Research On Exodus’s Film Adaptation

Exodus is one of the most classical narrative texts of Biblical Literature. It mainly tells the story of Moses who led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness to Mount Sinai where he received the Ten Commandments. Since the year1923, Exodus has been adapted into film or TV series seven times. However, domestic and international research about Exodus’s film adaptation has seriously lagged behind the practice of adaptations. The author selects this subject as research object just fills the blank of studies.This dissertation attempts to make a comprehensive survey of Exodus’s film-adaptation history and seeks to draw the outline of its development by using relevant knowledge of interdisciplinary research. By the analysis of four films (1923Ten Commandments,1956Ten Commandments,1995Moses,1998animated feature Prince of Egypt), this article tries to reveal the malleability of the Exodus in the hands of film-makers and offers insight to the meaning that social, political or Cultural context imposed on the Exodus and thereby concludes the strategies or methods of adaptation. Furthermore, this article analyzes the adaptations of Exodus through intertextual perspective so that we can explore the aesthetic value and cultural significance of the adaptation.Based on the study of film-adaptation’s possibility, the first chapter presents an in-depth analysis of Exodus’s potential for film adaptation. Only when possessing enough "cinematic elements" can a narrative text has the possibility to be adapted into film. Exodus has been endowed with this potential. Not only its compact narrative, but also the rich "cinematic elements" that hide in the characterization, narrative characteristics and ideological connotation provide advantage for its adaptation.The second chapter examines four well-known versions of Exodus, analyzes their social, political, cultural or historical meaning that imposed by particular context and explores their influence on the characterization, plot setting and development of films. The1923Ten Commandments illustrates the enduring value of divine law by criticizing the perceived moral chaos which was highlighted by the First World War. The1956Ten Commandments is a cinematic metaphor of Cold war, it delivers a message of American religion and freedom. The1995Moses presents the Exodus as an example of religious discovery, reflects the spirit experience of contemporaries. The1998animated feature Prince of Egypt emphasizes the power of faith and the true value of life.The third chapter summarizes the common strategies or methods of Exodus’s film adaptation from the perspective of medium transformation. During the process of adaptation, in order to control films’ narrative rhythm and give prominence to top storyline, directors all made some adjustments to the original plot and narrative structure by adopting specific techniques such as "delete","add" and "modify". In the meantime, in order to create a unified space and time in film, complete the narrative of character, environment and events, directors used all kinds of montage techniques to deal with text’s space and time, expressing character’s thoughts or hidden feelings and inspiring audience’s imagination. Only by these means can the text be transformed into image or picture.The last chapter presents an intertextual perspective on the adaptation of Exodus. What’s the most important in film adaptation is the construction of multiple intertextual relationships between original text and its different film versions rather than the principle of fidelity, Exodus’s adaptations make no exception too. Under the perspective of intertextuality, intertextual relationships exist among the original narrative text, adapted film versions and particular contexts. Intertextuality reveals the infinite possibility of Exodus’s film adaptation, it provides directors and audiences more ways or channels understanding Exodus. As an interpretation and explanation, Exodus’s film adaptation makes a great significance to the enrichment and extension its original aesthetic connotations.