Customer Reviews

National Geographic's Mysteries of Egypt [VHS]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought and watched this before going on a trip to Egypt. Very good quality imax movie and good overview of the stories of King Tut. But if you want a lot of details you have to dig some where else. A good introductory movie for people interested in Ancient Egypt. A little bit short though.

This is the best educational introduction to Ancient Egypt I've ever seen and used with middle school aged kids. The story is introduced and narrated by Omar Shariff to his fictional American granddaughter (a famous actress I'm not familiar with), who wants to know about "The Mummy's Curse". The writing/narration was outstanding throughout--I'd call it almost poetic in many spots. The photography, being IMAX, was, of course, eye-popping. In fact, I had to force myself to concentrate on the narration so absorbed did I become with the beautiful images.

This movie is set around the famous discovery of Tutankamen's tomb by Howard Carter in the 1920s and, again, is beautifully done. The Carter scenes are in black-in-white and evoke a wonderful 1920s feel. They also serve to heighten appreciation for the incredible beauty of Egypt when the film cuts back to full color. Worked into the story line are the obligatory shots of the pyramids and even some computer enhanced scenes to briefly show their construction. Add to all that an exquisite soundtrack. The negative reviews are surprising to me. I 'd love to know of the documentaries those reviewers have seen about Ancient Egypt that they feel are better. I sure haven't seen them. If they exist I'll be first in line to buy them.

I saw this documentary at the IMAX theatre at the Museum of Natural Science in Houston, TX. It was very educational and I was greatly informed about Egyptian culture. I believe every African-American should see this documentary because it clearly illustrates that the Egyptians were highly intelligent. Men today are still trying to figure out how they built those pyramids. It keep my attention the entire time I was watching it. I have referred many family members and friends to see this documentary. I am now about to order 4 copies of it to give as Christmas presents. I highly recommend it.

This is the first time I have ever watched an IMAX film on DVD and I was very, very impressed especially with the cinematography and the soundtrack. Omar Sharif was priceless as the movie's narrator, a role which I felt fit him perfectly.

Apart from the legendary Curse of King Tut (Sharif incidentally dispels this towards the end, and his last words regarding this formed a most befitting "epilogue" of sorts to the disc), the significance of the Nile River to Egyption civilization was discussed along with certain theories on how the pyramids were built. I don't believe that the intention of this disc is to provide a more "adult" dissertation on Egyptian history (it's only 40 mins. long, which is actually why I gave it only 4 stars!) but rather to stimulate one's (particularly chilren's perhaps) imagination and to spark some interest in the theme. This for me is what primarily makes it a great and enduring addition to anyone's DVD library.

Also in this disc are trailers for other IMAX films on Hawaii and Whales, among others.

This is a favorite DVD in our house. It has stunning camera work, wonderful information and an excellent narrative. It portrays the glory of Ancient Egypt and the pride modern Egyptians still feel towards their heritage.

Like all Imax documentaries it's only 40 minutes long and written at a fourth grade level. If you have a problem with those preconditions, don't watch Imax. We're homeschoolers and we love it. My children pay close attention, break out the Legos and start building pyramids of their own.

This must have been excellent in IMAX.
The combination of the wrap arounds done by Shariff ( sp? ) and a lesser actress, work superbly with this very good general introduction to Ancient Egypt.
I think even the Omnipresent Zahwi Hawass ( Sp?) makes an appearance in this work. If ever a man straddles the line between a godlike omnipresence, and amazing self-promotion, Zahwi achieves this, but despite that, its a great watch, and a useful addendum to any collection if you want to start a collection about egypt.

This is a great way to incentive your kid into the knowledge of how awesome and different was the egyptian culture several years ago (any culture, as a matter of fact). If there's a way in which we can use dvd technology in a positive way for kids, this is it. After watching this disc, my kid asked me about the Nile and other rivers (the aerial scenes of the Nile from its source to Egypt are awesome), she also asked me facts from our history and imagined herself living those days. I guess that is a lot better than playing to be Cow and Chiken or any of that ugly stuff. Buy this and start your own visual library for your kids.

Very nice picture format for TV viewing matched with a great dolby sound. Narrated by Omar Shariff, this docummentary gives you an acceptable information on ancient Egypt, not for academic purposes though. It's not boring at all and the Pyramids views and sunsets are spectacular. Great if you plan to visit Egypt in the near future, it will put you in the right mood !!!

This video is far better than the National Geographic and A&E videos on Egypt. This has a narrative story and great history. The visuals were better than any other video had to offer. This is a must see!

I had a chance to see this on an IMAX screen and the visuals of Egypt were terrific, but what made this movie bad was having actors try to tell a fictional story. This would of been much better as just a straight documentary feature, instead they tried to "Hollywood" it up, with poor results. My suggestion is, rent this :)