Egyptian Dreams

isisinacrisis · Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 3:51 pm Post subject: Movies about Egypt!

This thread is to discuss movies that are set in, based on, or inspired by Egypt, such as the Mummy, Stargate, Indiana Jones etc... What do you think of them? Do you think they are harmless fun to watch, or do you get put off by any historical inaccuracies in the film? Do you have a favourite? And do you know of any new Egypt themed movies coming out in the future?

anneke · Queen of Egypt Joined: 23 Jan 2004 Posts: 9305

I love the movies about Ancient Egpt, even the inaccurate ones. Some of them have wonderful sets built to resemble palaces. Always something I enjoy Very Happy

Stargate is not really based so much on Ancient Egypt, as that they seem to have borrowed characters from Egyptian Mythology. Having said that, it is my favorite Sci-Fi series ever....
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Kevin · Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 7:21 pm Post subject:

isisinacrisis · Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 8:02 pm Post subject:

I've only seen a few episodes of SG1 but I love Stargate the movie...

One thing I do find annoying though about Egyptian movies, is that in 99% of them the Egyptians, or the Egyptian gods, are portrayed as evil-with their curses and stuff...I mean in modern eyes, most people think is something strange about an ancient culture that is obsessed with death, but does that mean they are evil? Not really.
Oh don't worry I'm just being nitpicky-I just take these movies with a pinch of salt and enjoy them.

anneke · Queen of Egypt Joined: 23 Jan 2004 Posts: 9305

I wonder if that's something we inherited from the old horror flicks.
After Dracula and Frankenstein, they made the mummy with Boris Karloff. It's well done, but it's also the first time the "evil priest" is buried alive, and comes back after some idiot reads the wrong incantation out loud.
The more modern "Mummy" movie is just an updated version of that.

There have been a couple of other types of movies though. I think there are now several movies about Cleopatra. The one with Elizabeth Taylor is long to sit through, but I like it. There are some older versions (one with Vivian Leigh?) that go the "femme fatal" route a bit more heavily.

Totally different: what about the Michael Jackson video for "remember the times", with Nefertiti? (Although he had her married to Ramses (!!) I think )

Are there any movies about Nefertiti? There's some Italian movie I saw a long time ago, but I can't remember what that one was about. (Made a big impression eh?)
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isisinacrisis · Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 8:26 pm Post subject:

I still haven't seen the Mummy Returns or the Scorpion King though...

It would be so cool if there were more Egypt movies coming out soon! But I haven't heard of any yet.

Here's another fun question: what sort of Egyptian story-be it real (eg. the story of Ramses), fictional (like Wilbur Smith's River God) or mythical (such as the myth of Osiris), would you like to see made into a film? And who would star in it?

anneke · Queen of Egypt Joined: 23 Jan 2004 Posts: 9305

isisinacrisis · Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 9:04 pm Post subject:

I don't know much about Hatshesut's story, but I think Ramses's life could be made into a movie-after all, his life has been novelised by Christian Jacq. Who could play the lead role, I'm not sure really...

anneke · Queen of Egypt Joined: 23 Jan 2004 Posts: 9305

That would be wonderful too. But again this would have to be a mini series I think. So much went on. That's also quite a bit of casting Very Happy

Didn't he have 8 royal wives (many more concubines) and 100's of kids?

Hmmmm, who to play Ramses? His wives Nefertari and Isis-Nofret? His daughters Bintanath, Meryetamun, Nefertari II, Isis-Nofret II etc.

His son Khaemwese would be an interesting character too.

I was actually reading a mystery called (I believe) the Pharaoh's Son. The main characters here are Amenhirkhepeshef (called Hori in the story) and his brother Khaemwese. Someone kills a priest in a temple, and the 2 royal princes have to work together to find out what is going on.
I think it would make a good movie.
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isisinacrisis · Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 9:22 pm Post subject:

hmmm...I was thinking Orlando Bloom could maybe play Ramses-he is pretty damn hot!!! *drool* And maybe Monica Belluci as Nefetari...It's hard finding actors that 'look Egyptian' though, but that depends on what you think Egyptians looked like...

Kevin · Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 10:27 pm Post subject:

Neith · Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2004 1:27 am Post subject:

I enjoyed the Mummy as a return to old-fashioned moviemaking. That did not keep me from screaming at the screen on occasion. My husband will not watch this movie with me for 2 reasons:

1) I start periodically yelling, "Why 5 canopic jars? Why change it? It makes no difference to the plot! Why not just get it right? Don't you people have fact checkers?" Sometimes, I alternate with, "4! There are 4 f#$%$ canopic jars!"

2) Problem with the creepy bugs crawling all over you thing.

I am also not allowed to watch movies with the subtitles on, after I started yelling at "The 13th Warrior." "Latin! That's Latin! It's clearly Latin!" when the subtitles said, [speaking Greek.]

isisinacrisis · Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2004 8:51 am Post subject:

I know what you mean Neith! I do that too!
I mean, scarabs don't eat living flesh-they eat dung!!! Laughing

HARRYMON · Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2004 7:50 pm Post subject:

i love films about egypt,i can remember the buzz when i went to see the first mummy film ,the modern one,although factually it was claptrap,it was a great feeling seeing the opening shots of a supposed ancient city,it is a very wide ranging and open subject,and the advances in cgi technology mean that film makers have an opportunity to make them on a scale never imagined before.knowing the profits to be made i dont know why more hollywood studios dont go for it.imagine a full scale rendering of the battle of kadesh or the reconquest after the hyksos occupation.or even a film on the amarna period with a whodunnit type ending of the death of tutankhamun,if i had the time and talent a script would be started soon,maybe on my visit to the great land in july it will inspire it in Shocked

me.
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HARRYMON

anneke · Queen of Egypt Joined: 23 Jan 2004 Posts: 9305

They have done mini-series about "The Mists of Avalon", and as much as I enjoyed it, I would like the movies you described even more Harrymon!

I hope that the success of movies like Troy and Alexander (I'm assuming they will be a success Smile

) will motivate them to make more historical epic movies.
Once you go down that genre it's hard to ignore Egypt I think (and hope).