The Egyptian (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'The Egyptian', a lavish 14th century B.C. melodrama directed by Michael Curtiz, is told from the point-of-view of a former abandoned child/now warm-hearted physician Sinuhe (Edmund Purdom), who narrates this tale about the hectic times of ancient Egypt. While roaming the streets looking for patients among the poor & destitute ... the chatty, 1-eyed slave Kaptah (Peter Ustinov) volunteers to be his loyal 'servant'. We also meet Sinuhe's affable best friend/protector, Horemheb (large, muscular Victor Mature). Fatefully, Sinuhe provides emergency medical assistance to the epileptic new Pharaoh, Akhnaton (Michael Wilding), who, throughout the early part of the film, becomes convinced that only "1" god exists; which infuriates all of his polytheistic priests who secretly plot to assassinate him.
Sinuhe is asked to be his court physician, but turns it down to better serve the poor; while Horemheb gets his wish to be a soldier in the palace guard. Now a soldier, Horemheb romances Baketamon (Gene Tierney), the ambitious princess & loathsome sister of the pharaoh. Meanwhile, Sinuhe gains the affections of tavern maid Merit (Jean Simmons); a lovely girl with monotheistic beliefs who would like to marry him. But they separate. And Sinuhe goes on to have an affair with a Babylonian whore/gold digger, Nefer (beautiful, but vapid Bella Darvi). But Sinuhe tires of her eventually & decides to end their 'relationship' -- turns out he still has a thing for barmaid Merit. However, tragedy strikes. Angered, & believing that Akhnaton's ideas of "1" god are directly responsible for said tragedy ... Sinuhe & Horemheb plot to poison the Pharaoh. But plot twists, changes of heart, wavering loyalties, & drama ensues.
'The Egyptian' is one of those old-fashioned 20th Century Fox extravaganzas that put an emphasis on how a film looks (visuals, attractive stars) & not necessarily the script (with banal dialogue to boot). Michael Curtiz is an able director & was up to task for the film. But by the end, I felt that the script was too ambitious, muddled, & disappointing. Not awful, just disappointing. This is also a long, ponderous film at 140 minutes, so some cuts should have been made in the editing room. Furthermore - and separate from its actual quality - 'The Egyptian' suffered other problems behind-the-scenes ...
Budgeted at $4.2 million (an enormous price for back then), that number only grew once Marlon Brando dropped out last minute & a race was on to find another lead actor. For what it's worth, I think handsome Edmund Purdom does a swell job. But the film was now tainted (huge budget, new leading man, delays ... studios hate to see this kind of stuff occur). One other problem came in the form of "actress" Bella Darvi who was hired as femme fatale Nefer simply because producer Daryl Zanuck was rumored to be sleeping with her. She does not give a good performance; which only added fuel to the fire for this botched enterprise.
But enough of all that drama. I give 'The Egyptian' a MILD pass (B-/C+ or so), simply because I have a natural affinity for these opulent Hollywood epics of old. The CinemaScope photography is lush. I like the over-the-top pageantry. I watch in awe of the enormous period sets & ornate costumes. I enjoy the sweeping music. I imagine how difficult it was to direct the large crowd scenes. What can I say, I like the spectacle. I also have a thing for Jean Simmons -- so that never hurts {haha}. For me, all of these aspects & attributes override the more tedious/shoddy moments in the script. This is an obviously flawed movie, but I liked being transported back to ancient Egypt (however historically inaccurate it's depicted) & I was entertained juuuuuuust enough.
Sinuhe is asked to be his court physician, but turns it down to better serve the poor; while Horemheb gets his wish to be a soldier in the palace guard. Now a soldier, Horemheb romances Baketamon (Gene Tierney), the ambitious princess & loathsome sister of the pharaoh. Meanwhile, Sinuhe gains the affections of tavern maid Merit (Jean Simmons); a lovely girl with monotheistic beliefs who would like to marry him. But they separate. And Sinuhe goes on to have an affair with a Babylonian whore/gold digger, Nefer (beautiful, but vapid Bella Darvi). But Sinuhe tires of her eventually & decides to end their 'relationship' -- turns out he still has a thing for barmaid Merit. However, tragedy strikes. Angered, & believing that Akhnaton's ideas of "1" god are directly responsible for said tragedy ... Sinuhe & Horemheb plot to poison the Pharaoh. But plot twists, changes of heart, wavering loyalties, & drama ensues.
'The Egyptian' is one of those old-fashioned 20th Century Fox extravaganzas that put an emphasis on how a film looks (visuals, attractive stars) & not necessarily the script (with banal dialogue to boot). Michael Curtiz is an able director & was up to task for the film. But by the end, I felt that the script was too ambitious, muddled, & disappointing. Not awful, just disappointing. This is also a long, ponderous film at 140 minutes, so some cuts should have been made in the editing room. Furthermore - and separate from its actual quality - 'The Egyptian' suffered other problems behind-the-scenes ...
Budgeted at $4.2 million (an enormous price for back then), that number only grew once Marlon Brando dropped out last minute & a race was on to find another lead actor. For what it's worth, I think handsome Edmund Purdom does a swell job. But the film was now tainted (huge budget, new leading man, delays ... studios hate to see this kind of stuff occur). One other problem came in the form of "actress" Bella Darvi who was hired as femme fatale Nefer simply because producer Daryl Zanuck was rumored to be sleeping with her. She does not give a good performance; which only added fuel to the fire for this botched enterprise.
But enough of all that drama. I give 'The Egyptian' a MILD pass (B-/C+ or so), simply because I have a natural affinity for these opulent Hollywood epics of old. The CinemaScope photography is lush. I like the over-the-top pageantry. I watch in awe of the enormous period sets & ornate costumes. I enjoy the sweeping music. I imagine how difficult it was to direct the large crowd scenes. What can I say, I like the spectacle. I also have a thing for Jean Simmons -- so that never hurts {haha}. For me, all of these aspects & attributes override the more tedious/shoddy moments in the script. This is an obviously flawed movie, but I liked being transported back to ancient Egypt (however historically inaccurate it's depicted) & I was entertained juuuuuuust enough.