JOSEPH, KING OF DREAMS
US, 2000, 75 minutes, Colour.
Voices of Ben Affleck, Mark Hamill, Richard Herd, Maureen Mc Govern, Judith Light, Steven Weber
Directed by Rob La Duca, Robert Ramirez.
Two years after Dreamworks had great commercial success with its version of the Exodus, Prince of Egypt, they released this small-budget story from the book of Genesis.
The film is entertaining in its way but certainly designed for younger audiences, an opportunity for them to learn the story of Joseph and his brothers, their betrayal, Joseph sold into slavery, his life in Egypt, his interpretation of dreams, his success in Egypt on behalf of Pharaoh, the arrival of his brothers and the gradual revelation of who he was.
75 minutes, along with some songs, especially a very long Miracle Child in the opening minutes, the screenplay enables audiences to immediately appreciate and remember the outlines of the Joseph story. To that extent it is of religious and catechetical aid for younger audiences.
The film is very bright, scenes in Canaan with Joseph and his brothers, the devotion of Jacob and Rachel, the multi-coloured coat. There are the visualising of Joseph’s dreams, especially with his being the largest sheaf and his brother’s sheafs bowing down before him. This is too much for them and they sell him to slavers and he goes into Egypt.
As with the title, the important thing is that Joseph is able to interpret dreams and, after being betrayed by his master’s wife and imprisoned, is able to interpret the dreams of fellow prisoners, one disastrous, one profitable – which means that he is drawn to the attention of Pharaoh and interpret his dreams about the seven years of plenty and the seven years of starvation.
Ben Affleck voices Joseph and Mark Hamill voices Jacob. Singer Maureen Mc Govern (from The Poseidon Adventure) is Rachel and has the opportunity for a song.
The film is colourful, storytelling American-style, modest ambitions, but successful in what it was setting out to do.
1. Telling the story from Genesis for the younger audience, brief, animated, simple, musical, visual images?
2. The brevity of the film, the colourful animation, landscapes of Cannan and Egypt, the characters, the rough Canaanites, Joseph and his coat, the Egyptians and their costumes? The years of plenty, the years of famine?
3. The musical score, the range of songs especially the Miracle Child? Rachel’s song? Joseph’s wife and her song? The effect of having songs in this biblical context?
4. Audience familiarity with the Genesis story, the outline of Joseph, his brothers, Jacob’s love, Rachel’s love, his being sold, slavery in Egypt, Potiphar’s wife, prison, the interpretation of dreams, interpreting for Pharaoh, his being put in charge, the prosperity of Egypt? His brothers, the return, his deception, the gold in Benjamin’s sack?
5. The background of Miracle Child, the older brothers, adults, Jacob and Rachel, the birth of Joseph, the favourite, the collage of his being a child, youth, young man, studies and scrolls, the coloured coat, with his brothers, their antagonism, his dreams, the death of the Ramsey, the sheafs bowing down?
6. Joseph and his brothers, the characters, the hard work, the father sending them to work after being woken by Joseph’s dream? The sheaves? The attack on Joseph, his falling down the hole? The slaveowners? His being pulled out, sold into slavery, the silver, his appeals?
7. In Egypt, the market, too small, Potiphar buying him? The work at home? The approach of his wife? Tearing his cloak? The accusations, Potiphar and his reaction, believing his wife’s word? Sending him to prison? His wife later repenting?
8. In prison, the dreams, the baker and his negative dream, his death? The servant, his prosperous dream, his release, speaking on behalf of Joseph?
9. Joseph in prison, suffering, food? Planting the seed, its growing, Time passing?
10. His release, interpreting the dream for Pharaoh, the visualising of the dream, the seven prosperous years, the seven harsh years? Joseph and his plans and advice? Being put in charge?
11. The prosperous years, the crops, Joseph and his plan, the irrigation of the fields, the gathering of the crops, their being stored? Everybody cheerful?
12. Joseph and his marrying, his wife, the children?
13. The harsh years, people lining up, the allotting of the grain, the children coming? Joseph’s brothers and their arrival? Their being rejected as Canaanites, their offering to pay?
14. Joseph, his anger, the possibility for revenge, gradually revealing the truth to his wife? Sending them for Benjamin, imprisoning his brother’s hostage? Their coming back, Benjamin, the further testing of them with the gold in the sack? Their arrest, Benjamin being blamed, the brothers bowing down to Joseph, wanting to take the blame so as not to
hurt Jacob?
15. Jacob, his arrival, the revelation, the reconciliation?
16. The effective ingredients of a saga as incorporated in the Genesis narrative and in the story outline of this version?
