La vallée des rois

Decent and breathtaking film about Egypt , ancient discoveries , mysterious tombs , Pharaons and anything else .As a tough archeologist called Mark Brandon : Robert Taylor , is searching for old tombs and Pharaoh Rahotep when is approached by gorgeous Ann : Eleanor Parker , who asks him for help , as they have to find clues that provide solid evidences of the Bíblical Joseph's travels in ancient Egypt. Later on , they join her hubby Philip , Carlos Thompson , though he does seem a little upset when Mark and Ann began making goo-goo eyes at each other. All of them embark on a risked travel plenty of thrills , treason , attacks , double-crosses , and killings . As Ann would like to prove that some Bible stories are, in fact, true while her husband is supposed to be helping Mark but is only out for himself.

The first Hollywood movie ever filmed on location in Egypt, as the natural backdrop is riveting and look mighty hot and to add refreshing touches of action to those parched desert sands . It turns out to be a workmanlike and sometimes thrilling flick that just lacks the surges of real excitement that might have turned into an adventure classy. An amazing , timely and thrilling story very well set in Egypt . On the whole this Valley of the Kings results to be a pretty good movie. It contains a twisted intrigue about an adventurer archeologist and a married woman to find the tomb of a Pharaoh , both of them undertake a dangerous journey through pyramids , deserts , the busy Cairo , and underground vaults plenty of tombs. Some scenes where two-fisted adventurer Robert Taylor shows up may well have influenced Spielberg when he came to shot similar pieces for Raiders of the Lost Ark. Two top-boxoffice players , Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker, the latter proves to be a cool beauty. They are finely accompanied by a nice plethora of secondary actors such as Carlos Thompson , Kurt Kasznar , Victor Jory as a Bedouin Tuareg , Frank de Kova , Laurette Luez and Leon Askin

Rousing and impressive musical score by the classic composer Miklos Rozsa who realizes an attractive soundtrack in his usual style . It contains a colorful and evocative ciematography in Eastmancolor by Robert L Surtees, along with marvelous production design by Cedric Gibbons , MGM usual . Shot in Egypt and showing real monuments and pyramids .Including sightseeing from Abu Simbel, its wonderful exteriors and interior , formerly having been buried under lake Nasser for the building of the Aswan dam . This spectacular place was subsequently cut into large blocks , moved and transported uphill at late 60s to save it from being flooded. There , at Abu Simbel , takes place an overwhelming fighting between two protagonists , Robert Taylor and Carlos Thompson, to get their purports . Other locations include Great pyramids Giza , Keops , Kefren , Mizerinos and pyramid of Zoser , Cairo , Luxor , Mount Sinai with Monastery of Saint Catalina , Suez Egypt , Faiyum and Libya. The motion picture was professionally directed by Robert Pirosh , though it has some flaws , failures and gaps . Pirosh was a decent writer as Quaterback , I married a witch , Son of the Islands , Wizard of Oz , Battleground , Winning ticket , and director who shot a few films as Spring reunion , The girl Rush , Washington story. Rating 6/10 . Acceptable and passable . Well worth watching .

I really enjoyed looking at both actors. Robert Taylor with his piercing blue eyes and handsome profile. It was a real pleasure just to look at him. And Eleanor Parker is Eleanor - always beautiful, calm and elegant as ever.

The chemistry between Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker was very good. I felt the characters themselves were well-portrayed.

The only let-down was the plot and the Director.

It started so well but you find that some situations did not make sense and you felt the direction of the film was everywhere and going nowhere. It didn't flow jumping from one place to another then started to lag half-way through the movie.

The budding romance between Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker didn't make sense either. I mean if you were Eleanor's husband would you leave her constantly with Robert Taylor shouldn't the husband be more attentive. He was practically throwing them together and didn't seem too unhappy when her affections had changed direction. Such one dimensional character is almost too painful to watch.

It was then pretty obvious from the beginning who the villain would be but watching Philip Mercedes against Robert Taylor, well it was just too obvious.

It was such a shame considering this film had so much potential and who knows, with a better Director and stronger plot this could have turn into a box-office hit.

This Classic film from 1954 was created by MGM and lots of money was put into its production. The photography in Egypt and the many historic sites are outstanding and this was done mainly because Television had taken hold of many families and they were staying home and watching their TV Screens in 1954 instead of going to the movies. Robert Taylor, (Mark Brandon) was an archaeologist in Egypt and was a rough and tough man who loved adventure. Eleanor Parker,(Ann Barclay Mercedes) meets up with Mark in order to hire him to explore some ruins which will confirm that the Bible story about Joseph were true. There is plenty of romance and dangerous sand storms and plenty of riding on camels backs through out the desert and secret tombs and secret doors.

Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker make a handsome couple in this story about an archaeologist agreeing to search for holy relics in an Egyptian tomb, lured by the beautiful Parker. She's married to Carlos Thompson who goes along on the desert adventure and it's easy to guess what the outcome will be as the plot develops.

The story ingredients are promising, but the picture takes a long time to get to its most suspenseful moments, including a climactic fistfight between Taylor and Thompson at the top of ancient ruins that is artfully staged for maximum effect. Too bad more time wasn't spent developing the slow-paced script which hardly matches the effectiveness of the location photography in Egypt and the striking score by Miklos Rozsa.

Fans of Taylor and Parker will enjoy seeing them together, both at their physical peak and demonstrating some good chemistry as romantic leads. He's ruggedly convincing as the Alpha-male archaeologist but the story isn't up to the level of a similar yarn Metro did previously, "King Solomon's Mines." Summing up: A weak script is the real problem.

In 1900 Egypt, an American archaeologist (Taylor) has a race with a rival exploitive British adventurer-explorer (Thompson) to find the fabulous [fictional] lost tomb of King Rahotep, a Pharaoh who may have known the Israelite Joseph, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Matters are complicated by unscrupulous Egyptian Arab black market antiquities dealers (in fine performances by character actors Victor Jory, Kurt Kasznar, Leon Askin) and the romance of a beautiful British Egyptologist (Parker) who arrives on the scene. The plot and story are contrived and melodramatic, but the production values, locations, acting, dialog, music score by the master Miklos Rozsa, and visual effects are superb. In other words, it makes up in style what it loses in content. Filmed partly on location in Egypt, in Cairo, the Giza Pyramids, Sakkara, Karnak and Luxor (the Great Temple of Amenhotep III), and the Valley of the Kings. Of particular interest is a fight scene staged atop one of the four colossi of King Ramoses II the Great at the Temple of Abu Simbel: part of it was filmed on location; part of it was replicated in the MGM studio soundstages with clever matte photography and grandiose sets. Climactic scene is the discovery of the splendiferous tomb of King Rahotep – full of art objects replicated from the artifacts found in the actual tomb of King TutankhAmen – in the Valley of the Kings. [Special note: there actually was a Pharaoh named Rahotep, who lived during the 17th Dynasty of ancient Egypt, circa 1750 B.C. and could have known sephardic Israelites like Joseph, who most likely lived circa 1850 B.C.] The Technicolor is beautiful. Highly enjoyable action romance. Great fun for fans, Egyptologists, and film addicts who just want to enjoy a good old fashioned yarn.