Valley of the Kings

I've given this film a 7 rating, which is much higher than most of the other IMDb participants who have expressed themselves. Frankly, I thoroughly enjoyed "Valley of the Kings." Its strong points definitely outweigh its shortcomings.

True, this is in a sense a very glossy and high budget version of a pulp adventure story. But the Egyptian locations and the color photography are worth watching. The acting, while not exceptional, is adequate; Taylor and Parker are especially appealing to the eye.

"Valley of the Kings" is an example of what Hollywood was trying to do (big names, wide screen, lush color photography, exotic location shooting, etc.) in the 50s to convince customers to turn off the TV and drive down to their neighborhood movie house. Do not expect to see a precursor to Indiana Jones. Taylor's character is no college professor who occasionally trades in his tweed coat for a leather jacket and bull-whip. He's a rough and tumble type who has picked up his archaeological knowledge while working on construction projects in Egypt.

Eleanor Parker is, as always, good to look at as the daughter of an Egyptologist who is determined to prove her father's hypothesis. The story is perhaps not exceptional, but it will hold your interest.

No one will mistake "Valley of the Kings" for "Lawrence of Arabia." But it is a solid entertainment that you will enjoy more than some of the overblown, hugely expensive productions that stumble out of Hollywood these days.

I really enjoyed looking at both actors. Robert Taylor with his piercing blue eyes and handsome profile. It was a real pleasure just to look at him. And Eleanor Parker is Eleanor - always beautiful, calm and elegant as ever.

The chemistry between Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker was very good. I felt the characters themselves were well-portrayed.

The only let-down was the plot and the Director.

It started so well but you find that some situations did not make sense and you felt the direction of the film was everywhere and going nowhere. It didn't flow jumping from one place to another then started to lag half-way through the movie.

The budding romance between Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker didn't make sense either. I mean if you were Eleanor's husband would you leave her constantly with Robert Taylor shouldn't the husband be more attentive. He was practically throwing them together and didn't seem too unhappy when her affections had changed direction. Such one dimensional character is almost too painful to watch.

It was then pretty obvious from the beginning who the villain would be but watching Philip Mercedes against Robert Taylor, well it was just too obvious.

It was such a shame considering this film had so much potential and who knows, with a better Director and stronger plot this could have turn into a box-office hit.

Decent and breathtaking film about Egypt , ancient discoveries , mysterious tombs , Pharaons and anything else .As a tough archeologist called Mark Brandon : Robert Taylor , is searching for old tombs and Pharaoh Rahotep when is approached by gorgeous Ann : Eleanor Parker , who asks him for help , as they have to find clues that provide solid evidences of the Bíblical Joseph's travels in ancient Egypt. Later on , they join her hubby Philip , Carlos Thompson , though he does seem a little upset when Mark and Ann began making goo-goo eyes at each other. All of them embark on a risked travel plenty of thrills , treason , attacks , double-crosses , and killings . As Ann would like to prove that some Bible stories are, in fact, true while her husband is supposed to be helping Mark but is only out for himself.

The first Hollywood movie ever filmed on location in Egypt, as the natural backdrop is riveting and look mighty hot and to add refreshing touches of action to those parched desert sands . It turns out to be a workmanlike and sometimes thrilling flick that just lacks the surges of real excitement that might have turned into an adventure classy. An amazing , timely and thrilling story very well set in Egypt . On the whole this Valley of the Kings results to be a pretty good movie. It contains a twisted intrigue about an adventurer archeologist and a married woman to find the tomb of a Pharaoh , both of them undertake a dangerous journey through pyramids , deserts , the busy Cairo , and underground vaults plenty of tombs. Some scenes where two-fisted adventurer Robert Taylor shows up may well have influenced Spielberg when he came to shot similar pieces for Raiders of the Lost Ark. Two top-boxoffice players , Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker, the latter proves to be a cool beauty. They are finely accompanied by a nice plethora of secondary actors such as Carlos Thompson , Kurt Kasznar , Victor Jory as a Bedouin Tuareg , Frank de Kova , Laurette Luez and Leon Askin

Rousing and impressive musical score by the classic composer Miklos Rozsa who realizes an attractive soundtrack in his usual style . It contains a colorful and evocative ciematography in Eastmancolor by Robert L Surtees, along with marvelous production design by Cedric Gibbons , MGM usual . Shot in Egypt and showing real monuments and pyramids .Including sightseeing from Abu Simbel, its wonderful exteriors and interior , formerly having been buried under lake Nasser for the building of the Aswan dam . This spectacular place was subsequently cut into large blocks , moved and transported uphill at late 60s to save it from being flooded. There , at Abu Simbel , takes place an overwhelming fighting between two protagonists , Robert Taylor and Carlos Thompson, to get their purports . Other locations include Great pyramids Giza , Keops , Kefren , Mizerinos and pyramid of Zoser , Cairo , Luxor , Mount Sinai with Monastery of Saint Catalina , Suez Egypt , Faiyum and Libya. The motion picture was professionally directed by Robert Pirosh , though it has some flaws , failures and gaps . Pirosh was a decent writer as Quaterback , I married a witch , Son of the Islands , Wizard of Oz , Battleground , Winning ticket , and director who shot a few films as Spring reunion , The girl Rush , Washington story. Rating 6/10 . Acceptable and passable . Well worth watching .

Eleanor Parker has come to Egypt at the turn of the last century to seek the help of two fisted archaeologist Robert Taylor. Given this man's readiness to duke it out with friend or foe, he might well have been Sean Connery's father and Harrison Ford's grandfather. Maybe on Sean's mother's side accounting for the name change.

Parker's mission is to prove a theory of her late father that there is some archaeological proof of the biblical story of Joseph and they've identified a Pharaoh who might have been the one in charge at the time Joseph was doing his prognosticating from his dreams. She convinces Taylor and her husband Carlos Thompson to go to the Valley Of The Kings and seek the proof.

Our archaeologists run into a lot of opposition from Tuareg leader Victor Jory, antiquities dealer Kurt Kaszner, and even from Thompson who's in it for whatever loot he can acquire and smuggle. One of the plot weaknesses is that Thompson's villainy is revealed too early. Let's a lot of the suspense out of Valley Of The Kings.

Valley Of The Kings is a gorgeously photographed film on location in Egypt in the real Valley Of The Kings. Taylor and Parker were in their second of three films they made together and they were an item while Taylor was in between marriages to Barbara Stanwyck and Ursula Thiess. The attraction is quite obvious.

There is also a wonderfully staged climatic fight on top of one of the tombs between Taylor and Thompson. Valley Of The Kings is an entertaining enough film, that could have used a better written story for its cast of talented players.

This Classic film from 1954 was created by MGM and lots of money was put into its production. The photography in Egypt and the many historic sites are outstanding and this was done mainly because Television had taken hold of many families and they were staying home and watching their TV Screens in 1954 instead of going to the movies. Robert Taylor, (Mark Brandon) was an archaeologist in Egypt and was a rough and tough man who loved adventure. Eleanor Parker,(Ann Barclay Mercedes) meets up with Mark in order to hire him to explore some ruins which will confirm that the Bible story about Joseph were true. There is plenty of romance and dangerous sand storms and plenty of riding on camels backs through out the desert and secret tombs and secret doors.