Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18357 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-07-06
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French
• Dubbed in: German, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 58 minutes

Amazon.com
Spectacular cinematography used in an innovative framework featuring noted actor and native Egyptian Omar Sharif provide a highly entertaining glimpse of ancient Egypt in this documentary from National Geographic. Sharif, playing a grandfather who is explaining the archeological wonders to his inquisitive granddaughter, does a fine job of explaining such puzzles as how the pyramids would have been built and what knowledge their builders must have possessed. The interludes between grandfather and granddaughter are handled well, but the star of the production is Egypt itself. Gorgeously composed shots linger over the pyramids, the Sphinx, and a plethora of temples, and a camera flown over the Nile provides stunning footage of the great river's meanderings. Reenactments of events, such as the building of the pyramids, the burial of King Tut, and the 1922 opening of his tomb, are presented intelligently. This production is sure to spark curiosity about ancient Egypt, and even without the careful handling of the history it would probably be worth watching just for the wondrous cinematography. A bonus at the end of the tape is a making-of documentary detailing how the film was shot on location. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews

Stories of King Tut
I bought and watched this before going on a trip to Egypt. Very good quality imax movie and good overview of the stories of King Tut. But if you want a lot of details you have to dig some where else. A good introductory movie for people interested in Ancient Egypt. A little bit short though.

Outstanding Intro to Ancient Egypt
This is the best educational introduction to Ancient Egypt I've ever seen and used with middle school aged kids. The story is introduced and narrated by Omar Shariff to his fictional American granddaughter (a famous actress I'm not familiar with), who wants to know about "The Mummy's Curse". The writing/narration was outstanding throughout--I'd call it almost poetic in many spots. The photography, being IMAX, was, of course, eye-popping. In fact, I had to force myself to concentrate on the narration so absorbed did I become with the beautiful images.

This movie is set around the famous discovery of Tutankamen's tomb by Howard Carter in the 1920s and, again, is beautifully done. The Carter scenes are in black-in-white and evoke a wonderful 1920s feel. They also serve to heighten appreciation for the incredible beauty of Egypt when the film cuts back to full color. Worked into the story line are the obligatory shots of the pyramids and even some computer enhanced scenes to briefly show their construction. Add to all that an exquisite soundtrack. The negative reviews are surprising to me. I 'd love to know of the documentaries those reviewers have seen about Ancient Egypt that they feel are better. I sure haven't seen them. If they exist I'll be first in line to buy them.

It's Very Educational, Enlightening and Informing!
I saw this documentary at the IMAX theatre at the Museum of Natural Science in Houston, TX. It was very educational and I was greatly informed about Egyptian culture. I believe every African-American should see this documentary because it clearly illustrates that the Egyptians were highly intelligent. Men today are still trying to figure out how they built those pyramids. It keep my attention the entire time I was watching it. I have referred many family members and friends to see this documentary. I am now about to order 4 copies of it to give as Christmas presents. I highly recommend it.