Customer Reviews

King Tut - The Face of Tutankhamun

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This series was originally broadcast in the UK in the early/mid 1990s. It is superbly constructed, beautifully narrated and is easily the best ever programme in the Egyptology genre. Frayling is brilliant at building the suspense - almost as if he was narrating a whodunnit novel. I have been trying to get a copy for years as my original video was lost. Brilliant. An absolute must.

Christopher Frayling's BBC documentary from the early nineties is one of the better pieces of television history on ancient Egypt (second only, in my opinion, to John Romer's 1984 effort 'Ancient Lives'- when will that one be commercially released?). Frayling's penchant for cultural history works tremedously well here as he surveys both the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb itself and the significance of the discovery in the western cultural developments during the twentieth century. From an in-depth analysis of Howard Carter's work to interviews with various assorted Californian hippies with mummy fixations, this is a fascinating, well-researched and very entertaining look at the whole Tut phenomenon. It is a relief also to report that unlike many an American edition the series has not been hacked around with inexpert and insensitive editing. Highly recommended.

Overall I enjoyed this and think it's a nice addition to an Egypt-phile's DVD collection, however, there was one error so glaring in the 3rd episode of disc one that I HAD to comment, and I am stil boggling that it wasn't caught in post production, let alone when it happened. When the host is discussing the theory of "radioactive" Mummies, the mummy shown is *NOT* Tutankhamun, but the mummy believed to be Seti 1. You can look at a photo earlier in the show and see Tut, and see that the two are not even remotely similar. Other then this, as I said, an enjoyable, in depth documentary, worth the money.

This expansive 2-DVD set covers just about everything you ever wanted to know about King Tut's tomb and then some...

* King Tut's life and times
* Forensic analysis & theories on King Tut's death
* Howard Carter's personal life and struggles
* On-set visits to Carter's & Carnarvon's homes
* On-set visits to other Valley of the Kings tombs
* Step by Step analysis of the discovery & clearing of King Tut's tomb
* Eroding Egyptian Antiquities in modern times
* Modern-day religious cults and embalming practices
* The state of modern-day Egyptian and future of archaeology

Christopher Frayling excellently wrote & narrated this expansive documentary. The only drawback: grandstanding. Frayling's relentless onscreen appearances are just plain awkward at times - tending to distract rather than engage.

Very well done, so much so that you felt you were there - segment on Belzoni was especially interesting - EXCELLENT! If I could afford it, I'd send a set to each of my sisters since I won't part with mine.

A very accurate and detailed account of Egyptian history and the search for King Tutankhamun. A must have for any fan of Egyptology and/or history. Each disk is well narrated and well presented. Highly recommended!

A wonderful experience of the discovery of the most famous tomb is history.