Moses in popular culture

Many will probably remember the cartoon 'The Prince of Egypt', which was DreamWorks' first traditional cartoon. It became very popular and grossed $218 million. The film was groundbreaking in many ways. Firstly, 'The Prince of Egypt' was the first major Hollywood film since 'The Ten Commandments' from 1956, with Moses as the central actor. The Prince of Egypt was then also praised for involving both historical experts and religious experts in connection with the development of the cartoon – thus there were Christian, Jewish and Muslim experts (the three Abrahamic religions) who provided input into the film's content and portrayal of Moses. However, the film was not without controversy as it was banned in Egypt for its portrayal of Moses, who is considered a prophet within Islam and therefore should not be portrayed.

By Mads Emil Løkke Kristensen

The involvement of people with religious knowledge and expertise in film productions was depicted in the somewhat more recent 'All hail Caesar', a comedy from 2015. The film's central character is the studio head Eddie Manix, who tries to solve all the problems that arise during a day at the fictional film studio, Capitol Films. 'All Hail Caesar' is directed by the two Coen brothers (Ethan and Joel) and is a pastiche of Hollywood's golden age in the 1950s, when McCarthyism (the hunt for suspected communists) was also entering the film industry.

In particular, a scene in which representatives from Catholicism, Protestantism, the Greek Orthodox Church and Judaism discuss a film's portrayal of Jesus stands out in this context. They discuss whether some of the clergy or their congregations may see something objectionable in the portrayal. It's a comical scene where everything from what God is and isn't to special effects is discussed.

The film 'The Ten Commandments' from 1956 was, as I said, the first major Hollywood film to portray Moses. It was Charlton Heston (Planet of the Apes, Ben Hur) who played Moses. The film was directed by Cecil B. Demille, the son of German-Jewish immigrants to the United States, and was an incredible success. It grossed over $122 million in 1956 (equivalent to approximately $1,5 billion in 2019).

The film was a dramatization of the story of Moses and drew inspiration from several different sources, including Exodus. Its popularity helped start a wave of films about biblical figures. In the time that followed, films such as 'Ben Hur' and 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' followed. They were generally remakes, as most of the films had been produced before, just as silent films and/or in black and white. With the addition of speech and color, they gained a whole new popularity and reached even more people than before.

The film 'The Ten Commandments' also took on a political dimension. When it was published in 1956, the world was divided into East and West. Many of the film's details and tools are a direct comment on the Cold War. That Moses had to free his people from an evil despot in the form of Pharaoh has later been interpreted as a clear comment on the Soviet Union and its totalitarian rule.

The director Cecil B. DeMille himself stated the following at the premiere: "The theme of this film is whether men should be ruled by God's law or whether they should be ruled by the whims of a dictator. The same struggle continues throughout the world today.”

Even the ten plagues became a commentary on the political situation of this time. In the 1950s, the fear of the atomic bomb and nuclear war was great. They were told that the radiation from an atomic bomb could penetrate walls, windows and every corner of the house. You couldn't smell it, you couldn't see it, you couldn't feel it – but it would kill you regardless. The tenth plague, the death of all Egyptian firstborns, was thus portrayed as a green mist. A clear reference to the fear of nuclear war at the time.

Recent portrayals of Moses include Ridley Scott's film 'Exodus: Gods and Kings' from 2014. Again, it is a dramatic interpretation and visualization of Moses and his life. However, 'Exodus: Gods and Kings' differs significantly from 'The Ten Commandments' and 'The Prince of Egypt'. In the film, Christian Bale (Batman trilogy, American Psycho) plays Moses.

In this film, Moses is introduced as a general in Pharaoh's army and an extremely good warrior. It is also a Moses who struggles with his identity and not least his faith throughout the film. It is a magnificent epic, but you are left with the feeling that it has been seen and done before. Some of the criticisms when the film came out were precisely that the expression and dynamics of the film were too similar to the film 'Gladiator' from 2000 (also Ridley Scott) and the only 'new' so to speak was that it was now a biblical story you had taken up. Another point of criticism was the choice of actors for the central roles, including Bale. Not because of the performance, but because of their race. Egypt chose to ban the film completely as it was believed to create a false representation of the Egyptian people.

The fascination with Moses and the myth behind him is not only reserved for the world of film. One of the biggest superheroes, depending on whether you're a Marvel or DC Comics fan, has a lot in common with Moses. It's none other than Superman. The masterminds behind Superman, two young progressive guys from Ohio with a Jewish background, Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, used the story of Moses when they invented Superman in 1938.

As you know, Moses was put in a reed basket to avoid being killed and grew up in Egypt, where his true identity must be hidden. Similarly, Superman is put in a spaceship to avoid being killed and grows up on a small farm, where he also has to hide his true identity.

Just as Moses frees the Israelites from slavery, Superman frees the world from evil. Superman's very name, Kal-El, means 'of God' in Hebrew.

Superman fighting evil was shown on a completely simultaneous background in some of the early albums. Here, in Germany in 1940, Superman battles a German scientist modeled after Adolf Hitler. The early albums and their portrayal of Superman, but also their criticism of the Nazi regime, led Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister, to proclaim that 'Superman is a Jew' and the comics were banned in Germany.

Other animated representations of Moses include The Simpsons and Family Guy. Here the myth of Moses is told again, albeit briefly (5-10 minutes duration). The story of Pesach and Moses is a story that not only popular culture has embraced, but also the United States as a country, as it is a story with great relevance for both Jews and Christians in a historical perspective.

The Pilgrims who fled from England and King James in 1620 saw themselves as Moses and the Israelites fleeing from Pharaoh. The American Revolution is also modeled in the American collective memory as a story in which an oppressed people will be 'liberated' from an evil ruler. The very symbol of the United States, the Statue of Liberty, which has been the first thing millions of immigrants have seen upon arriving in the United States, has elements of Moses. The spikes that encircle the head of the statue are meant to give the illusion of light and the tablet on the left side can be read as a reference to Moses when he comes down from Mount Sinai with the 10 commandments.

The story of Moses is thus shared by Jews as well as Christians, and at the same time has also been an offense for a long and constant discussion between Jews and Christians, where the discussion ends in who are the true heirs of Israel. This shared history has been read and subsequently interpreted differently and has also directly led to the oppression and persecution of Jews throughout time. In popular culture, the story has become a symbol and narrative model for the struggle of good against evil and oppression and about liberation from slavery and the dream of a better future. The original story behind it is the one that underlies the celebration during Pesach.