Land of the Pharaohs

The barbarous love that left Egypts great pyramid as its wondrous landmark.

Land of the Pharaohs is directed by Howard Hawks and collectively written by Harold Jack Bloom, William Faulkner and Harry Kurnitz. It stars Jack Hawkins, Joan Collins, James Robertson Justice, Dewey Martin and Alex Minotis. Music is by Dimitri Tiomkin and cinematography by Lee Garmes and Russell Harlan.

It falls into the filmic splinter of historical epics that thrived greatly in the 50s and 60s, where a cast of thousands are costumed up to the nines, the sets sparkle and location photography smoothes the eyes. Land of the Pharaohs has all these things, what it does lack is a high end action quotient, the makers choosing to craft a picture about intrigue in ...

Building the Great Pyramid in Egypt

After years of war victories and accumulated wealth circa 2600 BC, Pharaoh Khufu (Jack Hawkins) becomes obsessed with building an impenetrable tomb for his body & riches, etc. Khufu turns to the brilliant architect and newly acquired slave, Vashtar (James Robertson Justice), to build the Great Pyramid, aka the Pyramid of Cheops or Giza. Joan Collins in on hand as Nellifer, Dewey Martin plays Vashtars son and Alexis Minotis the high priest of Egypt.

Land of the Pharaohs (1955) is a sword & sandal epic that doesnt overstay its welcome at well under 2 hours. It was director Howard Hawks first box office failure and so he took four years off from filmmaking to tour Europe before returning wit...

I wouldn't say that this was Jack Hawkins' finest film and it certainly isn't something that would have kept Cecil B. de Mille awake at night but it is watchable enough despite the script being a bit garrulous. Hawkins' Pharaoh Khufu tasks a captive James Robertson Justice to design and build a tomb that cannot be robbed - and the film tells a tale of court intrigues, greed and lust for power whilst that is being built. Joan Collins is frankly terrible but bedecked in fine gowns and jewels, she just about gets away with it as his ambitious second wife "Nelifer". For all it's glitz and glamour though; it is all just a bit too wooden. I did like the ending though!