Valley of the Kings Movie (1954)

AnnieJones

New member
Has anyone here ever seen or heard of the movie Valley of the Kings?It was on TCM on T.V. a few days ago.I taped it,then later I watched it.Other than some boring parts of the movie,it was pretty good.What I liked about it the most was the story line.They were looking for the pharaoh that was around during the time of Joseph(and the coat of many colors).Joseph is mentioned in The Bible in Genesis Chapters 37-50.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047641/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYbEuz-e5mQ

Story
An archaeologist,Mark Brandon,is in Egypt when he meets a lady named Ann Mercedes.She is the daughter of a deceased archaeologist and she asks for Mark's help looking for someone her father was looking for.The pharaoh during the time of Joseph.Mark Brandon,a former student of her father,agrees to help her on her journey in search of this pharaoh.



Observation:
There were three verses that were mentioned in the movie.
Exodus 19:20 and Exodus 20:1,2
 
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Stoo

Well-known member
AnnieJones said:
Has anyone here ever seen or heard of the movie Valley of the Kings?
Aaaaah, YES! This is one of the great precursors to Indy and, IMO, almost on par with "Secret of the Incas". I had read about it and then, one day in the mid-'90s, found it in video store and loved every minute! Purchased a copy as soon as I could and have been enjoying it ever since. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!:whip:
 

Chicago Jones

New member
Stoo said:
Aaaaah, YES! This is one of the great precursors to Indy and, IMO, almost on par with "Secret of the Incas". I had read about it and then, one day in the mid-'90s, found it in video store and loved every minute! Purchased a copy as soon as I could and have been enjoying it ever since. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!:whip:

Jesus Christ Superstar(y)
 

AnnieJones

New member
Goonie said:
You mean Donny Osmond? ;) Well in that case the Pharaoh during Joseph's time was Elvis. :rolleyes: :cool:
Ha ha very funny,you know as well as I,that what I meant was the Joseph who had the coat of many colors and not the Joseph who was Jesus's earthly father.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Chicago Jones said:
Jesus Christ Superstar
Relevance?:confused:
Attila the Professor said:
Yeah, this was actually the reference he was making.
I got the reference straight away (and even saw the musical in London in '93.:eek:)

It's really too bad that there doesn't seem to be much interest in this film. Maybe if the hero flew around in a metal suit, dressed as a bat or could transform himself into a car and back again, there would be much more appeal.:p

@Annie: Meant to ask you...did the TV station show it in widescreen? I've never seen it wide and would love to. The scenery & locations in this film are gorgeous.
 
It was on Turner Classic movies this week, so I recorded it and I'm currently watching it.

It seems like Young Indy received some influence also...the top of the villains staff is the head of the Jackal from Young Indy! It looks 100% like it. It's best seen when he is meeting the husband and the art dealer in the ruins. Jackal is pretty common, but this looks the same size, same open mouth, and long ears.

I checked TCM.com and it's not listed for sale in their catalog...the soundtrack is listed, but not the DVD. I'd like to see it in wide screen.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Hey, DD!:hat: So glad that you got to see this fabulous flick! Hope you enjoyed it. Another similarity that Young Indy has with it is a cliffside monastery with basket elevator. (Yes, the jackal is a common symbol but now you've inspired me to do a side-by-side comparison).
ddschneider1972 said:
I found it here for $8
Since I'm quite sure it hasn't been released on DVD yet, this is most likely a bootleg. Another member listed "Valley of the Kings" in the Items you'd love to own thread so I'm making him a copy for free but that's a good link you found there, DD. This film deserves a widescreen DVD release.
 
Yes! I noticed the monastery too! I was just glad to stumble upon it. Then I came here a did a search before I mentioned it, I was wanting to to spread the word!
 

Ska

New member
Woah I missed this thread before. This is another movie on my shelf that I've been meaning to dust off and watch again. I'll check mine, but I'm pretty sure it's fullscreen.
 

James Byrne

New member
Finally! .... after 47 years

VALLEY OF THE KINGS came to my local flea pit in 1963 and standing outside the cinema looking at the f-o-h I just knew it was the kind of movie that I would love. I had just seen SECRET OF THE INCAS and I imagined it would be in a similar vein. Unfortunately the movie was certified 'a' (meaning I had to be accompanied by an adult) but my dad couldn't take me the night it was showing. I contented myself with the fact that it would soon show up on the tv - boy was I wrong! It was advertised on TCM a while back and I phoned my son to tape it on his hardrive. I turned up at his house a week later ready to finally view VOTK only to be told that he had had to delete it for some football game!! I came to the conclusion that I was destined NOT to see this movie. I mentioned on a Raven thread a few months back that this one one film I HAD to see and luckily my good friend Stoo saw it and sent me a copy.

