Directed by Michael Curtiz (the legendary director of Casablanca), The Egyptian is a sprawling, lavish “sword-and-sandal” epic. It was 20th Century Fox’s prestigious follow-up to The Robe, filmed in the then-revolutionary CinemaScope and featuring a majestic score co-composed by film music titans Bernard Herrmann and Alfred Newman.
The Premise
The story is told through the memoirs of Sinuhe, an exile reflecting on his life in 18th-dynasty Egypt. Found as a baby in a reed basket on the Nile, Sinuhe is raised by a humble physician and eventually follows in his foster father’s footsteps. His life takes a dramatic turn when he and his ambitious friend Horemheb save a stranger in the desert from a lion attack.
The stranger is revealed to be Akhnaton, the new Pharaoh. In gratitude, Akhnaton appoints Sinuhe as his personal physician and Horemheb as an officer in his guard. However, Sinuhe’s rise to the heights of the royal court is complicated by a destructive obsession with a manipulative Babylonian temptress named Nefer, which costs him his wealth and dignity. As he drifts through the ancient world from Egypt to the Hittite Empire, Sinuhe becomes entangled in a dangerous web of political intrigue, religious revolution, and a long-hidden secret regarding his own mysterious origins.
Key Cast and Crew
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Director: Michael Curtiz
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Screenplay: Philip Dunne and Casey Robinson (based on the novel by Mika Waltari)
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Music: Bernard Herrmann and Alfred Newman
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Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
| Actor | Role |
| Edmund Purdom | Sinuhe |
| Victor Mature | Horemheb |
| Jean Simmons | Merit |
| Gene Tierney | Baketamon |
| Michael Wilding | Akhnaton |
| Bella Darvi | Nefer |
| Peter Ustinov | Kaptah |
Production Note
The film’s production was famously turbulent. The lead role was originally written for Marlon Brando, who notoriously walked out during rehearsals, leading to a lawsuit from the studio. This opened the door for Edmund Purdom to step into the role, starring alongside an incredible ensemble of Hollywood’s Golden Age elite.
