dhrice I watched the newly-released DVD version of this film from Amazon, and I was thrilled with the quality. After all, this is a 60+ year-old film, and the color is still outstanding. It isn't a great film; the plot is a run-of-the-mill adventure story, and I always found Robert Taylor to be a wooden actor. But Eleanor Parker's lovely face more than compensates, and the real star of the show is Egypt itself. Long before Egypt fell into political turmoil, this film showcased many of the country's legendary attractions. Filmed on location, the movie incorporates beautiful views of the Sphinx, the pyramids of Gizeh, the legendary Mena House Hotel, St. Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, the temples of Luxor, the Sahara Desert, and the Abu-Simbel temples. If you are a sucker for romantic locales, a good fistfight, and enjoyable escapist fare, then this one is worth your money and your Saturday afternoon.

Neil Doyle 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.

arbarnes Nice colour photography in Egyptian locations helps this rather lame story shine a little more than it would had it been entirely studio bound, and the locations scenes are certainly the most interesting aspects of this melodramatic yarn. Eleanor Parker is admirable, as always, and Robert Taylor merely...Robert Taylor, as always, but none of the characters really grab enough of our attention or hold our interest, and the plot is hardly interesting enough to bother about. A stronger story and script would have made a huge difference and put the film in a much more memorable bracket. But there are some genuinely exciting moments, particularly in the second half of the film, and the film makes great use of the Egyptian locations in ways that I doubt would be allowed today. A perfectly watchable little adventure, but don't expect too much.

TerryAvila I was disappointed when I saw this movie in 1954, probably because I was expecting more "ancient Egypt stuff." What we got was a pretty slow-moving, completely predictable romance. I just watched it again and it hasn't improved. Originally, the location shots were probably interesting; I would still like to see the actual places. However, by now, the sites are very familiar. It's really a '50s potboiler with a big budget. But I was right the first time. Robert Taylor was wooden; Eleanor Parker, pretty; Victor Jory's face was covered but we were treated to his wonderful voice. Taylor was much better in "Camille" when he but a sprig of a lad, but very sincere. Of course, the Egyptians were stereotyped according to the Hollywood vision of the time. Making Parker's husband the villain-fortune hunter was a bit much.