Well, I can tell you all it was worth the long wait. The cinematography by Robert Surtees was out-of-this world amazing, the plot - cliched but highly enjoyable, and the acting was very good. I have never really warmed to the acting style of Robert Taylor but to give him his due he was pretty good in this. I wish Heston had played Mark Brandon though, he was Taylor-made (excuse the awful pun) for this role, considering how exceptional THE NAKED JUNGLE was. Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker were lovers off screen, and they worked well together, but the chemistry Heston and Parker had in TNJ was much better. The previous year Taylor and Parker starred together in ABOVE AND BEYOND, in which Taylor played the pilot who dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and in some scenes he looked very Indy-like in his leather jacket and khaki pants.

VALLEY OF THE KINGS has a lot going for it - sandstorms, sword fights, fist fights, treachery and murder on the treasure hunt trail, etc. and the location shots are superb and breath-taking. There are also some great character actors on view, particularly the great Leon Askin as a shady antiquities dealer. Kurt Kaszner and Victor Jory give us our money's worth as well. Even though Jory's face is half covered through the film, his sinister eyes and unmistakable voice ensure a solid performance. I had never heard of Carlos Thompson before this, but he's smooth and slimy as Parker's husband. The music by Miklos Rozsa is suitably stirring as usual, in fact the only movie score he ever bombed was in GREEN FIRE starring Grace Kelly and Stewart Granger. This is a movie that every fan of Indiana Jones should try to get a copy of.

Incidentally, Robert Taylor made a movie in 1968 called THE GLASS SPHINX, which got slaughtered by the critics at the time. "A poor man's VALLEY OF THE KING'S" was the general consensus. The movie was shot in Egypt, the cast comprised Egyptians, Spaniards and other nationalities, and the dialogue scenes involved dozens of accents. In short - a mishmash to be avoided.

Thankyou Stoo for sending me VALLEY OF THE KINGS, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, its a wonderful adventure movie from the 1950's.
 

Stephen Jared

New member
Hey James, glad you finally could see VOTK. What a wonderful gesture on Stoo's part, eh? I just wanted to quickly add my 2 cents to your review. First, I agree that Heston would have been better in this than Taylor. Ever see The Bribe with Taylor and Ava Gardner? I liked Taylor much more in that. It's more noir than adventure but it is set in S. America and has incredible cinematography, great supporting cast of creeps (Vincent Price, Charles Laughton). The Miklos Rosza score for VOTK is amazing. I have to disagree about Green Fire. I love that score. You may have been initially turned off by the singing that opens the film. That was tacked on at the last minute. It was a popular trend for a bit to open films with song. The original Rozsa score was without the singers. The music, without vocals, is fantastic I think. Anyway, mostly I just wanted to say I'm glad you saw the film, and mention how nice that was of Stoo.
 

James Byrne

New member
Happy birthday Stephen. I have to see THE BRIBE now - what a cast - Laughton, Price and Ava Gardner. Another Robert Taylor role that would have suited Heston more was QUO VADIS. I wish Chuck had made a few more South American movies before he hit the big time as Moses. THE NAKED JUNGLE and SECRET OF THE INCAS are both so good that I craved more. His character in RUBY GENTRY had just arrived back from South America when he gets his face scratched by Jennifer Jones.

The GREEN HELL score by Rosza was totally ruined by that hideous singing at the start of the movie. It was enough to make you switch over immediately it was that bad. But the movie itself is top class ... I really love it. Have you ever seen Glenn Ford in PLUNDER OF THE SUN Stephen? Its a noir-adventure that is screaming to be in Technicolor.

Yes, a nice gesture from Stoo wasn't it. Anyway, enjoy your birthday Stephen.
 

Stephen Jared

New member
Thanks for the Birthday wishes, James. Appreciate it. Plunder of the Sun I've seen. Liked it, didn't love it. A fantastic location they made little use of. Cool to see him running around those ruins, but I wish they had integrated the ruins more with the story. I like Glen Ford though. Ruby Gentry is one I've not seen. Should I?
 

James Byrne

New member
Ruby no booby

Around the time you were born Stephen a young country and western singer called Roberta Lee Streeter was causing quite a stir. Deciding she needed a groovier name, she loved RUBY GENTRY so much that she changed her name to Bobbie Gentry and made it big, really big. If you like DUEL IN THE SUN starring Jennifer Jones you will appreciate the many merits of RUBY GENTRY. The classic western Jones made with Peck was labelled "Lust in the Dust" by the critics for obvious reasons. I would like to label RUBY GENTRY as "Romps in the Swamps" its that enjoyable. The ending of this movie is terrific, I won't spoil it for you, but Scorsese borrowed heavily from it when he remade CAPE FEAR with DeNiro.

RUBY GENTRY gets slaughtered by the critics but its one of my favourites, Stephen. I guarantee even if you don't like it you will be entertained. Its that kind of movie.
 
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