{"id":3356,"date":"2011-08-09T14:04:08","date_gmt":"2011-08-09T18:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=3356"},"modified":"2017-10-26T12:10:23","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T16:10:23","slug":"br-egyptian-the-1954","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=3356","title":{"rendered":"BR: Egyptian, The (1954)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Film: Excellent<\/p>\n

BR Transfer: Excellent<\/p>\n

BR Extras: Excellent<\/p>\n

Label:<\/p>\n

Twilight Time <\/a>Region: All<\/p>\n

Released: July, 2011<\/p>\n

Genre: Historical Drama \/ Epic<\/p>\n

Synopsis:\u00a0 Chronicle of Sinuhe, a gifted surgeon forced to flee his native Egypt due to a Babylonian temptress, the Pharaoh’s ire, and a need for serious soul-searching.<\/p>\n

Special Features:<\/p>\n

\n

Audio Commentary by film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini \/ 8-page colour booklet with liner notes by film historian Julie Kirgo \/ Theatrical Trailer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Review:<\/p>\n

Preamble<\/strong><\/p>\n

Twilight Time\u2019s Blu-ray and DVD ought to correct a long-held misinterpretation that The Egyptian<\/strong>, then one of Twentieth Century-Fox\u2019s most expensive films (over $4 million in 1954), was a great big, laughable dud. Chastised by critics during its original release as being plodding, meandering, and \u2018as exciting as a Spanish funeral,\u2019 the studio effectively buried their sandy drama from broad circulation, focusing instead on its more popular antecedents \u2013 The Robe<\/strong> (1953), and its sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators<\/strong> (1954) \u2013 in reissues, retrospectives, and deluxe home video presentations.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Fox Home Video released an anniversary special edition of The Robe<\/strong> on DVD and BR in 2009, but for whatever reason the studio never followed through with The Egyptian<\/strong>; they had prepared a digital master with an exclusive commentary track in 2005, but shelved the project.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unlikely the film\u2019s absence was due to a sense of embarrassment in 2005, but it was never a high priority when better-known films existed, and if people really wanted the film, they could import the Region 2 DVD from countries like (where else?) Spain.<\/p>\n

That said, someone cared enough at Fox to commission a second<\/em> HD transfer, supervised by the same team involved with The Robe<\/strong> BR, and it\u2019s the 2010 transfer that\u2019s used for TT\u2019s release, bundled with James Ursini and Alain Silver\u2019s unused commentary track.<\/p>\n

Right from the title sequence, it\u2019s clear this production \u2013 the film, and the BR \u2013 are top-notch, and if one\u2019s never seen The Egyptian<\/strong>, certainly for connoisseurs of the genre, you\u2019re in for a treat.<\/p>\n

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Presenting: The Egyptian(s) <\/strong><\/p>\n

Based on a best-selling novel by Finnish writer Mika Waltari<\/a>, an author better-known for detective and crime writings, The Egyptian <\/strong>has the skeletal elements of a noir, with a femme fatal, former friends turned foes, power struggles, murder, highly dramatic lighting, and scenes steeped in dourness.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a Biblical epic, but not overtly. Fox ported over stars and creative crew from The Robe<\/strong> to feign some kind of cosmetic continuity, and according to the BR\u2019s commentary track, Waltari\u2019s novel (Sinuhe: The Egyptian<\/strong>) was ostensibly a memoir of Sinuhe (Edmund Purdom), a gifted surgeon, who lost his grace after falling for a manipulative Babylonian whore named Nefer (Bella Darvi), then traveled the known world in search of spiritual meaning, and returned to Egypt with a gift for the court of Akhnaton \/ Akhenaton<\/a> (Michael Wilding), with whom he had fallen out of favour during his masochistic pursuit of Nefer.<\/p>\n

Sinuhe’s gift is a Hittite<\/a> sword made of iron, which he presents to Akhnaton\u2019s general Horemheb<\/a> (Victor Mature) in the hope of bestowing a superior technology to his country in order to defend themselves against a looming invasion, but Sinuhe finds himself embroiled in nasty court intrigue: after centuries of worshiping multiple gods, Akhnaton\u2019s forced Egyptians to cow-tow to a single lord \u2013 Aten, a sun god. The old priests dislike the revisionist, hippy theology, and the generals aren\u2019t spirited by Akhtanon\u2019s blatant mismanagement of the empire, particularly when the nation could be ravaged by invaders, so it\u2019s just a matter of time before the power struggles between the ruler, his sister Baketamon (Gene Tierney), and Horemheb yield a victim, a successor, a new rule of law and a return to the old religion.<\/p>\n

