Distribution companies often run afoul of censorship heavies over international blockbuster releases, but over a cartoon film? Officials at the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) have taken offense at French animated film La reine soleil (The Princess of the Sun, 2007), the Good News Group’s latest import.
In the film, princess Akhesa, daughter of eighteenth-dynasty Pharaoh Akhenaten, enlists the help of Tutankhamun to search for her exiled mother Queen Nefertiti. Pursued by the Pharaoh’s enemies, the teenagers survive a torrid desert trek and capture by the mercenary Zannanza. The SCA howled that the plot does not come even close to historical fact; officials were appeased only after Good News agreed to run a statement saying that the movie is pure fiction. The March 17 opening of La reine soleil, screened at the Pyramids, was the world premiere — a first for Egypt. Producer Leon Zuratas and director Philippe Leclerc flew in for the gala, and violinist Didier Lockwood, the film’s music composer, performed selections from the soundtrack. Leclerc has worked with French filmmakers Paul Grimault and Réné Laloux before starting his own studio, Praxinos, in 1992. La reine soleil is his second animated feature. His first, The Rain Children [Les enfants de la Pluei, 2003], was screened at Cairo’s International Children’s Film Festival and released in Europe to critical acclaim in 2002. Lockwood studied classical violin and composition at the Calais conservatory. His first contribution to cinema was for Patrick Bouchitey’s Lune froide (Cold Moon, 1991), which was screened at the official competition of the Cannes Film Festival this year. Lockwood also composed the score for Leclerc’s The Rain Children. Egypt Today caught up with both Leclerc and Lockwood to discuss the film. Excerpts: Tell us a little about the film.
Leclerc: When I came on board, I started to rework the early draft of the script written by Hadrien Soulez Larivière and Nathalie Suhard, which was more or less an adventure film. It was not logical for me to make a film about the Pharaohs without highlighting their religious beliefs and their early science. It was also crucial for me to reflect such an extraordinary civilization on screen, since the hero of our story was Akhenaten, who established monotheism. From a technical point of view, do you see your film as a competitor to American animated films?
Leclerc: [Laughs] First off, we don’t have the resources of an American movie. Our budget didn’t surpass 4 million — this is a budget that Pixar or Disney uses to develop a theatrical trailer for one of their movies. [] To work in these constraints, I approached the graphics and the characterizations in a completely different style. The landscapes and the settings are simpler, more sober and elegant, much like Egyptian monuments. What inspired the soundtrack?
Lockwood: I have a good knowledge of different styles of world music, especially Oriental and Egyptian music. My aim was not to compose typical Egyptian music but to mix a lot of different tunes with Oriental, African, classic and modern sounds. What’s behind Europe’s recent interest in Egyptian and Pharaonic heritage?
Lockwood: I think the Western world is going through a period of decadence: they are voices that are born in the aim of reminding humanity of great old civilizations so that we can fix our future. We live in troubled times and we must search for our origins and roots. Leclerc: There are also the marketing facets because the name of Egypt sells worldwide. It’s a fashionable angle that we can’t neglect. How well do you think Princess of the Sun will do here and in Europe?
Lockwood: I have no idea. It is a film for young children that also contains certain messages for their parents. The beauty of the images and I hope the music should touch viewers worldwide. et | 
Volume
# 26
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