The Egyptian (1954)

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Philip Dunne (screen play) and
Casey Robinson (screen play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

17 December 1954 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

To Nefer, shameless temptress of Babylon, he surrendered his parents' hope of immortality!

Plot:

In eighteenth-dynasty Egypt, Sinuhe, a poor orphan, becomes a brilliant physician and with his friend...

Plot Keywords:

Physician | Plot | Poison | Femme Fatale | Epileptic

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Jean Simmons	...	Merit
Victor Mature	...	Horemheb
Gene Tierney	...	Baketamon
Michael Wilding	...	Akhnaton
Bella Darvi	...	Nefer
Peter Ustinov	...	Kaptah
Edmund Purdom	...	Sinuhe
Judith Evelyn	...	Taia
Henry Daniell	...	Mekere
John Carradine	...	Grave Robber
Carl Benton Reid	...	Senmut
Tommy Rettig	...	Thoth
Anitra Stevens	...	Queen Nefertiti
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Allan	...	Student in School of Life (uncredited)
Sharon Jan Altman	...	Princess (uncredited)
Michael Ansara	...	Hittite Commander (uncredited)
Don Bender	...	Boy (uncredited)
Don Blackman	...	Nubian Prince (uncredited)
Geraldine Bogdonovich	...	Tavern Waitress (uncredited)
George Chester	...	Nubian Guard (uncredited)
Angela Clarke	...	Kipa (uncredited)
Edmund Cobb	...	Patient (uncredited)
Henry Corden	...	Hittite Officer (uncredited)
Karl 'Killer' Davis	...	Libyan Guard (uncredited)
Carmen De Lavallade	...	Egyptian Dancer (uncredited)
Dede Gainor	...	Princess (uncredited)
Aurello Galli	...	Boy (uncredited)
John George	...	Man in Street (uncredited)
Mimi Gibson	...	Princess (uncredited)
Leo Gordon	...	Egyptian Soldier (uncredited)
Michael Granger	...	Officer (uncredited)
Yeghishe Harout	...	Syrian at Nefer's (uncredited)
Paul Kruger	...	High Priest (uncredited)
Ian MacDonald	...	Ship's Captain (uncredited)
Tyler MacDuff	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Tiger Joe Marsh	...	Libyan Guard (uncredited)
Donna Martell	...	Lady in Waiting (uncredited)
Mike Mazurki	...	Foreman, House of Death (uncredited)
George Melford	...	Priest (uncredited)
John Mooney	...	Officer (uncredited)
Ron Nyman	...	Guard (uncredited)
Wilma Reid	...	Nefer's Maid (uncredited)
Peter Reynolds	...	Sinuhe - Age 10 (uncredited)
Lawrence Ryle	...	Priest (uncredited)
Paul Salata	...	Egyptian Official (uncredited)
Harry Shearer	...	Boy (uncredited)
Saye Sumi	...	Nefer's Maid (uncredited)
Harry Thompson	...	Nubian (uncredited)
Bruno VeSota	...	(uncredited)
Joan Winfield	...	Governess (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Curtiz

Writing credits
Philip Dunne		(screen play) and
Casey Robinson		(screen play)
Mika Waltari		(novel)

Produced by
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	producer

Original Music by
Bernard Herrmann
Alfred Newman

Cinematography by
Leon Shamroy		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Barbara McLean

Art Direction by
George W. Davis
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Paul S. Fox
Walter M. Scott

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Eckhardt	....	assistant director
Ray Kellogg	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Alfred Bruzlin	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
Dick Jensen	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Richard Kupper	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Bert Ross	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects

Visual Effects by
Matthew Yuricich	....	visual effects artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Fred Carson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Catching	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Cernak	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Dockstader	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Sol Gorss	....	stunts (uncredited)
Michael Granger	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stubby Kruger	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bert LeBaron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Charles Regan	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Robotham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Stoney	....	stunts (uncredited)
Louis Tomei	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Wilson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Scotty McEwin	....	assistant camera: second unit (uncredited)
Leo Tover	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)
Ed Wynigear	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant
Lyman Hallowell	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Ken Darby	....	vocal supervisor
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator
Robert Mayer	....	music editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Stephen Papich	....	choreographer
Elizabeth Riefstahl	....	technical advisor
Norman Stuart	....	dialogue coach
Frank Inn	....	animal trainer (uncredited)
Gertrude Kingston	....	research assistant (uncredited)
Eva Monley	....	script supervisor: second unit (uncredited)
Frances C. Richardson	....	research director (uncredited)
Richard Talmadge	....	fill-in director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1954) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1954) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1955) (Austria) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1955) (France) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1962) (USA) (TV) (pan/scan)
• CBS/Fox (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Twilight Time Video (2011) (Canada) (DVD)
• Twilight Time Video (2011) (Canada) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Winkler Film (2010) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Bausch & Lomb  CinemaScope lenses by
• Deluxe  color (as De Luxe)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (certificate #16965) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

After shooting was completed, Fox made back some of the film's immense cost by selling many of the set pieces, props and costumes to Paramount, which then employed them in an even bigger epic, Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1956).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scene where Sinuhe buries his parents with the help of the grave robber, they both use a shovel with a metal blade, not wood. Later on in the movie, iron is introduced to the Egyptians.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sinuhe:[Older Sinuhe voiceover] I, Sinuhe the Egyptian, write this. In my place of exile on the shores of the Red Sea. There is no more desolate spot on earth. Soon the jackals and the vultures will make a poor meal of what is left of me. No monument will mark my resting place. I will leave only this...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Ten Commandments (1956)

Several Strengths Make Up For A Slow Pace

"The Egyptian" has several pluses that make up for a rather slow pace. There is plenty to the story, which involves a lot of action as well as some interesting themes, and there is a lot of good scenery and cinematography. Most of the cast is pretty good, and there is an assortment of interesting characters.

The setting in ancient Egypt works well and is used to good effect. It makes for many interesting sights, which are filmed nicely and used well in the story. The plot does a good job of weaving the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who tried to bring monotheism to Egypt, into the lives of the main characters. As the central character, Edmund Purdom is all right, but some of the other characters often command more attention. Victor Mature is particularly convincing as the no-nonsense Horemheb, and Peter Ustinov steals more than one scene as Purdom's assistant.

The only real flaw is the length. While there is plenty to the story, there are times when it moves quite slowly, and it doesn't seem as if it would have been all that hard to shorten some of the scenes. In particular, some of the speeches that summarize the conflict of ideas among the characters would have been more effective if they had not been quite so wordy.

But overall, this is a good movie, and it works pretty well both as a period piece and as a story.