The followers of Aten and their inevitable persecution & slaughter are played up by the filmmakers to parallel the suffering of early Christians, and the film\u2019s final quote tries to set up a link between the doomed Akhnaton and Jesus Christ, making the former a Christ-like figure who died similarly before his visionary philosophy was able to fully germinate, but there\u2019s a firm, cynical undercurrent that makes The Egyptian<\/strong> oddly contemporary.<\/p>\n

Screenwriters Philip Dunne (David and Bathsheba<\/strong>) and Casey Robinson (Casablanca<\/a><\/strong>) may have included the character of an atheistic grave digger (John Carradine) to add contrast towards the various flowing philosophies within the film, but the wily digger\u2019s arguably one of the few sobering voices in a monotheistic world eventually brought down by quibbles and seething jealousies. The disintegration of Akhnaton\u2019s power and his eventual death were more complex, but certainly his rejection of age-old beliefs sowed the seeds of his doom.<\/p>\n

The entire drama takes place 1300 years before Christ, but perhaps to shore up a link towards the Biblical genre, Fox made sure to goose the Christ-like elements to make up for a lack of overt Christian iconography and the usual portentous chatter of a holy child. In Fox\u2019 eyes, as well as certain historians, Akhnaton\u2019s monotheistic beliefs either influenced Jesus Christ, or they marked the first advancement in religious developments where a confusing multitude of holy figures were folded into a simplified icon for mass consumption, and population control.<\/p>\n

As with the best Biblical epics, the filmmakers also ran with Cecil B. DeMille\u2019s Law: if you base characters\u2019 prurient behaviour on historical fact, the censors can\u2019t touch it<\/em>. Ergo, with few exceptions (such as Nefer\u2019s comeuppance), the evil Breen office let some shocking behaviour and circumstances pass.<\/p>\n

SOME KEY SPOILERS<\/p>\n

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Akhnaton’s mother is an alcoholic (she drinks ancient Egyptian beer), and sister Baketamon is already getting used to the sauce by the film’s final reel. The slaughter of the proto-Christians is surprisingly graphic, and Baketamon’s plot to rule with her half-brother is clearly an acceptance of incestuous relations for the betterment of the family dynasty.<\/p>\n

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END OF SPOILER ALERT<\/p>\n

Commentators Silver and Ursini examine every facet of the production, such as where the screenwriters remained faithful to the novel, major character changes, and compressing time-lines (the gap between Akhnaton\u2019s death and Horemheb\u2019s succession wasn\u2019t immediate, but 18 years<\/em>, and included the reign of King Tut<\/a>).<\/p>\n

According to the film historians, Kaptah (Peter Ustinov), the former thief who befriends and becomes Sinuhe\u2019s loyal assistant and companion, was never in the novel; and Nefer\u2019s comeuppance was designed to appease the Breen office since a happy whore had to receive some form of punishment before the End Credits. (Nefer\u2019s life in the novel was much more colourful; her resourcefulness managed to save her from several prickly circumstances.)<\/p>\n

The audio commentary is<\/em> heavy \u2013 the pair maintain a steady discussion which mandates a few pauses \u2013 but the film is presented in context within the Biblical genre; as an early CinemaScope production; a rival Egyptian epic to Warner Bros.\u2019 Land of the Pharoahs<\/strong> (1955) and MGM\u2019s Valley of the Kings<\/strong> (1954); and as a sort of precursor to Fox\u2019s other lavish production a decade later – Cleopatra<\/strong> (1963). Fans of that monster will undoubtedly see a few similarities: both films are intimate yet multi-layered narratives whose heroes aren\u2019t always proactive nor always up front in their respective dramatic strands.<\/p>\n

Sinuhe is regularly cited by the commentators as a chief reason why the film flopped at the box office: 1954 audiences had trouble with his wishy-washy persona, and his scenes sometimes tended to meander and have longer end points – aspects that also contributed to the film\u2019s running time.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the scenes with Darvi are the worst offenders \u2013 they feel contrived to showcase producer Darryl F. Zanuck\u2019s new \u2018discovery\u2019 \u2013 but their pacing does deepen the debasement that masochistic Sinuhe voluntarily creates for himself. Those increasingly dour scenes between the good surgeon and the upsacle whore feel weirdly modern today, but ’54 audiences wanting an emerging, uncynical hero were out of luck. As Horemheb, Mature is the lone masculine lead, but like Akhnaton, his character drifts in and out of the narrative, and similar to a TV soap opera, not every story thread yields juicy material prior to the penultimate convergence in the final (and lengthy) act.<\/p>\n

