Sep 04, 2014 why did ridley scott decide to tackle the story of moses and the israelites journey out of egypt in exodus. Ridley opts for a different natural cause than the one the bible uses. Ridley scott, giannina facio acquire embraced by the light. Gods and kings features moses, the pharaoh, hundreds of thousands of slaves making their way across the floor of the red sea, all ten plagues, the burning bush, and even the angel of yahweh in the form of a petulant eleven year old boy with a british accent. Dec 10, 2014 christian bale plays moses in the new film version of the bibles book of exodus. Directorproducer ridley scott gladiator conveys moses in exodus. Ridley scott addresses the exodus casting controversy film. Ridley scott s explanation for whitewashing his exodus. Some controversy and criticism arose concerning biblical accuracy of the script and its portrayal. Dec 11, 2014 kerry brown associated press show more show less 3 of 4 rhamses joel edgerton, right and nefertari goldshifteh farahani worry about their infant son in ridley scott s exodus. Gods and kings features moses, the pharaoh, hundreds of thousands of slaves making their way across the floor of the red sea, all ten plagues, the burning bush, and even the angel of yahweh in the form of a petulant eleven year. Dec 26, 2014 egypt bans a hollywood film based on the biblical book of exodus, citing what it calls historical inaccuracies. Scott plays fast and loose with the scriptures, making some huge deviations for. Then youll be able to tell ridley scott whats what, and youll finally have something worthwhile to say in all those christian bale fan letters you keep writing.
On march 27, 2014, the studio changed the title of the film from exodus to exodus. Described by film producer michael deeley as the very best eye in the business, director ridley scott was born on november 30, 1937. Similarlyand much as darren aronofsky did in making noah ridley scott in his exodus has treated the bible as myth and mere inspiration. Nov 29, 2014 ridley scott s rendering of the book of exodus serves up most of the spectacular highlights of the biblical tale 2014 marks the resurgence of the old testament at the movies. And thus, he accepts the angels charge, not with joy and spiritual enthusiasm, but with a kind of resentment. How ridley scotts exodus strays from the bible time. Nov 04, 2014 the main issue, apparently, is that ridley doesnt express biblical fidelity to red sea incident. Dec 12, 2014 the defiant leader moses rises up against egyptian pharaoh ramses ii, setting six hundred thousand slaves on a monumental journey of escape from egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues. Gods and kings, but his explanation is unlikely to stem the tide of criticism exodus is a biblical epic inspired. Its been 60 years since the last significant blockbuster adaptation of moses story16 if you count the prince of egyptand its certainly the type of story scott is particularly adept at filming however, it seems scott was drawn to the project for some personal. By striving to appeal to the widest possible demographic, i suspect that veteran director ridley scott s exodus. Ridley scotts moses did indeed spend years in the desert to the east of egypt, but he seems little changed from the selfabsorbed, violent, and worldly prince of egypt that he had been. The third incredible insight that i hope scott shows is the epic impossibility of which moses was dealt. Nov 26, 2014 however, when director ridley scott mounted his own production of the moses story, titled exodus.
Ridley scott, christian bale, ben kingsley, aaron paul, sigourney weaver. Gods and kings features moses, the pharaoh, hundreds of thousands of slaves making their way across the. Gods and kings official trailer hd 20th century fox. Directed by ridley scott, some critics say the movie whitewashes the bible. Demilles 1956 epic the ten commandments starring charlton heston. But if you look at the trailer and what ridley scott has been saying, theyre making an epic. Gods and kings stars christian bale as moses who, as the film opens, fights alongside his brother ramses a shavedheaded joel edgerton, to help defend egypt, which is ruled by their father, seti john turturro. Gods and kings, ridley scott and the red sea you think you know. Christian bale portrays moses in the new ridley scott film, exodus. Jul 10, 2014 the film, which is an adaptation of the book of exodus, also stars sigourney weaver, sir ben kingsley, and breaking bad star aaron paul. In this scene, from what i have read, ridley doesnt have god doing the parting of the sea at the hands of moses. That being said, ridley scott goes too far with artistic liberties with, from the very beginning of the film, depicting moses as an egyptian general and for all intents and purposes a brother to ramsespharaoh, who moses confronts both in the book and film, but in very different ways, completely different from one medium to the other. The holy book of muslims, the koran, presents moses as a prophet, distinguished in allahs sight.
