| | |  | GIFT SETS | Home » » Large Format - Investigations Collection (First Emperor of China, Mysteries of Egypt & Mysteries of Maya) | | | | | | | Description: | | Spectacular cinematography used in an innovative framework featuring noted actor and native Egyptian Omar Sharif provide a highly entertaining glimpse of ancient Egypt in this documentary from National Geographic. Sharif, playing a grandfather who is explaining the archeological wonders to his inquisitive granddaughter, does a fine job of explaining such puzzles as how the pyramids would have been built and what knowledge their builders must have possessed. The interludes between grandfather and granddaughter are handled well, but the star of the production is Egypt itself. Gorgeously composed shots linger over the pyramids, the Sphinx, and a plethora of temples, and a camera flown over the Nile provides stunning footage of the great river's meanderings. Reenactments of events, such as the building of the pyramids, the burial of King Tut, and the 1922 opening of his tomb, are presented intelligently. This production is sure to spark curiosity about ancient Egypt, and even without the careful handling of the history it would probably be worth watching just for the wondrous cinematography. A bonus at the end of the tape is a making-of documentary detailing how the film was shot on location. --Robert J. McNamara | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Omar Sharif, Kate Maberly, Timothy Davies, Julian Curry | | Director:
| Bruce Neibaur | | Format:
| Box set, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 3 | | Studio:
| Sling Shot | | Run Time:
| 38 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| September 27, 2000 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 25 reviews |
| | | | Used and New: | | | |
| All | |
| $999.98 | Used
- VeryGood | |
| Used | |
| $999.98 | Used
- VeryGood | |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 25 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Stories of King TutOct 26, 2000
By Wilson Chan
I bought and watched this before going on a trip to Egypt. Very good quality imax movie and good overview of the stories of King Tut. But if you want a lot of details you have to dig some where else. A good introductory movie for people interested in Ancient Egypt. A little bit short though.
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 Outstanding Intro to Ancient EgyptOct 21, 2004
By M. Higgins
This is the best educational introduction to Ancient Egypt I've ever seen and used with middle school aged kids. The story is introduced and narrated by Omar Shariff to his fictional American granddaughter (a famous actress I'm not familiar with), who wants to know about "The Mummy's Curse". The writing/narration was outstanding throughout--I'd call it almost poetic in many spots. The photography, being IMAX, was, of course, eye-popping. In fact, I had to force myself to concentrate on the narration so absorbed did I become with the beautiful images.
This movie is set around the famous discovery of Tutankamen's tomb by Howard Carter in the 1920s and, again, is beautifully done. The Carter scenes are in black-in-white and evoke a wonderful 1920s feel. They also serve to heighten appreciation for the incredible beauty of Egypt when the film cuts back to full color. Worked into the story line are the obligatory shots of the pyramids and even some computer enhanced scenes to briefly show their construction. Add to all that an exquisite soundtrack. The negative reviews are surprising to me. I 'd love to know of the documentaries those reviewers have seen about Ancient Egypt that they feel are better. I sure haven't seen them. If they exist I'll be first in line to buy them.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
It's Very Educational, Enlightening and Informing!Dec 09, 1999
I saw this documentary at the IMAX theatre at the Museum of Natural Science in Houston, TX. It was very educational and I was greatly informed about Egyptian culture. I believe every African-American should see this documentary because it clearly illustrates that the Egyptians were highly intelligent. Men today are still trying to figure out how they built those pyramids. It keep my attention the entire time I was watching it. I have referred many family members and friends to see this documentary. I am now about to order 4 copies of it to give as Christmas presents. I highly recommend it.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Makes me want to try out the other IMAX DVDs !Dec 14, 1999
This is the first time I have ever watched an IMAX film on DVD and I was very, very impressed especially with the cinematography and the soundtrack. Omar Sharif was priceless as the movie's narrator, a role which I felt fit him perfectly.Apart from the legendary Curse of King Tut (Sharif incidentally dispels this towards the end, and his last words regarding this formed a most befitting "epilogue" of sorts to the disc), the significance of the Nile River to Egyption civilization was discussed along with certain theories on how the pyramids were built. I don't believe that the intention of this disc is to provide a more "adult" dissertation on Egyptian history (it's only 40 mins. long, which is actually why I gave it only 4 stars!) but rather to stimulate one's (particularly chilren's perhaps) imagination and to spark some interest in the theme. This for me is what primarily makes it a great and enduring addition to anyone's DVD library. Also in this disc are trailers for other IMAX films on Hawaii and Whales, among others.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Excellent children's documentary.May 02, 2005
By Debbie Byrd
This is a favorite DVD in our house. It has stunning camera work, wonderful information and an excellent narrative. It portrays the glory of Ancient Egypt and the pride modern Egyptians still feel towards their heritage.
Like all Imax documentaries it's only 40 minutes long and written at a fourth grade level. If you have a problem with those preconditions, don't watch Imax. We're homeschoolers and we love it. My children pay close attention, break out the Legos and start building pyramids of their own.
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