The fact The Egyptian<\/strong> doesn\u2019t fully adhere to genre rules and deliver the goods according to the Cinematic Biblical Playbook 101 makes it much more interesting than its precursors because it\u2019s less hampered by clich\u00e9s and familiar tropes, as well as archetypes who follow set courses to destruction or valour.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a smartly designed production, with several years of research paying off in rich costumes, sets, d\u00e9cor, and designs heavily derived from surviving artifacts. The character of Sinuhe is based on a real wandering Egyptian ex-patriot<\/a>, and the Aten theme (credited to Bernard Herrmann in the audio commentary, but actually composed by co-composer Alfred Newman) makes use of chorals derived from lyrics used by Akhnaton\u2019s followers to salute their one true God.<\/p>\n

Leon Shamroy, who also photographed The Robe<\/strong>, lensed one of his most beautiful works, and as an early colour CinemaScope film, The Egyptian<\/strong> may be the best. Scenes are graded with delicate colour pools and colour veils for mood and character subtext, and the HD transfer captures the colour density with maximum clarity; one can only imagine how the film looks theatrically, and Shamroy\u2019s use of colour may have been one of the key works that influenced a young Mario Bava, who played with layers & pools of colour in mini-epics such as Hercules in the Haunted World<\/a><\/strong> (1961).<\/p>\n

For example, when the camera slowly tracks towards Nefer\u2019s coven of debauchery, the exteriors are draped in deep fifties turquoise blue, but inside, as seen through a naked doorway, is a dancer, spiraling with her veil in a swirl of neon yellow. Shamroy\u2019s moving camera reveals further colour pools, and by the time we\u2019re inside the house (via cutaways), Nefer is established as the scene\u2019s central colour figure \u2013 which remains consistent in her subsequent scenes of corruption, wearing blue and blazing red wigs to grab Sinuhe\u2019s attention from everything else moving and gyrating about the room.<\/p>\n

The race to beat MGM and Warner\u2019s own Egyptian epics meant brining in a second composer to finish the score, and The Egyptian<\/strong> is noted for the collaboration between two film music giants: lead composer and Fox music head Newman, and Herrmann. Their work is discussed several times in the commentary, and in spite of the composers\u2019 distinct styles, there is an effective balance between the themes, the instrumentation, and the attempt to impart a sense of history without musical clich\u00e9s. TT\u2019s BR and DVD includes an isolated score track which is just as robust and dynamic as the film\u2019s 5.1 mix. (Varese Sarabande also released a 2-disc set in 2011, featuring several alternate cues.)<\/p>\n

Zanuck wanted CinemaScope to succeed, and no expense was spared to create a rich visual and aural experience; elements from this marginalized gem have survived so well that this may be the best sounding \u2018scope transfer around. The music booms with depth, clarity, and bass-friendly resonance, and the sound design is surprisingly rich for an early surround sound production.<\/p>\n

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Wrap-Up<\/strong><\/p>\n

TT has adopted a Criterion-style price point for the BR ($39.99), which is SRP\u2019d for about twice the price of the standatd DVD ($19.99). The premium-priced HD edition is likely designed to offset the fees associated with licensing Fox\u2019 2010 transfer and upcoming BR releases, but it is a bit steep. Most Criterions sell for a fraction above their DVDs, and in some cases they’re on par with DVDs, but TT\u2019s pricing gap will probably narrow over coming releases as they figure out more cost-effective measures, and as each BR sells out.<\/p>\n

Limited to 3000 copies in each format, the title should enjoy brisk sales simply because there\u2019s been a paucity of vintage CinemaScope releases from Fox who seem more content reissuing remastered special editions or SE\u2019s marginally expanded with an extra featurette. The so-called death of DVD isn\u2019t here yet, and indie labels such as TT are proving there\u2019s a niche market of collectors and connoisseurs wanting catalogue titles that have never appeared on BR. Streaming and HD broadcasts can\u2019t replace the pleasure of owning a gem or guilty pleasure in all its finery, nor watching it piped through a digital 5.1 home theatre system without buffering artifacts.<\/p>\n

Only qualms: a main chapter menu. All DVDs and BRs must<\/em> have one, particularly if the film runs close to 2.5 hours.<\/p>\n

