The Prince of Egypt Soundtrack

Because yesterday was Passover, it seems this is a good place to insert a post that I wrote last fall but didn't use at the time.

Sometimes I find something (music, movie, food, etc.) that I like instantly. Other times, I am suspicious for whatever reason, sample it for awhile, get to know more about it and finally come to find it is well-liked. This was the case with the animated film, Prince of Egypt.

Religious films start me off with some reserve built in. They are usually trying to sell something-- their faith. If I don't buy that idea, why watch them. Still, I would see bits of The Prince of Egypt on HBO and each time think-- not bad... or hmmmm I'd like to see more. For anyone not familiar with it, it's the animated story of the Exodus. Moses's voice is Val Kilmer and Ramses Ralph Fiennes.

The animated film is, of course, a dramatization of a great event that may or may not be historic but certainly is mythic. It is grand, a story of following what you believe is true, about the potential power of god's intervention into man's affairs, of friendship, love, stubbornness, unbridled ego, growth of character, and of never underestimating your own value.

I liked the movie so much that I kept watching it every time it was on HBO. Finally I bought it but about then realized the bigger draw had been the soundtrack. The music was soaring and always left me feeling good. I read some reviews and purchased the soundtrack that had actually been used in the film (with four extra songs).

For a time like ours, where there seem so many upsetting things going on, music can be a comfort. One of my favorite songs from the movie is Through Heaven's Eyes:

"A single thread in a tapestry though its color brightly shine Can never see its purpose In the pattern of the grand design."