Land of the Pharaohs poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Jack Hawkins, Joan Collins, Dewey Martin, Alexis Minotis, James Robertson Justice ... see more see more... , Luisa Boni , Sydney Chaplin , James Hayter , Kerima , Piero Giagnoni , Carlo D'Angelo , Alex Minotis

"Nobody knew how a Pharaoh talked!" That's how producer/director Howard Hawks explained some of the sillier dialogue exchanges in the William Faulkner-Harry Kurnitz-Harold Jack Bloom script for Hawks'... read more read more... Land of the Pharaohs. Extravagantly produced with a cast of seeming millions (actually there were some 10,000 extras), the film speculates on the circumstances surrounding the construction of the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Jack Hawkins plays the Pharaoh, who orders enslaved architect James Robertson Justice to build a magnificent, thief-proof tomb for him. At first, the people of Egypt willingly pitch in to construct the huge pyramid. But as the years roll by and the work shows no signs of abating, the Pharaoh begins relying upon forced labor from lands he has conquered. He also plunders the coffers of his neighboring countries. Cyprus can't pony up the necessary gold, so the country sends luscious Joan Collins (complete with a jewel in her navel) as a "present" for the Pharaoh. Fascinated by the spitfire Collins, the Pharaoh makes her his second wife. What he doesn't know is that Collins is just as much a predator as she would be in the TV series Dynasty. Hoping to gain all of the Pharaoh's kingdom and the riches therein, she stage-manages her husband's death. After the funeral procession, the Pharaoh is sealed in his tomb by a series of sand-operated weights, levers and pulleys (this speculation as to how the Pyramids were closed is the most fascinating part of the film). Collins watches in barely controlled glee; she isn't yet privy to the Egyptian custom of entombing the Pharaoh's widow alive, along with her husband's body--but she soon will be. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

50% liked it

365 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

7 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Howard Hawks

Release Date: June 24, 1955

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: June 26, 2007

Get It:

Stats: 41 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Land of the Pharaohs Land of the Pharaohs Land of the Pharaohs Land of the Pharaohs Land of the Pharaohs Land of the Pharaohs French Poster
Upload a Photo | View All Land of the Pharaohs Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (41)

  • rubystevens
    February 3, 2012
    rubystevens
    not as cheesy as it looks but still pretty damn cheesy
  • jjnxn
    February 3, 2012
    jjnxn
    Big budget nonsense with Joan vampig it up as a wannabe Egyptian queen. Some impressive set pieces but moves far too slowly to be really involving. Some of the acting is so stiff that if the actors mouths weren't moving you'd think they were trees. Jack Hawkins who in other films... read more was a fine actor is strictly phoning it in here and Joan, who was a beautiful woman, looks hideous under terrible cocoa makeup and fire engine red lipstick. Incredibly one of the writers of this sandlot soap opera was William Faulkner! Still on a purely camp level there are things to enjoy.
  • constanzaboutter
    August 29, 2009
    constanzaboutter
    Spectacular epic tale, moves along at a stately but never sluggish pace, the cracking script scattered with lovely moments, most notably the grim finale when Joan Collins' campy evil character gets her ironic bittersweet come-uppance. With sets by Trauner and camerawork by Lee Ga... read morermes, it looks great. Drama on an epic scale, and certainly one of the best epics.
  • TonyPolito
    February 3, 2012
    TonyPolito
    If you enjoyed "Ben Hur," "Cleopatra," "Spartacus," and other such Mid-Century 'sandal and sweat epics,' then you should surely click into this Cinemascope spectacle sleeper - even though the final product's truly a mixed bag.

    On the plus, it contains a highly fictionalized but... read more reasonably intellectual and suspenseful plotline, compliments of William Faulkner. Yet the wooden dialogue seems the hack job; viewers will righteously wonder at the British accents and everyone calling Pharaoh 'sire' and 'my lord.'

    Another plus: Director Hawks filled every inch of Cinemascope's wide screen with scene-upon-scene of thousands of extras tugging limestone to Luxor. And there's plenty of other worthy panoramic viewing throughout.

    The film's major shortcoming is that this extravaganza wasn't shot in Technicolor; rather it was wasted on WarnerColor. To technicians, that's one-strip Kodachrome cooked on the cheap in the Warner Labs. To viewers, that's overshifted and overdone blues, vulgar tarty-lipstick reds - and skin tones suggesting a psycho airbrush tanner was loose on the set.

    There's no outstanding performances here; Alexis Minotis as Pharaoh's savvy wingman is the best of the bunch. Costume and set design visuals are above-average, but not top-notch. Peter Bogdanovich delivers lame commentary.

    The neat/clever plot with satisfying climax - and the epic wide-screen wonder of it all - make for rewarding viewing. Meanwhile all the pointy, conical bras and garishly bronzed faces/bodies make for a new college drinking game called "Hail, Osiris!"

    TRIVIA: It's uncredited, undocumented and totally unverifiable, but once the viewer listens carefully enough, he/she will know it's also undeniable. At minute 13, James Earl Jones thunders as the voice of Anubis, the dog-faced God of the Dead. Whether that represents post-work toward the 2007 DVD issue - or Jones' first voiceover gig at 24 years old - is anyone's guess.

    RECOMMENDATION: Faulkner authors the come-uppins of a Pharaoh and his shrewish tart. Do you want to say you weren't there?

View All Land of the Pharaohs Reviews

Critic Reviews

May 13, 2008
Variety

When the viewing senses begin to dull from the tremendous load of spectacle, the script and Hawks' direction wisely switch to sex and intrigue. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
June 16, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Fairly awesome if you can get beyond the clunky dialogue. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
May 30, 2008
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Hawks forgoes any of those monstrous epic battle scenes, but as always most of his characters are made of shades of gray, which makes for fascinating confrontations throughout. Full Review

May 13, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Much of the picture concerned itself with the building of the pyramid, not an exceptionally exciting event to watch. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
January 11, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Blockbuster epics are usually not this thoughtfully put together. Full Review

John J. Puccio
June 19, 2007
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

No wars; no battles; one dinky sword fight. But much pageantry. Full Review

June 16, 2007
Film4

A cracking script and a bittersweet ironic ending satisfy those wanting their drama on an epic scale. Full Review

A.H. Weiler
June 16, 2007
A.H. Weiler, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Geoff Andrew
June 16, 2007
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

This list looks lonely.
Add a suggestion!

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Land of the Phara... : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Land of the Pharaohs. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Land of the Pharaohs to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?