will explore
new heights and open up new possibilities for our artform.
I cannot remember ever looking forward to any animated
film with such excitement and hope, first and foremost because I consider
Steven Spielberg one of the best storytellers in Hollywood. I will forever
be grateful for E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's
List, and Saving Private Ryan. Thank you Steven Spielberg. You
made me laugh, you made me cry, you've kept me, and countless others, spellbound
on the edge of our seats while you entertained us with your marvelous storytelling. When I left the theater after seeing The Prince
of Egypt, I was angry. I felt let down. I felt the charge to advance the
animated film had been fumbled. Not that there isn't exquisite artwork, great
animation and camera work -- the likes of which the animated film has never
seen before -- but none of that really matters if there is not a compelling
story. Prince is all the very best icing, but underneath, there's no
cake. It really doesn't matter how eloquently you say nothing, you've still
said nothing, and Prince says "nothing" very well and with
a lot of hype.
But I regret to say, this time I was not entertained, and it all boils down
to one thing -- and that is the thing Steven Spielberg seems to do best --
"story." The Prince of Egypt skips over the true meat of
the story of Moses in favor of special effects and action.
Basically like a live-action film, this is a film about breath-taking special
effects, but if you've seen the trailer you've seen the best parts of the
movie. It somehow seems that the life of Moses and the Book of Exodus
has more to offer than a couple of teenage kids (endlessly) drag racing in
their chariots and the parting of the Red Sea. The characters had little to
do with the way they are presented in the Bible. Now, that doesn't
bother me so much, as long as the characters are amusing, entertaining and
compelling, which these were not. I think this is because rather than placing
the emphasis on plot and personality, the emphasis is on action.
Many facets of the story were skimmed over, leaving
those without a detailed understanding of the story confused. Moses (Val Kilmer),
who is historically referred to as "the great lawgiver," appears
with stone tablets containing the ten commandments in the very last few moments
of the film. Anyone not familiar with the story would not know what these
props are, where he got them, why he has them, or what is inscribed on them.
Significant locations such as Mt. Sinai are sometimes only painted on the
backgrounds. Since they were never referred to, if one isn't knowledgeable
about the story, one would never know what they are. The same applies to the
"plague montage." Rameses' temple in the background of one sequence
turns to black, while Moses remains in the light in the slaves' neighborhood.
One would never know from this that continual night was one of the plagues
which drove the inhabitants of ancient Egypt mad. A very important plot/personality
element was deleted by using this montage technique. What we missed was the
continual wearing down of Rameses (Ralph Fiennes). After each plague he told
Moses he could go, but before the Israelites could leave each time, he hardened
his heart and withdrew permission. It just seems that each time an opportunity
was there to steal into the center of the story -- the filmmakers backed away.
Because of the highly sensitive nature of the core material, it appeared as
though the filmmakers were taking every precaution not to offend anybody and
as a result didn't delve into the heart of the story. The charged core material
was so seriously diluted that it lost its great dramatic punch. In this respect
it was quite similar to Fox's Anastasia. They dealt with everything
except the meat of the story. God knows the Book of Exodus is a hell
of a story. It is hard to see how it could have been missed. Rather than being
concerned about offending various religious sects, perhaps it would have been
wiser to have taken a clue from Cecil B. DeMille and first and foremost focused
on making a great piece of entertainment. This film seems caught statically
somewhere between church and entertainment and is a little like having Sunday
school rammed down your throat when you thought you were going to the beach.
The characters are shallow, stiff and two dimensional.
Rameses is the "bad guy" and Moses is the "invincible good
guy" with a powerful staff capable of conjuring up all kinds of magic
-- hardly a fair match. What about driving home the fact that both Rameses
and Moses were Princes of Egypt? They were brothers. It must have been extremely
painful and difficult for both men to fight each other because they had such
a close relationship when fate dealt them their lot. This is even heightened
by the realization in their minds that one of them has to be destroyed. Both
the bonding of the brothers and their painful struggles, with each other and
internally, are again glossed over. Tzipporah (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the obligatory
liberated woman which according to the current crop of animated films means
she's entitled to kid the hero around, which is a strange concept of liberation.
Even in his heaviest dramas, Shakespeare realized the audience needed time
to catch their breath and invariably his device as a writer was to give us
relief through comedy. It appears as though this was the intent with Hotep
(Steve Martin) and Huy (Martin Short), two extremely funny men. However, they
were never given any funny lines or funny business. In addition they were
the wrong characters to make comic. How can they be funny and the menacing
henchmen of the Pharaoh at the same time? One particularly shocking story point is when the Angel
of Death visits the Egyptians and kills all of the first born. This means
that there are dead babies and weeping mothers all over Egypt. But at this
point the character of Miriam leads her people in a song of rejoicing. Such
an act of insensitivity to the suffering all around her renders her character
and her people somewhat callous, and therefore, unlikable. This rejoicing
seems even further out of place when you consider that these people had experienced
the same trauma only a few years before. Surely the Angel of Death must have
brought with him a painful reminder of what they had also experienced, hardly
a moment for singing.
Which brings me to the heart of the matter. The film is lacking in heart --
that humanity that binds us all together. The Dream Team has never been shy
about giving us heart before. Come on guys, give it to us again.
Toby Bluth is a writer, director and designer. He is a veteran of the American
musical stage and has performed in, directed or choreographed nearly one hundred
musical comedies. He has also directed live-action films. In animation, he
has recently directed and designed MGM's Babes in Toyland, and is currently
art directing Disney's Winnie the Pooh feature Tigger's Family Tree.
Links:
[1] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/4632
[2] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/4633
[3] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/4634
[4] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/4635