Customer Reviews

The Egyptian [VHS]

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

Often attacked for being historically inaccurate (who cares?), The Egyptian is spellbinding from start to finish. Edmund Purdom is in top form as the truth seeking physician who loses all his wordly goods, twice, in return for eventual spiritual enlightenment. Michael Wilding as the pharoah who believes in one God plays the part of the peace loving Akhnaton with enormous sensitivity. The thematic music is sensational, most particularly in the destruction of Aton's temple in a sequence known as The Martyrdom of Merit, played by Jean Simmons. Henry Daniels is on top form as the scheming high priest. Bella Darvi as the femme fatale is riveting as the high class prostitute who manages to avoid sex altogether. Seldom shown on cable TV, The Egyptian is a must!

I've always loved Twentieth Century Fox's massive epic "The Egyptian", despite its reworking of many of the historical facts of this period. Taking place during the reign of Egypt's controversial "Heretic" Pharaoh Akhenaton, the film has a colourful and dramatic setting for its story and makes great use of the fascinating characters and events that made up the Egyptian "Amarna" period. Apart from historical fact being "reshaped" I've always thought "The Egyptian",is another example of the solid expertise Hollywood had in the 1950's and early 1960's for producing large scale historical epics. While certainly not as well known or respected as such efforts as "Ben Hur", it has alot to offer from some great performances, elaborate sets, stunning costumes and enough intrigue and drama to satisfy all lovers of Hollywood epics. Being all wrapped up in gorgeous Fox technicolour also helps immensely in giving this story of a humble physician who rises to become the personal aide to the Pharaoh only to be undone by his reckless love for a seductive courtesan, a vivid look and feel that increases its impact.

Based on the novel by Mika Waltari, "The Egyptian", strangely contains no great battles or overwhelming crowd scenes involving thousands of extras and the emphasis is most definately on the characters involved and their often very human emotions. The story told in flashback begins with an abandoned infant found in a reed basket on the Nile who is taken into the home of a talented physician Senmut. Named Sinuhe he grows into an idealistic young man (Edmund Purdom), and undertakes studies to become a physician just like his father. He becomes best friends with the energic and extroverted Horemheb (Victor Mature),who is training for the army at the same school run by the priests. Very different in character they become fast friends and one day on an excursion hunting lions in the desert they save the life of a strange lone man who they find worshipping the carved image of the sun. Unbeknown to them he is actually the new young Pharaoh Akhenaton (Michael Wilding), who is introducing a far less war like type of rule into Egypt based on the worship of one god the Aten. Dragged before the whole court on the charge of having touched the august person of the Pharaoh, the high priest Mekere (Henry Daniell), demands they be both put to death. Akhenaton however overrules him and makes Sinuhe personal physician to the royal family and Horeheb a commander in his army. Enjoying the good life Horemheb one night takes Sinuhe to the home of an infamous Babylonian courtesan Nefer (Bella Darvi), with whom Sinuhe becomes instantly besotted. Nefer however only plays with men and before too long Sinuhe has sacrificed everything for her only to be then cruelly rejected when she is tired of playing with him. Having neglected his duties to Pharoah and having turned from the real love offered by simple tavern girl Merit (Jean Simmons), Sinuhe is a marked man and flees Egypt spending many years in foreign countries practising his medical genius. When he returns home however Egypt has slipped into serious trouble as Akhenaton has lost the respect of the military and his new religion is dividing the country. Sinuhe even finds Horemheb is plotting against the Pharaoh with his ambitious Princess Baketamon (Gene Tierney). In the rebellion that follows Meret is killed when Akhenaton's temple is sacked and Sinuhe loses forever his young son Thoth (Tommy Rettig). Dragged into the plot when it is revealed he is actually the Pharoah's half brother Sinuhe finally realises how he has comprimised all of his principles and leaves to start a lonely existence on his own in the desert, bereft of family or love.

Produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by veteran Michael Curtiz "The Egyptian", boasts great talent on both sides of the camera. Edmund Purdom, (taking over from Marlon Brando who dropped out of the role!), is excellent in the central role of the naive Sinuhe and makes a nice contrast to the rowdy bullying Victor Mature ideally cast as the soldier Horemheb. One of the most interesting performances in the film is delivered by Gene Tierney in a non tradtional "strong" woman role of the almost mannish Baketamon, hers is a great performance and was one of the last important roles undertaken by this great actress. The two pieces of casting always laughed at from this film, Michael Wilding as the gentle Pharaoh Akhenaton, and Bella Darvi as the courtesan Nefer, I actually find very interesting and Wilding in particular captures alot of the dreamy quality associated with the rule of the real Akhenaton. The film's other great assets are its atmospheric musical score created by Alfred Newman which incorporates use of the Egyptian Sistrum and the beautiful use of colour photography which enhances the lavish scenes in Aten's open air temple and in the magnificent palace of Akhenaton.