Film historian Julie Kirgo, who also collaborated on The Robe <\/strong>commentary track, penned the lengthy booklet notes and provides a good overview of the cast within The Egyptian<\/strong>, plus the various figures who vied for roles, such as Marilyn Monroe who wanted to play Nefer (which would\u2019ve been frankly quite bizarre).<\/p>\n

Marlon Brando was initially cast, but according to the various stories, his departure was either one or a combination of loathing the script, disliking Darvi on sight, not getting along with director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca<\/strong>), or thinking the rewrites and tight scheduling would\u2019ve mucked up his own interpretation of Sinuhe. Brando soon fled the production, was threatened by Zanuck with a $2 million lawsuit, and eventually made peace by appearing with Jean Simmons in the melodrama Desir\u00e9e <\/a>[M<\/a>]\u00a0(1954).<\/p>\n

Replacement actor Purdom actually suits his flawed, often weak-willed character, and Wilding is effective as the free-love, one God Akhnaton, dressed in costumes that are much more practical (and believable) than the designs in rival productions.<\/p>\n

The film is also boosted by a fine supporting cast, including Peter Ustinov (Quo Vadis<\/strong>) as a thieving sidekick, similar to his role in Spartacus<\/strong> (which also co-starred Simmons); Tierney giving Baketamon an appropriate butch edge; and small roles filled by veterans such as Henry Daniell (a genius at playing nasal, scheming shits) and Carradine (beautiful in his lone scene). Fans will also recognize Michael Ansara (Star Trek<\/strong>), Leo Gordon (Hondo<\/strong>), and Mike Mazurki (Night and the City<\/strong>) in bit parts.<\/p>\n

As for Bella Darvi, her sleek persona suited her seductive role, and while critics may have been piercingly unkind towards her acting chops, so-called cross-eyed gaze, and thick accent, she doesn\u2019t gum it up. Her dialogue is simple, her movements often statuesque, and it\u2019s only when she screams for aide at the murderous hands of Sinuhe that Darvi\u2019s screeching voice and accent betray her limited character. (In other words, she\u2019s not that <\/em>bad.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

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Postscript<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although Zanuck tried to turn Bella Darvi into a star, neither Hell and High Water<\/strong> (1954), The Egyptian <\/strong>(1954), nor The Racers<\/strong> (1955) helped, nor did having an affair with Darvi, which had her booted out of the Zanuck compound where she had been staying. The newbie actress returned to France where she made a handful of films (Rafles sur la ville<\/strong>, Le gorille vous salue bien<\/strong>) before gambling addiction, depression, and a dwindling acting career finally pushed her into managing a successful suicide attempt in 1971.<\/p>\n

In their commentary, Silver and Ursini point out the peculiar irony in which Zanuck, like Sinuhe, sacrificed his marriage, his tenure as Fox’s CEO (he would step down two years later to become an independent producer), and financial security to satisfy Darvi, in terms of building her career, paying off her debts, and moving to France in the hopes of maintaining a liaison that proved uterly futile.<\/p>\n

Edmund Purdom never became a major star in Hollywood, in spite of co-starring with Lana Turner in MGM\u2019s \u2018scope production of The Prodigal<\/strong> (1955), and he soon evolved into journeyman, appearing various TV series and international productions, including Riccardo Freda\u2019s Agguato a Tangeri <\/strong>(1957), and the budget epic Herod the Great <\/strong>(1959) before settling for whatever was in vogue in Italy during the late sixties and seventies.<\/p>\n

Gene Tierney would co-star in two more \u2018scope films for Fox \u2013 Black Widow<\/strong> (1954) and The Left Hand of God<\/a><\/strong> [M<\/a>] (1955) \u2013 before stepping away from acting due to a bout with depression. When she returned to the celluloid stage almost a decade later, her remaining roles were small & sporadic.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2011 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

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External References<\/em>:<\/p>\n

IMDB<\/a> — \u00a0Blu-ray Producer Interview<\/a> — Soundtrack Album<\/a> – Composer Filmographies: Alfred Newman<\/a> \/ Bernard Herrmann<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Film: Excellent BR Transfer: Excellent BR Extras: Excellent Label: Twilight Time Region: All Released: July, 2011 Genre: Historical Drama \/ Epic Synopsis:\u00a0 Chronicle of Sinuhe, a gifted surgeon forced to flee his native Egypt due to a Babylonian temptress, the Pharaoh’s ire, and a need for serious soul-searching. Special Features: Audio Commentary by film historians […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[355,646,97,367,648,645,353,639,644,647,531],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-S8","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3356"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3356"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16887,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3356\/revisions\/16887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}