The Egyptian

The picture narrates upon Sinuhe the Egyptian (Edmund Purdom) who works as a medic for paupers and hapless . He meets a good woman (a gorgeous Jean Simmons) and a bad woman called Nefer (a femme fatale Bella Darvi ; Marilyn Monroe lobbied hard to play her , but Darryl F. Zanuck had earmarked the role for his then-mistress Darvi) and an one-eyed , rascally servant (Peter Ustinov). After this , the physician saves and heals pharaoh Amenophis IV (Michael Wilding) from a lion and is appointed as a royal healer . In the palace court from Thebas happens various intrigues with the Pharaoh's sister (Gene Tierney) and the general Horemheb (Victor Mature)and the priest (Henry Daniel) , follower of ¨Amon Ra¨. As Akhenaten tried to bring about a departure from traditional religion, yet in the end it would not be accepted . After his death, traditional religious practice was gradually restored .

The film is partially based on historic deeds and loosely based on Mika Waltari's novel . It's a slice of ancient history set in 1300 B.C and the 18th dynasty : Amenophis IV (son of great pharaoh AmenophisIII) is known as Akenaton , he was proclaimed maximum priest imposing a sole and only God , Aton (the sun God) pitting to priests worshipping Amon-Ra . Amenophis created a new city (called Ajetaton or Amarna). He was married to Nefertiti and would born Tutankhamon but Horemheb rules over and is proclaimed pharaoh . There is an Italian version about similar events titled ¨Nefertiti queen of Nilo , 1961¨ (by director Fernando Cerchio with Jeanne Crain and Vincent Price) but with lack luster and lesser budget . This adaptation by Michael Curtiz is much better with an impressive control of the crowd and scenarios . The musical score from Alfred Newman and Bernard Herrmann , two greatest cinema musicians is extraordinary with romantic and spiritual chores score . Leon Shamroy's spellbound color cinematography ensure the glimmer spectacle . The casting is of first range , they are mightier than the movie . At a cost of $5 million, the film took two years to research , the designers ultimately cataloging five million items of clothing and properties . As set design , gowns , and production are breathtaking . After shooting was completed, Fox made back some of the film's immense cost by selling many of the set pieces, props and costumes to Paramount, which then employed them in an even bigger epic, Cecil B. DeMille's Ten Commandments . The motion picture will appeal to historical epics buffs. Rating : Good . Well worth watching .

"The Egyptian" has several pluses that make up for a rather slow pace. There is plenty to the story, which involves a lot of action as well as some interesting themes, and there is a lot of good scenery and cinematography. Most of the cast is pretty good, and there is an assortment of interesting characters.

The setting in ancient Egypt works well and is used to good effect. It makes for many interesting sights, which are filmed nicely and used well in the story. The plot does a good job of weaving the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who tried to bring monotheism to Egypt, into the lives of the main characters. As the central character, Edmund Purdom is all right, but some of the other characters often command more attention. Victor Mature is particularly convincing as the no-nonsense Horemheb, and Peter Ustinov steals more than one scene as Purdom's assistant.

The only real flaw is the length. While there is plenty to the story, there are times when it moves quite slowly, and it doesn't seem as if it would have been all that hard to shorten some of the scenes. In particular, some of the speeches that summarize the conflict of ideas among the characters would have been more effective if they had not been quite so wordy.

But overall, this is a good movie, and it works pretty well both as a period piece and as a story.

The Eighteenth Dynasty of the monotheistic pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti has always held a fascination for Egyptologists and the monumental, best-selling novel by Finnish Mika Waltari, written in a burst of inspiration over a three and a half month period was a vehicle which Hollywood simply could not resist. The novel was praised for its authenticity and although this viewer blushes to disclose that he has not yet read the original, the synopsis confirms that this screen adaptation by Philip Dunne and Casey Robinson is far from being so but of course audiences at the time expected neither historical accuracy nor deep characterisations in sword and sandal epics but paid to see spectacle and attractive actors on display which this Twentieth Century Fox production certainly delivers in spades.

Typically for producer Darryl F. Zanuck no expense has been spared here in terms of sets, costumes and props, many of which were leant to Paramount for 'The Ten Commandments'. Whereas de Mille's film was a resounding success, 'The Egyptian' opened to mixed reviews and acquired the stigma of being the first flop in Cinemascope.