"The Egyptian", is a Hollywood production of the old school and despite its historical inaccuracy must be viewed first and foremost as sheer entertainment. Michael Curtiz once again reveals his diverse directing talents in this story so different to alot of his other work on "Casablanca" etc. The cast are also what make this film memorable and even the smaller parts taken by performers such as Peter Ustinov, Judith Evelyn and John Carradine are memorable. I highly recommend to all lovers of old style historical epics this great production set in the time of Pharaoh Akhenaton's Egypt.

Filmed in 1954, this incrediable epic motion picture tells the story of a physician who could have been Pharaoh, by his birth, and chose to assist the poor and needy the majority of his life.Gene Tierney,Jean Simmons, Michael Wilding and especially Edmund Purdom give outstanding performances. Edmund Purdom never performed in another movie after he made this picture.Hollywood must have scared this most talented actor off! what a shame...what a talent he is.THIS IS A MUST SEE FOR ANY AGE.

Obviously one has to see the film and make up one's own mind, since there are so many "hip, sophisticated" takes on how "awful" this film and its performances supposedly are...

correction: Tommy Rettig with the dark hair plays Sinuhe's son (unknown to Sinuhe as being his own son), not Sinuhe as a young boy himself...but it is Rettig's role and image in the film which touched me with adoration as a youth...

...the reviewers seem to be confusing the quality of acting with the part which is being portrayed...Akhenaton (or Akhenaten) is supposed to be ethereal, indecisive, mystic...that is the whole point of why the priests and the power leaders in Egypt want to get rid of him... and why Horemhab in the film finally decides to join the conspiracy to rid the land of this threat to Egypt's security...both at home and as possible threat from abroad...mainly the Hittites...you might look on it as an ancient Egyptian version of "Seven Days in May"...

...Akhenaton's sister (the Princess) is an interesting character in the film...she is the strong figure who should have been born a male, and thus become Pharaoh... she has all the qualities of leadership and decisiveness which Akhenaton lacks...so naturally hers appears to be the stronger role...but the actress is portraying what the script calls for...it is not the actors or actresses who are giving poor performances, they are bringing the script to life...and the script is saying important things about people, the world, its so-called values, ambition, love, loyalty, faith, and faithlessness...if these themes are unimportant or silly to the viewer, then naturally the film is going to seem dull and insipid... but some of today's "modern" films are dealing with the same issues ("Fight Club," "Unbreakable," "The Matrix," "Dark City"...just not in ancient Egyptian costuming...) ...but even these "modern" films are getting this same see-saw reaction from viewers... either intense support for the film, or actively disgusted, give-me-my-money-back-this-film-is-trash dislike...

...if Michael Wilding, as an actor, was a non-charismatic, passive, "colorless" being, then why not see his being chosen to portray Akhenaton as a wondrous bit of inspired casting...for one certainly gets the idea that Akhenaton was NOT a strong, powerful, charismatic revolutionary who swept everyone up in his speedy march to dispense with the old Egyptian pantheon in favor of Aton...but rather that the people and the army and the priests went along simply because he was Pharaoh and had to be obeyed...was he not ruling by "divine right?"... was he not himself divine? ... if people valued their possible fate in the next life then they perhaps had to tread carefully before deciding to do in a divine Pharaoh...

...the Pharaoh's mother is a wonderful character and delicious acting by the actress...she is disgusted by the weakness of her son and by the fact that her daughter is stronger than her brother and that she should be Pharaoh instead of him..."Fowler's knots? Did you SAY FOWLER's KNOTS!??" ...and there is wondrous irony in the fact that she had been born poor and had risen to great heights because of her own cleverness and because she had attracted the previous Pharaoh's eye...and the fact that Sinuhe's real life history is the exact reverse and closely tied up in a knot with her own...

...so, watch the film for yourself...by all means purchase it...it is worth having...and worth sharing with someone who inspires you...

Contract actor Edmund Purdom does a magnificent job, strange to think he was brought in at the last minute as a substitute for Marlon Brando! Bella Darvi went out of her way to enunciate clearly, since she'd been turned down for so many parts because of her accent. Victor Mature is absolutely priceless. This film is full of characterizations and catch phrases that will stay with you forever. Corny in places, profound and evocative in others (so was the book). Go for it!

