In 1900 Egypt, an American archaeologist (Taylor) has a race with a rival exploitive British adventurer-explorer (Thompson) to find the fabulous [fictional] lost tomb of King Rahotep, a Pharaoh who may have known the Israelite Joseph, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Matters are complicated by unscrupulous Egyptian Arab black market antiquities dealers (in fine performances by character actors Victor Jory, Kurt Kasznar, Leon Askin) and the romance of a beautiful British Egyptologist (Parker) who arrives on the scene. The plot and story are contrived and melodramatic, but the production values, locations, acting, dialog, music score by the master Miklos Rozsa, and visual effects are superb. In other words, it makes up in style what it loses in content. Filmed partly on location in Egypt, in Cairo, the Giza Pyramids, Sakkara, Karnak and Luxor (the Great Temple of Amenhotep III), and the Valley of the Kings. Of particular interest is a fight scene staged atop one of the four colossi of King Ramoses II the Great at the Temple of Abu Simbel: part of it was filmed on location; part of it was replicated in the MGM studio soundstages with clever matte photography and grandiose sets. Climactic scene is the discovery of the splendiferous tomb of King Rahotep full of art objects replicated from the artifacts found in the actual tomb of King TutankhAmen in the Valley of the Kings. [Special note: there actually was a Pharaoh named Rahotep, who lived during the 17th Dynasty of ancient Egypt, circa 1750 B.C. and could have known sephardic Israelites like Joseph, who most likely lived circa 1850 B.C.] The Technicolor is beautiful. Highly enjoyable action romance. Great fun for fans, Egyptologists, and film addicts who just want to enjoy a good old fashioned yarn.
Review of Valley of the Kings
