“Ridley Scott’s biblical film Exodus: Gods and Kings reportedly faces a ban in Egypt, where the country’s top censor called it historically inaccurate. In comments to reporters, the head of the Egyptian state censorship board, Abdul Sattar Fathi, said the $140 million retelling of the story of Moses contained ‘key historical mistakes.’ He said the film starring Christian Bale falsely ‘claims the Jews were the ones who built the Pyramids.'”
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/egypt-reportedly-bans-exodus-movie-citing-historical-mistakes/
He’s probably right about the Jews. The Pyramids most likely were built by a privileged class of Egyptian workers. See article below. In addition, there isn’t a shred of physical evidence for a mass exodus of people from Egypt as described in the Christian Bible, much less for a miraculous parting of the Red Sea (or, more likely, the marshes at the headwaters of the Red Sea).
http://harvardmagazine.com/2003/07/who-built-the-pyramids-html
But so what? When were movies ever historically accurate? On that basis, almost every Hollywood film ever made would be outlawed. What Egypt’s cultural cops don’t seem to understand is that Hollywood is in the imagination business.
I sort of understand their frustration, in the same sense that Native Americans are frustrated when Hollywood hires white actors to play Indians in cowboy flicks, or because cowboys always win against Indians in movies. (See, e.g., John Ford’s Stagecoach, featuring John Wayne in one of his early and most memorable roles. For real-life examples, look up “Fetterman fight” or “Little Bighorn,” in both of which instances the Native Americans kicked white butts sixteen ways to Sunday.)
C’mon, guys, it’s just a movie, for cryin’ out loud.
Did the Egyptian censors complain about Yul Brynner playing Pharaoh in the original Exodus movie? No, at least, not that I remember. But then, Cecile B. DeMille filmed his epic blockbuster in Egypt where he probably employed a lot of Egyptians as extras. Ridley Scott, on the other hand, shot his film in Spain. He probably didn’t hire a lot of Egyptians.
I suspect that’s what this is really about. Nobody in his right mind complains about the lack of historical accuracy in movies, except Kim Jung Un, who isn’t in his right mind. There’s always a hidden agenda behind something like this. It probably started with a complaint, either from some fanatical jihad group, or a labor union. Do they have a union for movie extras in Egypt?
(No, they don’t look like Egyptians to me, either; and next week the Pharaoh will be Chief Sitting Bull.)