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.

This movie had everything in it to become the Indiana Jones of the '50's but yet it isn't.The movie its story had potential. The story of the search for holy artifacts supporting that the stories of the bible are true and the biblical Joseph really existed and lived in Egypt, sound fascinating and surely good enough to make a fun adventurous movie around. Yet the movie never becomes are really great and perfectly fun adventurous movie to watch. The story is not imaginative enough and basically there is very little interesting or spectacular happening on the screen. The movie could had really used some more action and better villainous characters, to make the movie more exciting, tense and entertaining to watch.There really isn't much happening in this movie, which seems odd, considering the genre of the movie and its story. The movie makes a redundant and pointless impression because of that. Even though the story sounds like it- this just isn't a fun or adventurous must-see.The movie is a bit clumsy looking at times. Though its production values are good and the actors do their best, the movie just isn't good enough to watch at times. The movie was obviously shot with only one camera, with as a result some silly and ineffective camera positions at times. It especially makes the more fast paced and action sequences look ridicules and ineffective.The movie uses some beautiful locations and is obviously shot really in Egypt itself, for most part. It uplifts the movie and gives it a certain extra sense of feeling of traveling, adventure and mystery. Too bad that the movie doesn't know how to fully exploit and use this feeling and atmosphere. It once again shows why Robert Pirosh wasn't the greatest director around.Considering its potential, it's a disappointing movie that in its core still brings some good entertainment. So not a completely unwatchable movie, even though it probably has more weak than strong points in it.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Stars Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker, Carlos Thompson And Kurt Kasnar.Released in 1954, this is a highly enjoyable adventure film and a document in time. The fifties saw the rise of television programs and people were staying home in the evenings to watch TV shows like I Love Lucy and Syd Ceasar's late night comedy show. Technicolor films, like this one, with attractive actors, exotic locales and exciting themes, were made to lure people into the movie theaters once again. Robert Taylor was a big star and his taking part in this film is an obvious attempt to draw his fans. Here he portrays the macho archaeologist Mark Brandon, and let's remember this is decades before Harrison Ford took up a whip and sought the Lost Ark in the Indiana Jones movies in the 80's. He is witty, intellectual and relies on both his smarts and his fists. He does a wonderful job and his fans must have been delighted to see him in an action/adventure film. His co-star and romantic interest is Eleanor Parker. If you don't know who she is, she played the cynical, wealthy Baroness Schreider in 1964's The Sound of Music, in which she was Julie Andrew's rival. Eleanor Parker is a willful, beautiful woman named Anne Barclay Mercedes whose dying father's wish was to find archaeological evidence of the Biblical Joseph's life in ancient Egypt. Carlos Thompson plays Anne's husband Phillip. Along with Brandon they journey into Cairo, risk their lives, go on a carriage chase through the marketplace, weather a sand storm, fight enemies and discover ancient tombs and treasures. The Arabic actor Kurt Kaznar plays the villain. Too bad at this time Americans still looked at Middle Eastern people as villainous. Kaznar's character fits the stereotype down to the last detail. But its' fun to watch Hamed Backour plot and lose against Robert Taylor. The cinematography is gorgeous. In black and white, this film would not have had the same impact, for we are treated handsomely to a visual feast of colorful silks, turbans, Egyptian treasures, the Statues at Abu-Simbel, deserts, caravans and all kinds of exotica. The music is melodramatic and pulsing with excitement. For fans of these types of adventure films. Collect it along with the Indiana Jones and The Mummy films.

I really enjoyed looking at both actors. Robert Taylor with his piercing blue eyes and handsome profile. It was a real pleasure just to look at him. And Eleanor Parker is Eleanor - always beautiful, calm and elegant as ever.The chemistry between Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker was very good. I felt the characters themselves were well-portrayed.The only let-down was the plot and the Director.It started so well but you find that some situations did not make sense and you felt the direction of the film was everywhere and going nowhere. It didn't flow jumping from one place to another then started to lag half-way through the movie.The budding romance between Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker didn't make sense either. I mean if you were Eleanor's husband would you leave her constantly with Robert Taylor shouldn't the husband be more attentive. He was practically throwing them together and didn't seem too unhappy when her affections had changed direction. Such one dimensional character is almost too painful to watch.It was then pretty obvious from the beginning who the villain would be but watching Philip Mercedes against Robert Taylor, well it was just too obvious.It was such a shame considering this film had so much potential and who knows, with a better Director and stronger plot this could have turn into a box-office hit.