‘Land Of The Pharaohs’ Blu-Ray Review – Howard Hawks Crafts A Visually Striking Historical Epic

Director Howard Hawks, who worked brilliantly in virtually every genre, shows his mastery of the large-scale epic with this gigantic production filmed on location in Egypt. Thousands of extras (9,787 in one scene alone!), magnificently detailed sets (including the pyramid’s inner labyrinth, booby-trapped so no one can learn its secrets and live) and vast desert vistas fill the screen and astonish the eye. There are also human-scaled stories. Of the Pharaoh (Jack Hawkins) who orders the pyramid as his tomb, dooming untold numbers to unending toil. Of the architect (James Robertson Justice) designing it to earn his people’s freedom. Of the slaves constructing it of blood and sinew. And a beautiful queen (Joan Collins) whose greed leads to murder- and a stunning revenge!

For thoughts on Land of the Pharaohs, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/oIMXO-PMrZQ?t=1177]

Video Quality

Warner Archive presents Land of the Pharaohs with a truly miraculous 1080p master transfer sourced from a brand new 4K restoration of the Original Camera Negative. These period epics were intended to be huge, lavish visual spectacles, and Warner Archive treats this one as such with a newly revitalized picture that makes it look better than the day it was first completed. The level of detail and clarity is eye-popping with the perfect amount of natural film grain intact. 

The film appears to be completely free of dirt and damage, which allows it to have a timeless feel when not observing the technical feats of the time. The film features sumptuous, warm colors within the costumes and production design that radiate off the screen with power. Black levels are very deep with a nice stability throughout. Highlights are never an issue with no moment veering into blooming. There are no pesky digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding or any other such nuisances. This presentation is what we would consider a perfect effort from Warner Archive.  

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray release comes with a rich DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that holds up almost as favorably as the video side of the equation. The dialogue never falters at any point as it comes through crisp and clear in perfect harmony with the sound effects and the music. The score from Dimitri Tiomkin showcases great strength as it radiates throughout the room with no dissonance in the upper registers or other harsh inflections. There does not appear to be any signs of damage or age related wear and tear. 

While mostly dialogue-driven, there are a couple of dramatic sequences that are a bit more active which add some texture to the low end. The surround sound presentation really brings a sense of scale to the feature. There is a good sense of dimension to the environmental sounds without ever sounding unnatural for the time period. This is a mighty audio presentation that gives the material the care it deserves. There are optional English SDH subtitles available on the disc for those who need it. 

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich provides a commentary track with an archival interview with director Howard Hawks inserted into the track. Although not without its moments of silence, this is an immensely informative and entertaining track which provides context to the career of Hawks, anecdotes from the production, tidbits about the film, criticisms of the feature and so much more that helps put this feature into context.  

• Trailer: The nearly four-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

Land of the Pharaohs is a visually impressive epic which wows when it comes to scale and its ambition, but does not particularly excite when it comes to actual plot. The movie has a pulse when it comes to the scheming and plays for power, but there are many stretches which idle with unfulfilling character moments that do not deliver anything unique. The main thing keeping this one mostly successful beyond the spectacle is the performances, which elevate some of the more pedestrian story beats. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a top tier A/V presentation and a great supplemental commentary. If you are a fan of Howard Hawks or period epics, you will find this worth adding to your collection, but newcomers to the genre may find this slightly dull. 

Land of the Pharaohs can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.