ChikPapa Very disappointed :(

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

vincentlynch-moonoi I'm giving this high marks in one regard -- unlike many Hollywood films about Egypt and pharaohs, where the sets are so Technicolorish-lavish that you can't really imagine things being quite so lush back in that era, this film at least has sets that seem more realistic (although I was surprised to note green ceramic tile!). I could believe the various sets here.And, the story is a decent one...essentially about the lust for gold, and, secondarily, power and how those 2 shiny things (one physical, the other mental) lead to obsession.I was also impressed that quite a few scenes were filmed "on location" in Egypt. And it was obvious that many of the "extras" were real Egyptians (even if the main actors were not).And, I couldn't help but laugh when I learned that this film, which was directed by Howard Hawks, immediately proceeded one of Hawk's films which is one of my favorites -- "Rio Bravo" starring John Wayne and Dean Martin. Quite a contrast.In my view, a good story is close to the same importance as the acting. And the acting here -- overall -- is pretty darned good. I don't think you can go wrong with Brit Jack Hawkins, here as Pharaoh Khufu. The big surprise for me was that Joan Collins could really act (not that she was any Bette Davis) back in the 1950s; I wonder what happened to make her so lousy years later in "Dynasty" where her acting was unintentionally humorous. But, she does nicely here as the scheming Princess Nellifer. Dewey Martin...well, he had a nice body, if minimal acting skills. Alex Minotis, a Greek actor, was quite good as the pharaoh's right hand man. James Robertson Justice was also interesting as Vashtar, the architect of the pyramid in question, and a slave from another country. I guess I never knew that Sydney Chaplin -- Charlie's son -- was an actor; I felt he was quite good here as a somewhat unwilling ally of Princess Nellifer.Interesting how very White the pharaoh's son was.And, I have to it that the film's conclusion was...well...delicious!An irable effort by Howard Hawks, an although it was a failure at the box office, in later years it earned some deserved praise.

kiaora-1 I too think that this movie deserves a higher rating. Loved Joan Collins and all the other actors/actresses as well. Call it a B movie or whatever, but I found it to be highly entertaining. Better then most movies that are out today, imo. Of course, the younger generation would likely disagree with me, lol. We all tend to like movies and music more from our generation, but nevertheless, there are always some exceptions. I'm always looking for a good movie and there have been a few recent ones that were to my liking, but only a few. Unfortunately, the people that run the programs for the channels are too young to know what most of us older folks like, so I rarely, if ever, see the movies I typically used to find on TV. Gone are the good old days, but at least I can watch my favorites on DVD.

LeonLouisRicci To be Totally Honest, Howard Hawks Movies all Look Artificial. As Entertaining as some may be, they Look Staged. If Auteurs by Definition have Stylish Signatures, this is One of Hawk's Charms/Drawbacks. The Thing (1951), The Big Sleep (1946), Rio Bravo (1959), just to name a Few of His more Celebrated "Masterpieces" all Appear Staged and Presented, and for Better or Worse it is Undeniable.Ironically, this one, Considered by Most a Failure, is Somewhat Removed from that because of the Necessity for the Director to be Panoramic and Expansive. So the Staginess doesn't Work Against Hawks here, although some Stiffness Remains, it is some other Things like Miscasting and a Severely Corny Script and Dialog.The Movie, with its CinemaScope is Magical, the Costumes, the Colorful Palette, the Mighty Musical Score, all make this Watchable like some sort of Postcard from Antiquity. But, Oozing in on its Serious Scenario of Megalomania, Greed, and Tyranny is a Fifties Mindset. The Film in all its Grandeur is Full of Clunk. There is Enough here to make it a Pleasurable Viewing, it's Expensive Enough and it is a Showy, but Shallow Story that has Misplaced its Vision with a Contrived and Underwritten Exposure of One of the Most Extravagant and Interesting Periods in Human History.

bkoganbing Land Of The Pharaohs will go down in cinema history as Howard Hawks's attempt to out DeMille, the great Cecil B. in DeMille's own territory of cast of thousands spectacle. Hawks got a rather mixed reception for his film in that regard.In its way Land Of The Pharaohs is as campy a film as any DeMille ever gave us even without the arcane writing that typifies a DeMille product. Jack Hawkins as Pharaoh Khufu is the ruler that stretched Egypt's hegemony over its widest area and he's decided that he's going to have the biggest tomb around to symbolize his glory. To design such a tomb he drafts James Robertson Justice who is an architect among the prisoners of a recently conquered people. In a package deal Hawkins gets the son as well who grows up to be Dewey Martin and who during the course of the film incurs a big debt from Hawkins.The biggest problem in this film is that ultimately the subject of the film is ego and vanity. Hawkins with his bloody conquest and his desire to have a monument to stand for all time to his ego and vanity is just not a terribly sympathetic figure. But he's positively heroic to the vixenish young Joan Collins who starts out as a Cyprian princess given to Hawkins in return for tribute of a few thousand bushels of wheat. Right there Hawkins should have sent the baggage packing, trophy concubines he can get anywhere, but that grain was to feed his army of workers on that tomb.Once in the palace, Collins starts intriguing in her best Alexis Carrington manner, but she gets a rather fitting fate in the end.Land Of The Pharaohs does have some nice crowd scenes that DeMille might have envied. Some of the best scenes show the ancient methods of construction of the tomb with nice Dimitri Tiomkin music accompanying.But story and characters are the base of a really good film and Jack Hawkins is not a heroic Khufu by any means.