Ridley scott and giannina facio have acquired screen rights to embraced by the light, the bestselling book by betty j. Gods and kings, quite a few heads were turned by the fact that the principal cast. Ridley scott explains why the cast of exodus is so white. Gods and kings updates the story of moses in every way except the one that would actually be gutsy. Egypt bans ridley scott s exodus for historical inaccuracies. Ridley scott addresses exodus casting controversy huffpost. Adam cooper, bill collage, jeffery caine, steven zaillian. Kerry browncourtesy of twentieth century fox on the film giving moses wife, zipporah, a more prominent role than she has in. Demilles classic the ten commandments, but scott depicts god as a petulant british boy. Swords, sandals and snoozes ridley scott s heartstoppingly sober take on the book of exodus badly needs an injection of camp. What did he say that has biblical literalists in a tizzy. Aside from casting christian bale as the savior of 600,000 slaves in the.
Gods and kings, quite a few heads were turned by the fact that the principal cast which includes christian bale as moses, joel edgerton as rhamses and aaron paul as joshua was comprised almost exclusively of white actors. You could claim it is a story about one thing, but dig deep enough, and you hit the core of a director that knows humanity more than it knows itself. In june 2012, ridley scott announced that he was developing an adaptation of the book of exodus, tentatively titled moses. Ridley scott battles with the essence of the exodus. Gods and kings is ridley scott s attempt to bring a famous chunk of the hebrew bible to life in 3d. Using state of the art visual effects and 3d immersion, scott brings new life to the story of the defiant leader moses christian bale as he rises up against. Ridley scott has a way with water in exodus scene usa today. How ridley scott s exodus strays from the bible time. Watch the exclusive new trailer for ridley scotts exodus. Ridley scott s retelling of the moses story, exodus. Demilles 1956 biblical epic the ten commandments had a principal cast made up almost entirely of white actors, despite being set in egypt it was released in 1956, after all. Oct 27, 2014 i hope ridley scott captures this complex conflict of the life of moses, because that was the only kind of moses that could have truly freed the jews from captivity. Dec 10, 2014 the story of exodus was a battle, not between moses and pharaoh, but between god and pharaoh and his little g gods. In scott s hands, the bible is a fiction to be used however he wishes to tell his own story.
Not quite 60 years ago, filmmaker demille recognized the privileged burden of being worthy of the divinely inspired story. Gods and kings, the 2014 film directed by ridley scott of alien and blade runner fame. Christian bale, joel edgerton, isaac andrews, john turturro, ben mendelsohn, ben kingsley, maria valverde run time. Dec 19, 2014 it is a reflection of scott as a recovering atheist who is agnostically struggling with materialism and the possibility of the divine. Dec 22, 2014 maria valverde plays moses wife, zipporah, in ridley scotts exodus. Gods and kings is as much a product of our hightech newmillennium era as the ten commandments was of the eisenhower grayflannel suit period. It is a badly acted and badly written melodrama that takes what should be a passionate and emotionally wrenching story and drains it of all life. During battle, moses saves ramses life, causing ramses to fear that his brother will one day be king because it fits with a prophecy handed down by one of setis trusted spiritualists.
When that book is the bible, however, those liberties can attract a bit more attention. Gods and kings 2014, an interpretation of the exodus of israelite slaves from egypt by moses, sparked controversy last month when it was banned in egypt. Because, no other music, can compare to this track, in the upcoming trailer of this moviei dont own anything. Gods and kings in the hopes that it will at least be somewhat faithful to the biblical account of the exodus, you might not want to waste your hard earned money, because it is definitely nothing like cecil b. And if youre hoping for a biblically faithful retelling of the book of exodus then again, no. Gods and kings as a valiant warrior and spiritual skeptic whom god surprises and prompts to liberate his compatriots from centuries of bondage. Following months of backlash, ridley scott has finally addressed the casting controversies surrounding exodus. How christian bales exodus compares to the bible and history time. Gods and kings in the hopes that it will at least be somewhat faithful to the biblical account of the exodus, you might not want to waste your hard earned money, because it is. When ramses finds out, moses is driven out of egypt. Dec 11, 2014 director ridley scott remembers watching charlton heston as moses parting the red sea in cecil b. He is best known for directing the science fiction horror film alien 1979, the. Gods and kings, the story of one mans daring courage to take on the might of an empire.
