Product Details

• Actors: Donald Redford, Kent Weeks, Peter Woodward
• Directors: David de Vries
• Writers: Peter Woodward, David de Vries
• Producers: David de Vries, Craig Haffner, Donna E. Lusitana, Lauren Herz, Louis Tarantino
• Format: Box set, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 4
• Studio: A&E Home Video
• VHS Release Date: June 26, 2001
• Run Time: 200 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005ICEB
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #392,489 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Next-best thing to being there!, June 3, 2001

By 

brainysmurf (IL, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Egypt - Beyond The Pyramids [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Egypt Beyond the Pyramids takes you into a world of the past. From Queen Hatshepsut's Deir el Bahari and the Great Temple at Karnak to Sety I's temple at Abydos and Ramsses the Great's family mausoleum , this video will entrap you in awe at the both the structures and the people who built them.

In the first hour, the film offers a close look at Sety I's magnificent temple which contains a hieroglyphic list of all the kings of egypt till Sety I's reign. From there we explore Queen Hatshepsut temples and their reconstruction.

A visual treat awaits in the second hour with the exploration of the Ramesseum and KV5 - the private mausolem for the family of the Pharaoh in the Valley of Kings. Having over 60 chambers, the KV5 is one of the most magnificent sites shown in the film.

The next two hours give a in-depth look at the people who built it all - the common people. At the city of Mendes, old skeletal bodies are discovered while Deir el Medina shows an amazing sight of a craftsmen city.

The life of the common person - what food they ate, how they dressed, marriage and status of women - all is discussed in this segment.

Finally, the film delves into last important part of the lives of ancient Egyptians - death and beyond death. We get a look at the Book of the Dead and it's role in the soceity.

Most of the first two segments provide a visual feast capturing the magnificent structures. The next two segments don't measure up in terms of footage, but compensate with a look into the actual daily lives of the people.

Highly recommended if you are interested in the egyptian civilization apart from the Pyramids.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent documentary, December 17, 2001

By 

Neil "nwcs" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Egypt - Beyond The Pyramids (DVD)

When I first saw this DVD in Best Buy, I had to pick it up. And I was not disappointed at all. This CD explores aspects of Egyptian life that are rarely covered by popular media (AKA pyramids). You learn more about the culture and the daily life of Egyptians from here than from other sources. The presentation is definitely a production with an actor as the narrator, but he does a great job. The visuals are excellent and if you're interested in Egyptian history you will not be disappointed with this DVD. Included is a "making of" section that's pretty interesting -- including some outtakes.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent documentary, September 2, 2003

By 

bixodoido (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Egypt - Beyond The Pyramids (DVD)

This four-part documentary serves either as a great introduction to Egyptology, or as an interesting look at some recent developments in the field. Though the series is numbered somewhat oddly (the third and fourth installments serve more as an introduction into Egyptian belief and culture, while the first two are more in-depth), it covers adequately a broad range of topics, and handles its subject manner well. Far from being just another picumentary of the Pyramids and Sphinx (hence the title), this film provides a beautiful and satisfying look at the wonders of Egypt while providing detailed related information.

All in all, this is an excellent film. The section on KV5 was especially fascinating. In fact, the only thing I have to complain about was having to watch Peter Woodward put on Egyptian makeup in one of the episodes. This shouldn't be enough to drive you away, however; this is a great and informative film.