| Valley of the Kings | |
|---|---|
Original French film poster |
|
| Directed by | Robert Pirosh |
| Written by | Robert Pirosh Karl Tunberg C. W. Ceram (book) |
| Starring | Robert Taylor Eleanor Parker |
| Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
| Cinematography | Robert Surtees |
| Editing by | Harold F. Kress |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | 21 July 1954 |
| Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
Valley of the Kings is a 1954 Eastmancolor adventure film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was written and directed by Robert Pirosh from a screenplay by Robert Pirosh and Karl Tunberg, "suggested by historical data" in the book Gods, Graves, and Scholars by C. W. Ceram. The music was by Miklós Rózsa and the cinematography by Robert Surtees.
The title of the film refers to the valley on the west bank of the Nile River in Egypt, where the tombs of the Ancient Egyptian kings are located.
MGM bought the rights to the archaeology text Gods, Graves and Scholars for "protection purposes," as it contained a chapter titled "Robbers in the Valley of the Kings" which might have been seen as having influenced the film's script.
The film was shot on location in Cairo, Luxor, Faiyûm, Suez, the Libyan desert and at the Pyramids of Giza Egypt. Additional filming took place in El Segundo, CA.
The role of Mark Brandon, played in the film by Robert Taylor was originally given to Vittorio Gassman.
The film's world premiere took place simultaneously on 21 July 1954 in Cairo and Alexandria (as well as New York City) and marked the first time an American film had a world premiere in Egypt.
The film shows the antic place of Abou Simbel temples as they were since 3000 years, just before Aswan High Dam needs its move higher on the new bank.