Moses på filmduken. En filmanalys av två filmadaptioners framställningar av Exodus-berättelsen

Abstract

Background - Previous studies show that religiously themed film adaptations mainly reflect biblical events with Jesus in focus. Adaptations can depict events and characters in many different ways, with varying compliance with the original story. It is common to shorten and rework the original story to make an "artistic version" to fit a younger, broader audience. Research purpose - The study aims to find out how the Exodus story is depicted in its film adaptations and what consequences these films have when used as didactic material in religious studies. To achieve this the study will be guided by three research questions; -Which fundamental events are common to Exodus, The Prince of Egypt and Exodus - Gods and Kings, and how are they depicted? -Which are the central characters in Exodus, The Prince of Egypt and Exodus - Gods and KIngs, and how are they depicted? -What are the consequences to these depictions when used in education? Method - A film analysis has been made based on two film adaptations of the Exodus story from the Bibles’ Old Testament. The study is based on the theory of film adaptations, guided by the concepts adapted and transferred. Results - Mainly there are eight fundamental episodes common to both the original story and the films. Mostly the same characters are found in both films, but sometimes with completely different roles, which is interesting and a sign of both adaptation and transfer. The same can be said about the events, where The Prince of Egypt tries to transfer as much as possible of the original story, whereas Exodus - Gods and Kings is a more secular adaptation with a clear entertainment purpose. Both films are appropriate to use in religious studies, but possibly (and also preferably) in different ways.