Pharaoh

General Information

Original Title
Faraon
Author/Creator
Kawalerowicz, Jerzy, director.
Published
Poland : Zespoły Filmowe Kadr, 1966.
Physical Description
DVD-ROM (145 min.)
Digital ver. identifier
HU_OSA_00002481

Contents/Summary

Summary
One of the most acclaimed Polish historical films. The young Ramses XIII wants to modernize and reform the Egyptian state but faces fierce opposition from the caste of priests. The priests are so powerful that an army has to make a detour just because a priest noticed sacred scarabs fighting in the sand. The detour costs lives and destroys a canal dug by slaves. Disillusioned, Ramses wonders alone in the desert; he meets a beautiful Jewish woman and soon marries her. The priests convince the ruling Pharaoh that Ramses is too young to lead the army. Yet, he gains some influence as the Phoenicians learn that the priests are drafting a peace treaty with Assyria that is disadvantageous to Egypt. The film is based on a novel by Bolesław Prus, written in 1894-5. As Czesław Miłosz wrote, it was a “unique […] study of the mechanisms of state power”, and it was said to be Stalin's favorite book. Kawalerowicz’s adaptation was shot during fierce struggles between the Communist Party and the Catholic Church, and is as aesthetically refined and well crafted as Prust’s novel.

Subjects

Genre
Fiction films

Bibliographic Information

Title Translation
Pharaoh
Note
Duration: 02:25:00

Holdings

Item Type Current Location Call Number Status Shelving Location Public Note
DVD-ROMOSA Film LibraryFL Record 0745Available--
Digital filmOSA Film LibraryFL Record 0745
(HU_OSA_00002481.mp4)
AvailableAccess Copy, MP4 format