h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi <BB<

I'm Sub-editing Moses - Film Adaptations of his Life. The new version is A87946393 - please subscribe.

I didn't see this in Peer Review, so I am enjoying reading it now.

"Well, maybe it is a little bit you"

I had a few questions:

The summary starts with Israelites and then switches to Hebrews - need to say a few words to confirm they are the same?

In relation to the 1923 film, the Bechdel Test can be applied, but we might not know whether it passes or not... There are at least two named women characters, so that's a tick. Do the women interact at all?

What does "not killing (consequences of his actions)." mean?

"Princess Nefretiri is in love with Moses, but can only marry who Sethi appoints the next pharaoh which looks set to be Moses" - she can't marry Moses, but she can marry Moses?

Nefretiri kills Memnet?

"oversee the production of slaves" - produce of slaves?

"virtually bikini-clad girls" - virtual bikini! Does that mean they were wearing something that is now known as a bikini, or they were wearing more than just a top and briefs?

Thanks for taking this one on

You could add a saying something like:
'Hebrews' and 'Israelites' are used interchangeably through all adaptations to refer to Moses' people. The descendants of Noah's great-great-grandson Eber, including Abraham and Jacob later called Israel, were known as 'Hebrews' while the descendants of Israel, are also known as Israelites.

In the 1923 adaptation the mother and the daughter-in-law interact, but there are no intertitles to reveal what is said. Facial expressions might imply something like 'I give you my blessing, I hope you're happy together – but ensure you live a good life' from the mother and 'Thank you, oh I'm very happy! We're going to get married but the Ten Commandments aren't relevant to us any more' from the daughter-in-law. Which you could argue may or may not pass the test about discussing a man specifically or marriage in general depending on how you personally interpret the expressions and gestures.

'Princess Nefretiri is in love with Moses, but can only marry who Sethi appoints the next pharaoh which looks set to be Moses'

You could change:
Princess Nefretiri is in love with Moses, but can only marry who Sethi appoints the next pharaoh which looks set to be Moses, much to Ramesses' disgust. Nefretiri discovers that Memnet intends to expose Moses as being the son of Hebrew slaves and kills her, but not before Moses begins to question his background.

To:
Princess Nefretiri, who loves Moses, can only marry who Pharaoh Sethi arranges for her to marry, and whoever she marries will be the next Pharaoh. Both Moses and Ramesses compete for her hand in marriage and it looks likely that Moses will be the one Sethi choses, until Memnet threatens to reveal that Moses' real parents were slaves. Nefretiri kills Memnet to try and prevent this revelation, but her death leads Moses to question his background and on the path to discovering the truth.

Ah yes – produce of slaves, he doesn't have to ensure that slaves are born and keep up pregnancy quotas…


The bit about the 1920s sequence appears a bit garbled too, so it should be changed to:
"The 1920s sequence has aged far more than the ancient prologue. The plot revolves around the younger son swearing to break the Ten Commandments. We see him fail to keep the Sabbath Holy (he dances after getting engaged). He does not honour his mother (he hides a painting of her). He commits adultery, steals (by corrupt business practices to maximise profits) and even killing (as a consequence of his shortcut-taking actions)."

"virtually bikini-clad girls"
Admittedly by being in the middle of a desert, they're not actually wearing swimwear – but they wear whatever the equivalent is that is worn by belly-dancers. They essentially wear belly dancer outfits including very transparent veils. I don't know belly dancing clothing nomenclature, I'm afraid.

<BB<

Thank you Yes, it did sound like Moses was in charge of ensuring the slaves multiplied, so I'm glad that is clarified now

"Or cement." ... Three and a half hours in, will anyone ever actually mention the Ten Commandments? - superb sentences

"Sephora, Moses' wife, also known as Zipporah and Tzipora " - does this mean Sephora is also referred to/credited as Tzipora in the 1956 film, or does it mean that in the Summary of the Story of Moses, Moses gets married to someone who is variously called Sephora, Zipporah and Tzipora? Same with Jochebed/Yochabel/Yocheved?

Can I double check about the princess and the Pharaoh, please - who found and raised Moses in the original story, and who is the princess (wife or daughter) in each film?

" which goes nowhere until God intervenes" - what intervention happens in relation to the atheist interpretation?

I think it is a good idea to mention that Sephora is also called Zipporah and Tzipora (and Jochebed/Yochabel/Yocheved) in the Summary of the Story. Not only are these characters called by different variations on their names in the different films, the way that different actors pronounce their names during the same film changes wildly. So in the 1956 version her name is 'Sephora' but it is pronounced both with an S and a Z and with and without a 'f'-sound in the middle.

The Princess and the Pea – no – Pharaoh
Moses' mother is traditionally known as Bithiah or Bitya, meaning 'daughter of God' and traditionally considered a Pharaoh's daughter, but which Pharaoh is not listed. Traditionally she is said to have accompanied Moses on the Exodus. Tuya was Seti's wife and Ramesses II's mother.

The princess and pharaoh who raised Moses in each film are:

1923:
Moses is only seen as an adult and we do not see or know who raised him.

1956:
Bithiah is the adopted mother of Moses
Sethi is the Pharaoh who raises Moses as his nephew (but not the one who ordered the killing).

Prince of Egypt:
The Queen, Seti's wife, is Ramesses' mother who adopted Moses
Pharaoh Seti I, is Moses' adopted father

Exodus:
Seti I is the adopted father
Queen Tuya is the adopted mother

In the atheist interpretation, Moses doesn't do much and then the Nile spontaneously turns red, possibly because of algae.

<BB<

Thank you - I had got confused with the Princess and the P...Pharaoh and made a mistake so I sorted that out.

That is fascinating about the different pronunciations of the same spelling, never mind the different spellings I added footnotes

The Entry is now ready for you to check

Thanks, it looks good to me. There's only one thing that needs to be brought up to date:
"It is the seventh-highest-grossing film (adjusted for inflation) of all time, behind only Gone with the Wind (1939), Avatar (2009), Titanic (1997), Star Wars (1977), The Sound of Music (1965) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)."

Should now be:
It is the eighth-highest-grossing film (adjusted for inflation) of all time, behind only Gone with the Wind (1939), Avatar (2009), Titanic (1997), Star Wars (1977), Avengers: Endgame (2019), The Sound of Music (1965) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).

<BB<

Thank you - I made that change and added in 'To date', just in case the next Avengers movie with Emma Peel beats it as well

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