10 beautiful films about ancient and modern Egypt

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Legendary kings, gods and terribly dangerous mummies await you.

1. Mummy

• USA, 1932.
• Adventure, horror, drama.
• Duration: 73 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

Archaeologists from the British Museum accidentally revive the mummy of the ancient priest Imhotep by reading aloud a magic scroll. Many years later, the Egyptian Ardeth Bey comes to Frank Wemple, the son of one of the expedition members, and offers to show the tomb of Princess Ankhesenamun. But it was not worth believing in the good intentions of the stranger.

It is from the 1932 film with Boris Karloff that all the classic adventure cliches have gone. And even the familiar image of a creepy mummy wrapped in bandages appeared from there.

2. Ten Commandments

• USA, 1956.
• Drama, adventure, peplum.
• Duration: 220 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

The Egyptian prince Moses has lived in luxury since childhood, but he is very sympathetic to the Jewish slaves and tries to help them. One day the hero learns that he is a Jew himself. Then the man breaks ties with the royal family and begins to fight for the freedom of his people. And in this he will be helped by divine forces.

Cecil DeMille's painting is rightfully considered one of the most significant in the history of cinema. The first, black and white mute version was filmed by the director back in 1923. But the technical capabilities stepped forward a lot, and after 33 years DeMille decided to repeat his feat - with sound, in color and with the stars of the first magnitude in the lead roles.

The new drama amazed the audience of that time with its scope. That only one fourteen thousand extras cost, and many extras were recruited right in Egypt, where the film was filmed.

3. Cairo station

• Egypt, 1968.
• Drama, comedy, crime.
• Duration: 77 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

Lame Kinawi works as a newspaper peddler at the Cairo station. He is in love with the beautiful saleswoman Khanuma, but his dreams of mutual happiness are not destined to come true. And then the hero's bright feeling very soon turns into hatred.

The quiet drama directed by Youssef Shahin, in which he himself played the main role, reveals a completely different, realistic side of Egypt. There are many meanings hidden in this film, and only a thoughtful viewing will help to understand everything.

4. Cleopatra

• Switzerland, UK, USA, 1963.
• Drama, melodrama, historical, biography, peplum.
• Duration: 243 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 0.

The film tells about the life of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, and also touches on the theme of her difficult relationship with her beloved men - Caesar and Mark Antony.

"Cleopatra" marked the end of the era of the peplums - large-scale costume dramas about the ancient world. Despite the excellent acting performance of Elizabeth Taylor and the huge budget, the picture did not interest the audience and did not recoup the money spent on production. But now it is considered an indisputable classic.

5. Mummy

• USA, 1999.
• Adventure, action, comedy.
• Duration: 124 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 0.

A group of adventurers travels to Hamunaptra - the lost city of the dead. But in the end they find not treasures, but the buried alive priest Imhotep, who planned to reclaim his body.

Formally, Stephen Sommers' film was filmed as a remake of the classic 1932 film, but only the basis remained from the old plot. The villain has become much more bloodthirsty and dangerous, and the dashing action provided the picture with excellent fees.

6. Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra

• France, Germany, 2002.
• Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure, Family.
• Duration: 107 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

Queen Cleopatra, on pain of death, orders the hapless architect Nomernabis to build a huge palace for the ruler of Rome in just three months. The fate of the poor fellow is in the hands of the Gauls Asterix and Obelix, who own the secret of the magic drink of power.

The second part of the franchise about the adventures of everyone's beloved heroes takes them to Ancient Egypt, where they have to help a friend, complete an important task and learn the intricacies of local customs. The main roles were again brilliantly played by Gerard Depardieu and Christian Clavier, and the Italian diva Monica Bellucci was called to the role of the ruler.

Compared to the first part, the tape has gone more into satire. Most likely, this was influenced by the change of director: this time Alain Chaba took the place of Claude Zidi. In addition, the latter wrote a script that now focuses more on making fun of popular culture. And Shaba also replaced Gottfried Jon in the role of Julius Caesar and, I must say, played no worse.

7. Cairo time

• Canada, Ireland, Egypt, 2009.
• Drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

A journalist comes to Cairo to spend a vacation with her husband. But he is very busy, so he entrusts the care of his spouse to his friend. Having met, these two fall in love, although they realize in advance that their feelings are doomed.

Critics praised Ruba Nadda's feature-length debut. She managed not only to display Arab culture in all its diversity, but also to tell a beautiful and sad love story.

8. Exodus: Kings and Gods

• UK, Spain, USA, 2014.
• Drama, peplum.
• Duration: 150 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 0.

Two Egyptian princes, Ramses and Moses, grew up in friendship and harmony. But, becoming king, Ramses learns that his brother is the son of slaves. Moses is driven into the wilderness, where he discovers a connection with God. Later, the hero returns to free his native people and take them to the Promised Land.

Ridley Scott's costume historical epic came out controversial. The characters were definitely not very successful for the director, and even the acting of Christian Bale did not help. But the special effects and scale are impressive - both the scenes of battles and chases, and the visualization of ten Egyptian executions.

9. Gods of Egypt

• USA, Australia, China, Hong Kong, 2016.
• Fantasy, action, adventure.
• Duration: 127 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 4.

Osiris, the supreme god of Egypt, wants to transfer power to his son Horus. But his warlike brother, the god of darkness Seth, kills Osiris, blinds Horus and seizes the throne. Only a simple mortal - the thief Beck - can cope with the usurper.

Fans of Egyptian mythology and culture will surely find many inconsistencies in the plot. Indeed, Alex Proyas, the director of the cult films The Crow, Dark City and I, Robot, focused on entertainment. But for those who are not in the mood to go into too much detail and want to enjoy the action, the picture is fine.

10. Mummy

• USA, 2017.
• Fantasy, action, thriller, adventure.
• Duration: 111 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 4.

American soldiers Nick Morton and Chris Weil find an ancient sarcophagus with a powerful sorceress. She dreams of seizing power over the world, and for this she needs the help of an eerie Egyptian deity.

In the next remake of "Mummy" Universal decided to return to the theme of Ancient Egypt. The restart, however, came out not very successful: there are problems with the plot and characters. But everything is redeemed by Tom Cruise, who has not changed at all since the first part of the Mission: Impossible franchise.