Valley of the Kings (1954)

In 1900, in Egypt, archaeologist Mark Brandon is asked by Ann Mercedes to find the tomb of Ra-Hotep but their quest is marred by intrigue, betrayal, murder and danger.

Director:

Robert Pirosh

Writers:

Robert Pirosh, Karl Tunberg

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker, Carlos Thompson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Taylor	...	Mark Brandon
Eleanor Parker	...	Ann Mercedes
Carlos Thompson	...	Philip Mercedes
Kurt Kasznar	...	Hamed Backhour
Victor Jory	...	Tuareg Chief
Leon Askin	...	Valentine Arko
Aldo Silvani	...	Father Anthimos
Samia Gamal	...	Dancer

Storyline

Hard-boiled archeologist Mark Brandon is searching for ancient tombs in Egypt when he is approached by beautiful Ann Mercedes, who convinces him to help her fulfill her deceased father's life's ambition - to provide solid proof of the biblical Joseph's travels in ancient Egypt. As an ex-pupil of Ann's father Mark accepts and the two embark on a search for the tomb of the Pharoah Ra Hotep, said to have had some connection with Joseph. The trail to the tomb is fraught with intrigue, betrayal, murder and the possibility that the tomb itself has been emptied of all its artifacts by ancient looters.

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Plot Keywords:

riding sidesaddle | tomb | egypt | murder | archaeologist | 

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Taglines:

M-G-M's Spectacular Romance Filmed in Egypt!

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Genres:

Adventure

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

23 July 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Valley of the Kings

Filming Locations:

Mount Sinai, Egypt

Box Office

Budget:

$2,065,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As the monks work the turnstiles Wichita raise the basket to the top of the wall the chant "Vere" which is Russian for "Faith". It may be assuming therefore they are Russian Orthodox and not Greek Orthodox.

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Goofs

Before the desert sandstorm, a rabbit is shown crouching beside a clump of grass, with a tile or flat square stonework nearby. After the storm, there are different shots showing how the sand covered things over... except for the rabbit, the clump of grass, and the flat stonework.

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Quotes

Mark Brandon: You know what they say: Egypt is like a man without a woman.
Ann Barclay Mercedes: Why do they say that?
Mark Brandon: Hot by day, cold by night.

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Crazy Credits

[Prologue] The earth holds few treasures which have stimulated man's imagination -- and his greed -- as much as the tombs of the rulers of ancient Egypt, the Pharaohs.

This is the story of the search for the most fabulous tomb of them all. It begins near Cairo in 1900 . . .

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Soundtracks

Dance of Gamal
(uncredited)
Music by Atia Sharara

User Reviews

Comments on Valley of the Kings

I really enjoyed looking at both actors. Robert Taylor with his piercing blue eyes and handsome profile. It was a real pleasure just to look at him. And Eleanor Parker is Eleanor - always beautiful, calm and elegant as ever.

The chemistry between Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker was very good. I felt the characters themselves were well-portrayed.

The only let-down was the plot and the Director.

It started so well but you find that some situations did not make sense and you felt the direction of the film was everywhere and going nowhere. It didn't flow jumping from one place to another then started to lag half-way through the movie.

The budding romance between Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker didn't make sense either. I mean if you were Eleanor's husband would you leave her constantly with Robert Taylor shouldn't the husband be more attentive. He was practically throwing them together and didn't seem too unhappy when her affections had changed direction. Such one dimensional character is almost too painful to watch.

It was then pretty obvious from the beginning who the villain would be but watching Philip Mercedes against Robert Taylor, well it was just too obvious.

It was such a shame considering this film had so much potential and who knows, with a better Director and stronger plot this could have turn into a box-office hit.