Kung Fu Panda (2008)

As it’s the week of Passover, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about The Prince of Egypt. This is a beautifully animated film done by DreamWorks. Yes, the same studio who brought us Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. Now, I love those films, but I think The Prince of Egypt is one of the studio’s best.

The film follows the biblical story of Moses, from his time as a prince of Egypt, to a leader for the people of Israel. It’s a film that works brilliantly in animation, and is one that both children and adults can; enjoy despite its religious contexts, it is friendly to general audiences.

The film centers a lot on the relationship between Moses (Val Kilmer) and Ramesses (Ralph Fiennes). We watch how they grew up as brothers, and become rivals when Ramesses becomes Pharaoh and refuses to free Moses’s people (the Hebrews) from slavery. Their conflict makes for intriguing drama, and Rameses is a compelling villain as we see him struggle to live up to his father. You certainly don’t want to root for him, but sometimes you can’t help but feel sorry for him.

Ethan and Joel Coen are names that have long been revered within the film industry - known for their snappy and clever dialogue and air-tight scripts, they have established themselves as some of the best filmmakers in the business. But this outing is a first in multiple regards - being a Joel Coen solo project as opposed to the traditional Coen Brothers co-direction - and the script is a direct, nearly uncut adaptation of the Shakespeare play, contrary to the brilliant original scripts audiences have come to expect from them. But worry not, Coen still delivers the quality we've come to expect from that name in all other areas of filmmaking.

As has been the case in nearly every adaption of the play to the screen, I assumed the 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' cast would be entirely white with very little minority representation, if any at all. So when it was announced that legendary actor Denzel Washington was set to star, I was pleasantly surprised. But even then, I anticipated him to be one of few non-white actors to have any significance in the film - but once again, I was wrong. The team behind The Tragedy of Macbeth oscar, specifically casting director Ellen Chenoweth, prioritized hiring the right actor based on talent, resume, and what they could bring to the character - imagine that. And what we get as a result is not only a brilliant and nuanced performance from Washington but also stellar performances by other Macbeth black actors such as Corey Hawkins and Moses Ingram as Macduff and Lady Macduff respectively. And I must say, the climax of the historically white story being portrayed by two black actors is incredibly refreshing. The characters of Shakespeare have been seemingly locked to white performers, at least in mainstream media, and it is long overdue for minority performers to get a chance to portray these iconic figures. And while this is by no means a predominantly black film, hiring actors like Washington and Hawkins to play these figures is a major step in the right direction.