75 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
At Last!, April 23, 2007
This review is from: Land of the Pharaohs (DVD)
Well, I thought it would never come out on DVD. Perhaps it's my passion for all things ancient Egyptian, but I have always loved this wonderfully enjoyable epic. Howard Hawks was a director who steadfastly refused to be pigeon-holed, making everything from Bogey's "The Big Sleep" to sci-fi classic "The Thing" (although he credited editor Christian Nyby instead of himself) to stock car racing "Red Line 7000." Here he takes a shot at "historical" epic and does a damned entertaining job of it. Pharaoh Jack Hawkins plays straightman to Joan Collins' campy concubine while James Robertson Justice does a terrific job of keeping a straight face as a tomb architect. Amidst all the stone monuments, the only thing wooden is Dewey Martin as Justice's son. All this may not sound like a **** movie, but it's a guilty pleasure I've watched so many times on VHS that it's embarrassing. That's gotta be worth extra credit.
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55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lavish 1950's Historical Epic Starring A Perfectly Cast Joan Collins, May 14, 2002
I've always found Howard Hawk's "Land of the Pharoahs" a masterful production full of pagentry, excitment, colour, intrigue and also a bit of a history lesson. Far from being the empty spectacle that alot of people dimiss it as, I feel the story being told is done in an intelligent and informative way that is an excellent introduction to this era of Egyptian history.
Famed director Howard Hawks assembled excellent expertise in every aspect of this production from stars, production team, costumne designers down to location scouts and the film is a testament to all of their efforts. I think the intelligent way Hawks has gone about depicting the building of the great Pyramid in particular is most impressive. It is the centrepiece around which the whole story revolves and at times it takes on an almost documentary feel as it shows the painstacking attention to detail that went into the planning and then construction of the Great Pyramid over many years.
Hawks chose most suitably appropiate people to fill this huge story. Jack Hawkins I feel is excellent as the Pharoah Cheops. In his autobiography Hawkins dismisses the film as a whole as " a waste of time" but I feel he is being overly harsh in his assessment and he really lends a very commanding an totally authentic air to his depiction of the Pharoah who moves a nation to create a home for his own eternal life. I feel a special credit must also go to Joan Collins who excels as the wicked Princess Nellifer who arrives at Pharoah's court as part of the tribute from the isle of Cyprus and through her own machinations, which include seduction and murder, ends up the sole Queen of Egypt. She is both exotically seductive and evil as the queen and adds a wonderful element to the proceedings. The excellent conclusion to the film where she gets her just rewards (I wont reveal what actually happens for the benefit of those who haven't seen the film)is terrific and a total surprise.
As with most 1950's epics the supporting cast is top notch and Greek actor Alex Minotis deserves special mention for his dignified playing of Hamar, Pharoahs life long friend and trusted advisor who choses to go into the next life with his master. James Robertson Justice as the architect of the Pyramid also adds much to the films authentic flavour in his efforts to create a robber proof eternal resting place for the Egyptian ruler.
The visual look of the film is breathtaking with many months of location shooting in Egypt in intense heat greatly adding to the overraul look of the film. It is easy nowadays to dismiss films such as this, so numerous in the 1950's, as pure hokum but I believe this film is worthy of a far better press than it obtains. The thought of how much this type of production would cost to produce nowadays, both in time and effort, is astronomical and considering the limitations of the time this effort is magnificent.
"Land of the Pharoahs" is a wonderful excursion back to not only another period of history but back to another period of film making when computers were not available to do alot of the work it now takes to produce a film. The sheer human effort alone should win your admiration for this production any time you view it.
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45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bogdanovich Commentary Stinks, July 5, 2007
This review is from: Land of the Pharaohs (DVD)
The only thing that mars this beautiful presentation is Bogdavoch's commentary. Not only does he have nothing positive to say about the film, he actually has NOTHING to say at all. His presence on the track can only be explained by his having an old taped interview with Hawks in which he leads the director to discuss DeMille and dump on his movie. A total waste of time when there is so much to behold on screen. But get it anyway! It's a great 'Land'."
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