Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

JohnHowardReid Technically, "Land of the Pharaohs" is pretty good. All the dialogue was looped in London (where the film was edited), so that not only do we have all the principals voicing their own lines, but harmonizing English accents given to the large roster of anonymous Italian support and bit players led by young Piers Giagnoni (and probably — the dubbing is so skillful, it's commendably difficult to tell — Luisa Boni). Less unobtrusive is an obvious difference in grading between the 2nd unit photography in Egypt (presumably the work of Russell Harlan) and that of the main unit both in Egypt and Rome. (On second thoughts, I incline to the view that three cinematographers were used: An unsung lens-man — maybe Skeets Kelly — with Noel Howard, Harlan with Hawks in Egypt, Garmes with Hawks in Rome). It must be admitted that most of Hawks' fans do view "Land of the Pharaohs" with a mixture of dismay and incredulity. They have all actually seen this one. After all it's been on television so many times they could scarcely avoid it. (Of course standard TV is no way to view this movie. Although Hawks does center most of his interior action in the middle of the frame, the full impact of the vast location exteriors is lost. Principal cause for complaint is the acting. The principal target of the critics' wrath is Joan Collins. (Actually I thought she was pretty good. She often seems to be sending herself up and playing her ridiculous lines with a wonderful sense of mischievous tongue- in-cheek. I've no doubt her apparent flair was not the result of deliberate artifice but simply due to her inexperience, but it's the end result that matters. Hers is a satirically spirited performance. And she looks great too). Hawkins is usually given the thumbs up. (I thought he was miscast, but managed the role with moderate credibility considering the heavy weather he makes of most of his lines). Dewey Martin is usually passed over in silence, though his is by far the least convincing portrait and his American looks and accent are way out of place. I will admit that Sydney Chaplin is even less engaging and that James Hayter seems equally anachronistic, but their roles are much smaller. Although handicapped by obvious aged make-up, Justice makes a fair fist of his captive architect. Kerima's portrait of the queen is so wholly engaging, I wish that her part was much larger. Oddly enough, it is Alex Minotis who effortlessly walks away with the film's acting honors. He is always personable, convincing, agreeable and even charismatic. In scenes with other players who often seem dumbfounded by their lines, he is a tower of assurance and confidence. His high priest is never less than totally appealing.The scriptwriters, headed by the Nobel Prizewinning William Faulkner of all people, have come in for a good deal of criticism. Trite dialogue, banal, imitative plotting (the hackneyed flute-snake incident, for example, stolen from a hundred books including Romer Godden's The River) and weak characterization are all just jibes. As a peg on which to hang the spectacle, though, the script is strong enough.As a spectacle, "Land of the Pharaohs" succeeds handsomely. Hawks has directed the crowd scenes with flair, using the full resources of the CinemaScope screen, and even a few pan and traveling crane shots. The camera-work is often intriguing, and the music score is so wonderfully audacious and distinctively atmospheric, it's hard to credit it wasn't even nominated for a Hollywood award. Certainly Hawks thought so highly of it that he plugs it in the film's advertising, a rare honor for a composer so far as a non-musical is concerned.

Parker Lewis It's hard to believe it was over 60 years ago that Land of the Pharaohs was released, and it's definitely worth watching along with say Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments - sort of like a special movie festival based on the Egyptian theme as reimagined by Hollywood of course, with British and American actors.Joan Collins (sister of famous author Jackie) was at her best in this epic, and I remember the final scene when she ended up being entombed in a dreadful way. I also remember the crocodile scene, where people were being thrown into a pit of crocodiles. I can't recall why this happened, but I guess justice was rather swift in the Land of the Pharaohs.

gavin6942 A captured architect designs an ingenious plan to insure the impregnability of tomb of a self-absorbed Pharaoh, obsessed with the security of his next life.This film has the distinction of being a commercial failure for Howard Hawks, causing him to take a break from movies (before coming back to make "Rio Bravo", which many consider his masterpiece). I can definitely see why this might not have resonated with audiences -- it is in a category that is hard to define.This is a good story, though, and well worth a watch. The twists and turns are interesting, and with a bit of a tweak here and there, it could have made a really good horror film (which I say as a compliment). Is it historically accurate? Probably not. But still a good tale of despotism and trickery.

jc-osms I love Howard Hawks but was aware of this film's reputation as his biggest flop, so much so that he gave up making movies for some years after its critical mauling and commercial failing.To be fair, it's not hard to see why. Obviously seeking a slice of the "Biblical epic" bounty (although there's not a Christian in sight here), Hawks weighs in with a fantastic spectacle, from the location photography, to the crowd scenes to the set building of Pharaoh's tomb with its intricately engineered self-sealing mechanisms, but gives us a story with no dramatic tension or interest, over acted by a not quite top rank cast.It's easy in fact to see Jack Hawkins and the young Joan Collins as stand-ins for dare I say it Burton and Taylor but even they would struggle to give life to the script here.Also Hawks dwells far too much on his spectacle, the camera lingering on every panorama for what seem interminable minutes while the dialogue is over-expository at best, stilted at worst.The central characters of Hawkins vainglorious Pharaoh and Collins' girl-on-the-make Nellifer garner no sympathy at all and the main plot device of Hawkins building a tomb for his own posterity is hardly one to quicken the pulse. There are sub-plots involving Pharaoh's passed over first wife and son, Nellifer and her lover, the captain of the guard and master-architect James Robertson-Justice's efforts to free his vanquished people from hostage by indulging Pharaoh's grand scheme, but none of it comes together, not helped as indicated by dialogue as old and dry as the desert sand.On the acting, only Robertson-Justice scores by down-playing his character, something everyone else on the set could have learned from. On the evidence of this, Hawks was right to take a hiatus from Hollywood after "Land Of The Pharaoh's" release. This is tired, stolid work and almost unrecognisable as one of his movies.