One's view of a film is often influenced by its reputation but this one, under the direction of Michael Curtiz, is not nearly as bad as some would have us believe and has a great deal to recommend it.

It marks an unique musical collaboration between Alfred Newman and Bernard Herrmann whilst masterful cinematographer Leon Shamroy received one of his eighteen Oscar nominations, a record matched only by Charles Lang. As for the cast, it is the female of the species that dominates with a wonderfully butch Gene Tierney as Baketamon, a beautiful performance by Jean Simmons as Merit, an entertainingly bibulous cameo by Judith Evelyn as Taia and not forgetting the exotic but ill-fated Bella Darvi as Babylonian temptress Nefer. She might not have been the greatest of actresses but one can fully understand Zanuck's obsession with her.

Inveterate scene-stealer Peter Ustinov as one-eyed servant Kaptah provides comic relief whilst remaing 'real' which he was again to do as Lentulus in 'Spartacus'. The dramatic contrast between warlike Horemheb and pacifist Akhenaten is provided by Victor Mature and Michael Wilding. Although as different as chalk and cheese both actors were refreshingly honest regarding their acting abilities with Mature's strong presence and Wilding's immense charm compensating to a degree for their undoubted limitations. Edmund Purdom, borrowed from MGM following the success of 'The Student Prince', grows into the difficult role of physician Sinuhe and is sufficiently earnest. Like Ms. Darvi he was hailed as an 'exciting new talent' but Hollywood is an unforgiving place and a succession of flops scuppered both their careers. Purdom is here replacing Marlon Brando and one cannot help but wonder how the film's dynamic would have changed with Brando in the role.

The theme of Waltari's novel regarding unchanging human nature is timeless and struck a chord in the aftermath of WWII whilst calling to mind that there is indeed nothing new under the sun. I really must get around to reading it.

It happens often, while growing up, a Hollywood movie impresses a youth. It not only lasts a lifetime, but inspire him to study ancient cultures as a career. Such was the case, with the 1954 film entitled "The Egyptian." Audience were awed with the sets, costumes and great acting of this film, so much so, other films soon followed in like vain. This is the story of a young Egyptian boy who was left parent less soon after he was born. With such a dubious beginning, it is not hard to wonder why he will spend his life, asking questions. The boy Sinuhe, (Sin-oh-way) which means, 'He that is alone'(Edmund Purdom) grows to manhood and continues asking why, even as he graduates from The School Of Life to become a physician. During his formative years he acquires a lifelong friend named Kaptah brilliantly played by (Peter Ustinov), and Horemheb (Victor Mature) who raises from a simple officer of the guard to Commander of the Armies. His life offers everything from a quick rise in social status to condemned criminal, to outcast, a wondering healer, and eventually to a station in life he never expected. Fine acting goes to Jean Simmons as Merit, Michael Wilding as Akhnaton, Bella Darvi as the temptress, Nefer, and John Carradine as a memorable Grave robber. Tommy Rettig, plays Thoth, the son of the Egyptian. In his final years, 'He that is alone,' finally discovers the answer he had been seeking all his life, which he bequeathes to his son, now in the care of his lifelong friend. Excellent Film! ****

Zanuck had high hopes for this extravagant production, including a major casting coup when Brando signed on for the lead. Alas, Brando dropped out of the project and was replaced by Edmund Purdom, whose acting is the antithesis of "the method". The completed production is more a tribute to the state-of-the-art in mid-century production values and presentation than a high-quality example of epic filmmaking. The script quality ranges from the sublime (the bordello sequences) to the ridiculous (the royal palace scenes); while the performances, even the best of them (Ustinov, Darvi, Tierney), are mundane at best. That's not to say this picture, like most epics of it's kind, isn't a worthy indulgence. It is, if only for the overbearing production design, magnificently intrusive music score (co-written by two legendary screen composers), and sheer extravagance of it all. It's all relative though, since only the largest TV screens and loudest high-end sound systems can provide anything close to the experience of the 2:55-to-1 CinemaScope ratio employed, featuring dialogue-panning, multi-track stereo. An expensive Fox laserdisc is currently the only available option for viewing this picture as closely as originally intended. It must have been quite a big deal when the movie palace curtains opened on this one in 1956!