Land of the Pharaohs
With Jack Hawkins, Joan Collins, Dewey Martin.
US, 1955, 35mm, color, 106 min.
Print source: HFA
The most radical departure from the more familiar genre territories explored by Hawks is his ill-fated tale of ancient Egypt—a saga of hubris, greed and obsession with the afterlife—that was also the director’s first and only major box-office bomb. Over time, Land of the Pharaohs has earned a place as a beloved and much-admired cult film and as proof of the auteurist theory that even the most seemingly outlier films are essential to a filmmaker’s oeuvre. In this case, the film provides the typical Hawksian balance between thrilling action spectacle—especially the construction of the pharaoh’s tomb and gripping sequences with poisonous vipers—and intimate romantic rivalries, with a young Joan Collins casting a particularly bewitching spell as a Cypresian princess determined to charm her way into the heart of the pharaoh and his secret treasure trove.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
His Girl Friday
The Big Sleep (pre-release version)
A Girl in Every Port
The Cradle Snatchers / Paid to Love
Fazil
Fig Leaves
Man's Favorite Sport?
The Crowd Roars
Today We Live