I think it's a mistake to simply dismiss this movie as a "ponderous soaper" (or whatever Maltin called it). To begin with you have this great ensemble cast, good cinematography and a rich and moving musical score. The plot has some interesting twists and maintains a good balance between drama and humor. Peter Ustinov is particularly good as the conniving but lovable servant. Look for a great (but short) scene with John Carradine as the grave robber. I had no trouble with Bella Darvi's dialogue and she seemed seductive enough to me! True there are some bad hair moments (which you really must temper with the period during which the film was made)but there are also some really great and moving scenes. On the balance I would recommend this one for a watch.

Many people have criticised this film for it's lack of "historical accuracy" - it's Hollywood, for goodness sake. It's not going to be spot on accurate, and it isn't intended to be. The film wasn't made for that - it was created for etertainment, and entertaining this film most certaintly is. Also, people say that the acting is under-par in this film - that EDmund Purdom is "flat and lifeless" in the lead role. However, remember two things - that he had only just taken the role (which had been dropped abruptly by another actor) when they began filming, and that the character of Sinue is supposed to be (particularly towards the end) quite cold and cynical. I myself think that he was brilliant in the lead role of Sinue. Also the actor who played Akhenaten has been criticised, but the man, in true "historical accuracy" wasn't the most outgoing - was he? I think that the long monologues are the best bit of the film. The only problem I had with this story was the parts with Nefer - too long, with too much of Sinue being a complete idiot. Very annoying!
But, as for the revelation at the end - of Sinue being the rightful pharaoh - *GASP*!!! Classic. This film is an absolute must-see, I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after seeing it for the first time, and it has reawakened my interest in Egyptology. An absolute masterpiece, sadly underrated.

Sword-and-sandal epic junkies will love this film, that is often hilarious with its over-the top-performances from an all-star cast, often ridiculous stilted dialogue, and tacky ultra-faux sets; at times so bad it's delightful, and always very entertaining, the script as well as the cast improve as the film progresses, and it does become extremely interesting in the last hour.

The cast:
Edmund Purdom is Sinuhe "The Egyptian", and is a physician who throws his life away over a wicked seductress, played to the max by Bella Darvi;
Jean Simmons is beautiful in the thankless role of Merit, the woman who has undying love for Purdom despite his weakness and the fact he totally ignores her feelings.
Victor Mature is terrific as the son of the cheese maker, who rises to command the army.
Peter Ustinov is wonderful as Purdom's servant, and in a tiny part of a grave robber, John Carradine steals the short scene he is in.

The plot takes place during the reign on Akhnaton (around 1352 B.C.), played by Michael Wilding, and portrayed as a real wuss, with a tough cookie sister played by Gene Tierney, who looks stunning in her princess garb. Their mother, fond of "the strong brew", and amusingly played by Judith Evelyn, says of her children: "The gods were perverse; they gave me a son as soft as a woman, and a daughter as hard as a man".
Purdom and Mature save the Pharaoh from being a lion's lunch one day, and so starts the story, and the ups and downs of The Egyptian's life.
The direction by Michael Curtiz is for the most part fairly well paced, and a lush score by both Bernard Herrmann and Alfred Newman, and vivid Technicolor cinematography by Leon Shamroy (which received an Oscar nomination) add to the enjoyment of this film. Total running time is 139 minutes.

I must disagree with Leonard Maltin on not being able to understand Bella Darvi, I found her VERY easy to understand, and I think she played the part very well. This is a huge epic directed by Curtiz. I noticed how in the photography shadows are used often in the highly dramatic scenes. I noticed this in two other Curtiz films 'Captian Blood' and 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'. Anyway, this is a highly good film, it has a quality that films no longer have. A magnificient cast all perfect in their roles. I especially enjoyed Gene Tierney's character. Though toward the middle it drags on, it is a vital part in the film, it's a great film with a great cast. And last but not least an excellent story that's like nothing I've ever seen.

Just Like "The Robe" and "Demetrius and the Gladiators" any trillogy of the actor Victor Mature must include on DVD this masterpiece of Hollywood Cinematography of the 1950's.

This movie sets, have the most acurate reproduction of Egyptian pieces ever created from Museum Collections. Why Hollywood have failed to released on DVD this classic, is probably only due to an oversight by those in charge, no doubt about. Because it would be a hot profitable item sale for a "DVD Classic Film Release."

Please made a DVD Release soon of this Movie.