Slideshow
THE EGYPTIAN
*Introduced by Foster Hirsch and Victoria Mature, daughter of Victor Mature
U.S., 1954
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring Edmund Purdom, Bella Darvi, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Gene Tierney, Peter Ustinov, Michael Wilding
Approx. 140 min. DCP
“The high point of first-wave Fox CinemaScope. This sumptuous re-creation of ancient Egypt during the reign of Akhnaton, the sun-worshiping pharaoh and a rebellious monotheist, was the first film to be shot in a new and improved version of CinemaScope, one that the Fox publicity department described as providing 'greater flexibility, range, and depth...greater clarity of image and a new sense of intensified audience participation. Indeed, with sixty-seven sets, over five thousand extras, and more than a million objects—including swords and amulets, vases, jars, baskets, wall paintings, a gilded throne, all certified as authentic by the Fox research department, the best in the business at the time — THE EGYPTIAN evokes a bygone era in big-budget, pre-CGI filmmaking that will never return.” – Foster Hirsch