A/V Veteran

There haven't been tons of movies made about ancient Egypt, which is odd, given the fact that ancient Egyptian history spans eras that began at the dawn of written western civilization as we know it (around 3000 BC) and ended when Egypt (as an independent entity) became a Roman province (around 30 BC). The Egypt-centered films we do have tend to be centered in the middle of that epoch, or around 1300–1500 BC. But this is no coincidence; that time period was one of conflict, conquest, and vast royal wealth, making it ideal for lavish historical epics.

It's also no coincidence that the passion to produce such movies began in earnest in the 1950s, when wide screens and multichannel audio first became available. Movie studios at the time were also fighting off the encroachment of television on their revenues—and losing. But they soon realized that television programming couldn't hope to duplicate the big screen/big sound experience. The history of the film epic was born.

Cleopatra from 1963 wasn't the first historical epic, but for many film fans it might be the first to come to mind. Its story comes closer to the end of the ancient Egypt period than to the beginning [*]. The film remains available on Blu-ray, but in writing this blog I realized that my otherwise extensive BD collection lacks this title. I have, however, seen the film and feel confident in commenting on it. Elizabeth Taylor in the title role is certainly an eyeful, though historic opinions suggest that the real Cleo got by on her allure, intelligence, and elevated station, not on her relatively ordinary looks. But no producer of the time was likely to turn down the opportunity to hire Taylor for such a role.

I enjoyed the film when I did see it, but couldn't get past the overwrought acting of both Taylor and Richard Burton (the film's Mark Antony). To be fair, both actors were . . . um . . . somewhat otherwise preoccupied throughout the filming. For more on the making of this movie, Google “Cleopatra 60 Years Later: The Epic That Nearly Bankrupted 20th Century Fox.” If such “Making Of” stories interest you as much as they do me, it's well worth your time. The film has always been gorgeous to look at, and you're sure to be humming both the scenery and costumes until Cleo breathes her last.

Another film that clearly says Ancient Egypt is Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 epic, The Ten Command. This film was, and certainly remains, the most well-known and lavish film treatment of Moses and the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II. DeMille had made a very different, silent version of the story in 1923, largely in black-and-white. But this 1956 version is the one we recall today. It's a genuinely spectacular production, gloriously presented in full Technicolor. Paramount restored the film for a Blu-ray release in 2010, and the version I watched here was the 2011 release of that restoration. A 4K version was released in 2020. I haven't seen the latter, but it's hard to imagine it looks much better than this standard, two-disc Blu-ray package. (I watched the film for this blog, and the others below, on an 85" TV—judgments derived on a bigger screen with a 4K projector might well be different.) The video and audio were both superb, apart only for a few of the special effects, particularly the animated pillar of fire in the Red Sea sequence. The audio (both music and vocals) was also astonishingly good for a 1956 production. There was little significant surround activity, but that's no surprise given the film's 1956 soundtrack. Some viewers might be put off by the 232-minute run time, which might encourage spreading a viewing over two days. But for the richest experience I recommend watching the entire film in one sitting with few distractions.

A newer, shorter version of this out-of-Egypt story, released in 2014, is Exodus: Gods and Kings. It has its moments, but at roughly 2.5 hours feels longer. A Ridley Scott production starring Christian Bale as Moses and Joel Edgerton as Ramses II, it wasn't well-received by critics or the public. It's also photographed (or tinted in post-production) in near-monotone shades of brown. While it's one of Scott's more interesting misfires, I'm unlikely to watch it again.

Perhaps my favorite Egypt-centric film is 1954s The Egyptian. Based on a 1950s Finnish novel of the same title, it takes place during the reign of the Pharaoh Akhenaten. The story is centered on a young Egyptian doctor, Sinuhe, and his experiences with Akhenaten as well as with an ambitious friend, a ragged beggar who becomes Sinuhe's loyal servant, and three women, only one of whom has his best interests at heart. The story is largely fiction, but the Pharaoh Akhenaten was a genuine historical figure who tried to convert Egypt into worshipping only Aten, Egypt's sun god, and abandoning all of the others. As you might imagine, this didn't sit well with the priests of Egypt's pantheon of gods. This religious conflict isn't initially the key driver of the plot, but it becomes increasingly significant in the third act.

This movie may be hard to find but it's one of the best examples of the lavish historical films of the 1950s (some of its sets were later modified for use in The Ten Commandments.). I wrote extensively about The Egyptian in my August 16, 2022 blog; you can read more about it there. The film is not currently available on disc, or at least not new. I did find it on YouTube, but that site's constant advert interruptions made the film unwatchable (unless you elect a YouTube subscription for ad-free viewing). A Blu-ray was released by Twilight Time some years back, but only 3000 copies were struck and they sold out fast. It was pure luck that I stumbled on the announcement in time to grab one. The film does show up occasionally on TV film sites such as TCM. Will we ever see it on disc again? The master for that initial release must exist somewhere, so at least there's that. A fresh release, perhaps in steelbook form, would be welcomed, at least by me. But that's unlikely. For now I wouldn't sell my copy for any amount of money. This remains one of my favorite films in any genre.

But there's yet another film about ancient Egypt that also pushes my buttons: The Prince of Egypt. This is another take on the Moses-Exodus story, and possibly the best film such film ever produced. Released by Dreamworks in 1998, it's still widely available on both conventional Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD. My copy is the standard Blu-ray, and that's the version I'm referring to here (I only recently became aware of the 4K release but plan to order it ASAP).

The film is full hand-drawn animation. As I've often said, animation isn't just for kids. And if the animation here won't convince you otherwise you're unlikely to ever change your mind. This film has been called a masterpiece by some pundits, and I certainly agree. It's crisp-looking throughout, with a particularly stunning dream sequence in the first act that makes Moses aware that he wasn't born into Egyptian royalty. The high points continue, with the parting of the Red Sea a true stunner. This could never have been done nearly as well in live action in 1998, and would require superior CGI quality even today.

The sound on this film (DTS Master Audio 5.1) is also superb. And, as many others have pointed out, Val Kilmer, who passed away recently, performs the voice of Moses. The score by Hans Zimmer, and the (appropriate and not intrusive) songs by Stephen Schwartz, fit seamlessly into the audio mix. That music is every bit as significant to the film's overall impact as are the visuals. This film is not to be missed. * Most people's knowledge of ancient Egypt is fuzzy at best. One Googled question I came across as I was assembling this blog was, “How long was it between the building of the pyramids and Cleopatra?” The answer, which would floor most folks, is about 2500 years—a timespan unfathomable to most of us! * Most peoples' knowledge of ancient Egypt is fuzzy at best. One Googled question I came across as I was assembling this blog, was "How long was it between the building of the pyramids and Cleopatra?" The answer, which would floor most folks, is about 2500 years--a timespan unfathomable to most of us!