Ridley scott s movie, based on the bibles book of exodus, stars bale as moses and joel edgerton as the egyptian pharaoh ramses. Gods and kings wont arrive in theaters until this december. The biblical book of the same title tells two entwined stories. With christian bale, joel edgerton, ben kingsley, sigourney weaver. If you are looking for classic ridley scott movie along the lines of gladiator or alien then sadly, no. Joel edgerton in exodus heres the official synopsis.
If exodus is, at its core, very much the story of two brothers, then so is the life of ridley scott. What i hope ridley scott captures in exodus chris jeub. The story is one of the most timeless in western history, like the odyssey or. At least, thats the case for director ridley scotts recent film. Conquest of paradise, the pair are reteaming once again for exodus. But if you look at the trailer and what ridley scott has been saying, theyre making an epic, good guy versus bad guy, big battle, mega blockbuster, stone continued. If you are planning on going to see ridley scott s new movie exodus. From acclaimed director ridley scott gladiator, prometheus comes the epic adventure exodus. Ridley scott and missing the point of the book of exodus catholic.
The defiant leader moses rises up against egyptian pharaoh. Ridley scott offers an incredibly dissatisfying explanation of why exodus. It was was not worthy of recycling, therefore, i threw it in the trash. Ridley scott and missing the point of the book of exodus. Gods and kings features moses, the pharaoh, hundreds of thousands of slaves making their way across the floor of the red sea, all ten. In an interview with variety, scott said the reason he cast white actors to play egyptians in his biblical film was because of monetary. Dec 12, 2014 the holy book of muslims, the koran, presents moses as a prophet, distinguished in allahs sight. Normally, ridley scott tapping christian bale and joel edgerton for the leads of his next movie would be cause for excitement. Ridley scott took far too many liberties and the acts of moses are not as illustrated in the bible. Dec 19, 2014 ridley scott and missing the point of the book of exodus exodus is not telling a story primarily of political liberation though that is part of it, but rather a story of spiritual liberation from. It has no sound biblical reference as illustrated in the book of exodus.
Oscarwinning actor, director describe talking on the controversial character moses as the lead in new film. Dec 12, 2014 t he biblical story of exodus hits the big screen on friday with the release of ridley scotts exodus. Every ridley scott movie ranked from worst to best screen rant. Joshuas father nun played by ben kingsley believes his chance meeting with moses played by christian bale has been ordained by god. Gods and kings features moses, the pharaoh, hundreds of thousands of slaves making their way across the floor of the red sea, all ten plagues, the burning. Exodus 15 may well be one of the kernels out of which the book of exodus as we have it grew over centuries in the process of oral and. Pg canada rated pg mpaa for violence including battle sequences and intense images listen here for audio of radio interviews. Gods and kings 2014 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
Alter has translated most of the hebrew bible, including the five books of moses, and hes a leading secular scholar of scripture. The politics of ridley scott s exodus american thinker. Nprs robert siegel asks robert alter, a professor of hebrew and comparative literature at the university of california. Erzahlerisch wirkt exodus jedoch leider ziemlich uninspiriert trotz seiner modernen, agnostisch gepragten perspektive.
The book of exodus specifies that moses kills an egyptian slave driver. Dec 26, 2014 ridley scotts movie, based on the bibles book of exodus, stars bale as moses and joel edgerton as the egyptian pharaoh ramses. The defiant leader moses rises up against egyptian pharaoh ramses ii, setting six hundred thousand slaves on a monumental journey of escape from egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues. However, when director ridley scott mounted his own production of the moses story, titled exodus. However, thanks to the movies first official trailer being launched this week, the expected debates revolving around the films treatment of the biblical source material, the races of its cast members, and so forth have already begun to rage online. Ridley scott and missing the point of the book of exodus exodus is not telling a story primarily of political liberation though that is part of it, but rather a story of spiritual liberation from. T he biblical story of exodus hits the big screen on friday with the release of ridley scotts exodus. Gods and kings has computergenerated plagues, waves and tornadoes.
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