Blu-ray Review Land of the Pharaohs Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

Howard Hawks’ sword and sandal epic Land of the Pharaohs is not one of his best works.



Land of the Pharaohs (1955)



Released: 24 Jun 1955
Rated: Approved
Runtime: 106 min




Director: Howard Hawks
Genre: Adventure, Drama, History



Cast: Jack Hawkins, Joan Collins, Dewey Martin
Writer(s): William Faulkner, Harry Kurnitz, Harold Jack Bloom



Plot: A captured architect designs an ingenious plan to ensure the impregnability of the tomb of a self-absorbed Pharaoh, obsessed with the security of his next life.



IMDB rating: 6.6
MetaScore: 65





Disc Information



Studio: Warner Brothers
Distributed By: Warner Archive
Video Resolution: 1080P/AVC



Aspect Ratio: 2.55:1
Audio: English...

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[benbess]

Thanks for this insightful review. I was amused by this part lol!

Matt Hough wrote: "Joan Collins, of course, gives a vampish, arrogant performance as Nellifer that would become her stock-in-trade: it’s amazing that a quarter century later, she’d be giving basically the same performance (minus the brown greasepaint makeup) as Alexis Colby on Dynasty."

 

[Alan Tully]

Great, & the first review I've read. I think I like the film a lot more than Matt, but I'll happily take 4.5 for picture & 5.0 for sound. It looks like I won't get it in the UK until August (probably around the same time as Helen Of Troy).

Joan Collins has just turned 90, all glammed up & still a real force of nature, it would have been great to have had a commentary from her.

 

[commander richardson]

a commentary by JC would have been terrific and if declined at least an 'intro' before the movie starts . Probably not asked.
I remember the first edition of The Dam Busters bluray released in UK on Optimum and is a hugely popular film over here . I spoke to Richard Todd and questioned why he was not included in the extras. Nobody asked me was his reply !!! Years later the wonderful Box Set was released by Studio Canal of this film by which time Mr Todd was sadly no longer with us .

 

[Douglas R]

I’m a big fan of the film. Just had shipping confirmation from WOWHD.

 

[Alan Tully]

I’m a big fan of the film. Just had shipping confirmation from WOWHD.

Yup, me too! At last something happening.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Unmentioned in the review:

The disc's packaging promises a Bugs Bunny cartoon that doesn't appear.

 

[mackjay]

Not one of Hawks' best, but it has great visual interest, an often eye-popping production with vast crowd scenes. Some of the acting is pretty good. And there's eye-candy too, depending on your orientation I don't think it's a lot less good than far better known Ancient world/Biblical epics

 

[Ed Lachmann]

Well, I love the film and can't wait for my copy to arrive. I suppose many would claim that Esther and the King "wasn't one of Raoul Walsh's best works" either, but I'd be the first to pick it up in HD.

 

[battlebeast]

There are two versions of the film on the disc?

 

[richardburton84]

There are two versions of the film on the disc?

Going by the review, it sounds like the commentary wouldn’t conform with the new transfer, so had to include the old master with the commentary (much like with Angel Face’s commentary last month).

 

[lark144]

There are two versions of the film on the disc?

Not really. Like ANGEL FACE, apparently the SD version is slightly different in terms of the timing--I'm not sure of the specific technical reason-than the new master, and they were unable to sync up the commentary to their satisfaction, so they are including an SD version, upgraded I believe to 1080i, in case you want to listen to the commentary.

 

[Matt Hough]

On my equipment, the image behind the commentary looked a little squeezed, but since I was basically listening and not looking very much, I didn't care.

 

[david hare]

Not really. Like ANGEL FACE, apparently the SD version is slightly different in terms of the timing--I'm not sure of the specific technical reason-than the new master, and they were unable to sync up the commentary to their satisfaction, so they are including an SD version, upgraded I believe to 1080i, in case you want to listen to the commentary.

Georgie Baby explains on the last podcast that the interpos, which they were using in tandem with the OCN had been trimmed of multiple frames at numerous points so it simply wasn’t synchronous. I mean, make of it what you will.

 

[OliverK]

Georgie Baby explains on the last podcast that the interpos, which they were using in tandem with the OCN had been trimmed of multiple frames at numerous points so it simply wasn’t synchronous. I mean, make of it what you will.

Georgie Baby?
make of it what you will?

Leaving that aside with multiple frames missing in the other version I can see how it would have been a lot easier to include the old SD version in 1080i.

As space would not have been an issue this sounds like a very good solution that will add almost no additional cost and it will not degrade the commentary. It also gives the viewer the chance to compare to the old SD master which is kind of cool for AV geeks like myself.

 

[OliverK]

Not one of Hawks' best, but it has great visual interest, an often eye-popping production with vast crowd scenes. Some of the acting is pretty good. And there's eye-candy too, depending on your orientation I don't think it's a lot less good than far better known Ancient world/Biblical epics

It is certainly not one of his best but it may very well be his best looking movie!

 

[lark144]

Georgie Baby explains on the last podcast that the interpos, which they were using in tandem with the OCN had been trimmed of multiple frames at numerous points so it simply wasn’t synchronous. I mean, make of it what you will.

Ah, yes. Georgie Baby. At first I had an image of a surfer straight out of Giget, with those breakers blue screened in, then realized you were talking about the estimable George Feltenstein. I appreciate the specificity, as I've reached the age where short term memory becomes problematic. I can recall double bills I saw at the age of 6--Earth vs the Flying Saucers with She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, in case you were wondering--but not what I watched last night. Of course, if the IP was trimmed of multiple frames, so the sync was off in terms of cueing up the commentary, that would make it a matter of timing, wouldn't it?

 

[david hare]

On my equipment, the image behind the commentary looked a little squeezed, but since I was basically listening and not looking very much, I didn't care.

Yes, I thought do too. I played some of the DVD and so is it.

 

[Douglas R]

It was great to see this film again in such high quality picture and sound. I'd forgotten just how spectacular it is, with a cast of thousands meaning exactly that with stunning Egyptian location footage. It always annoyed me that Warner Bros originally packaged the DVD amongst others with the description "Cult Camp Classics" but at last they have now done the film justice, with at the same time a general appraisal of the virtues of this film and others of its type. I noticed that James Hayter has been dubbed - not sure if I spotted that before but possibly his own accent was considered too English. There are a few instances where the picture quality is degraded. In particular, a long panning shot showing the early construction of the pyramid from about 29:30 which looks more like SD. No idea what went wrong there. Next up - Helen of Troy

 

[Alan Tully]

I know there were some shots where they didn't have the original negative anymore & had to rely on dupes. Whatever, it's Warner Archive, so I'm sure that we have the best possible version. I'm sure that on the DVD it's James Hayter (there's no mistaking that voice) maybe we have the US dub (a shame, but I'm looking forward to really good sound with that great Tiomkin music score). I haven't watched it yet, it's on my Autumn to watch pile (awaiting Helen Of Troy).