Memnet has some qualms about Bithiah adopting Moses when the Hebrew boys are sentenced to die by Rameses the First and Bithiah adopts him anyway and, apparently fearing that her father would be willing to finish the job, she swears Bithiah to secrecy at swordpoint. And Memnet keeps that secret for the rest of Rameses the First’s reign and most of Seti the First to the point of Moses being old enough to be played by Charlton Heston and she keeps his secret until Seti plans to give him the throne since she doesn’t believe a non-Egyptian should be Pharaoh. When she reveals this to Nefertari, it’s clear that the revelation would preclude Moses from the throne but there is no indication that he would be executed for it and considering the extremely positive relationship that Moses is depicted as having with Seti, it’s unlikely that he would have been. But Nefertari still kills Memnet to cover it up and the murder isn’t treated as a Moral Event Horizon. Moses objects to the murder when he finds out but it almost immediately becomes replaced by his concern about the possibility he’s a Hebrew and when he returns he seems to believe that she’s a good person since he thinks that G-d will use her as the vessel through which to soften Pharaoh’s heart. (He’s demonstrably wrong about this but that doesn’t alter the problem of the film not treating it like a big deal).
I think that was the result of an oversight rather than ValuesDissonance or Memnet being a Designated Villain but it still is a flaw of the film.
Aside from that, I love pretty much everything about this movie aside from a few nitpicks about textual accuracy.
. I like the love triangle backstory, the Pet the Dog moments it gives to Egyptian Moses, I like Joshua, I like the smug snake take on Dathan, I love how Rameses is practically a Card-Carrying Villain but is defeated because even evil has loved ones as well as Nefertari’s efforts to be Lady Macbeth. I like it’s portrayal of the Golden Calf revolt. And I like the movie’s religious themes.
And I like the speech Heston gives asking “why any man should enslave another of a different race or creed” which is values resonance given that it’s a 50s movie.
All in all, despite the Memnet problem, it’s a great movie.
Great movie except for that one thing
Memnet has some qualms about Bithiah adopting Moses when the Hebrew boys are sentenced to die by Rameses the First and Bithiah adopts him anyway and, apparently fearing that her father would be willing to finish the job, she swears Bithiah to secrecy at swordpoint. And Memnet keeps that secret for the rest of Rameses the First’s reign and most of Seti the First to the point of Moses being old enough to be played by Charlton Heston and she keeps his secret until Seti plans to give him the throne since she doesn’t believe a non-Egyptian should be Pharaoh. When she reveals this to Nefertari, it’s clear that the revelation would preclude Moses from the throne but there is no indication that he would be executed for it and considering the extremely positive relationship that Moses is depicted as having with Seti, it’s unlikely that he would have been. But Nefertari still kills Memnet to cover it up and the murder isn’t treated as a Moral Event Horizon. Moses objects to the murder when he finds out but it almost immediately becomes replaced by his concern about the possibility he’s a Hebrew and when he returns he seems to believe that she’s a good person since he thinks that G-d will use her as the vessel through which to soften Pharaoh’s heart. (He’s demonstrably wrong about this but that doesn’t alter the problem of the film not treating it like a big deal).
I think that was the result of an oversight rather than ValuesDissonance or Memnet being a Designated Villain but it still is a flaw of the film.
Aside from that, I love pretty much everything about this movie aside from a few nitpicks about textual accuracy.
. I like the love triangle backstory, the Pet the Dog moments it gives to Egyptian Moses, I like Joshua, I like the smug snake take on Dathan, I love how Rameses is practically a Card-Carrying Villain but is defeated because even evil has loved ones as well as Nefertari’s efforts to be Lady Macbeth. I like it’s portrayal of the Golden Calf revolt. And I like the movie’s religious themes.
And I like the speech Heston gives asking “why any man should enslave another of a different race or creed” which is values resonance given that it’s a 50s movie.
All in all, despite the Memnet problem, it’s a great movie.