Fall 2023—Saturday, November 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Pharaoh
Faraon
1966, 145 minutes
Poland
Directed by: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Written by: Tadeusz Konwicki, Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Principal cast: Jerzy Zelnik, Andrzej Girtler, Wiesława Mazurkiewicz, Piotr Pawłowski, Stanisław Milski, Leszek Herdegen, Mieczysław Voit, Barbara Brylska, Krystyna Mikołajewska, Ewa
Krzyżewska, Emir Buczacki, Kazimierz Opaliński
Description
Pharaoh is an epic Polish film adapted from the novel by Bolesław Prus. A young pharaoh takes power in Egypt after the death of his father. He does not realize how strong the influence of the priests is. He will try to implement reforms aimed at strengthening the state, the power of the pharaoh and the army. He will also experience personal tragedies when he loses his beloved Jewish woman and son. The man becomes entangled in a net of intrigues aimed at leading to a war with Assyria and Phoenicia. The priests, who know astronomical phenomena, use the solar eclipse to control the Egyptian people. Ramesses, indebted to the Phoenicians, deceived by his lover, and deluded by the image of his doppelganger, falls into a trap.
The shots were taken in Luxor and Giza (pyramids), Bukhara (the Kara-Kum desert) and Masuria (Kirsajty Lake as the Nile). The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (1967). The production belongs to the world classic of spectacular historical films set in antiquity.