few people realize it and but there be world literature in the ancient world before the greek come on the scene . besides the literary remains that be in the old testament of the jew and there be considerable work from mesopotamia and egypt . the summit of the former be the religious poetry and the epic of gilgamesh . the egyptian produce many poem and but there main addition be a tale of adventure of a traveler and physician call the story of sinuhe . it be from this work ( actually a fragment and that we do not know the end of ) that the novel the egyptian come from . the story be unique ( a be the movie ) . the egyptian be a best seller in the early 1950s and and darryl zanuck decide to take a chance make it represent yes he want a showcase for his girlfriend bella darvi a nefer and as well a the rest of the cast ( victor mature and edmund purdom and peter ustinov and michael wilding and and gene tierney ) and but he be aware that these film rarely make large box office . one can chalk up this a an example of zanuck try something different . the number of movie that deal with ancient egypt be very small . land of the pharoahs and the egyptian and the ten commandment ( both de mille version ) and moses and holy moses . and cleopatra and the mummy ( all version ) and the scorpion king . if there be 20 film about ancient egypt it be tremendous . but the egyptian be unique . while the second ten commandment discuss ramses the great ( pharoah ramses ii yul brynner ) and his father seti i ( cedric hardwicke ) and and the film on cleopatra deal with her and few other name of ancient egypt crop up in film . egypt great pharoah be thutmose iii and who conquer most of the know middle east of the era of 1470 b. c. e. or so . no film about him have appear and nor of his usurping predecessor and history first great female ruler hatschepsut . but the only known pharoah who attempt a religious revolution that approach what the jew ( and later the christian ) attempt a type of monotheism be the subject of the egyptian . this be pharoah akhnaton . in reality akhnaton be practice a personal form of monotheism that be not mean for public consumption . but it anger the priestly class who worship amon and rather than aton . due to our uncertain historic record ( although akhnaton official record the tel el amana letter be quite complete as far a they survive ) and we do not know if the pharoah be kill in a palace coup or not . however he die and he be succeed by a young brother or son of his whose name be well recall than any other pharoah except ramses represent tutankhamon . this film be actually quite good as far a it go . wilding make a good natured akhnaton and who be too weak to be as effective a a religious reformer be suppose to be . mature be good a the ambitious ( and outside the film ultimately successful future pharoah ) horemheb . tierney and purdom do well in their lead part and ustinov be good a purdom friend . also good be ms darvi and in a large support part . in a wonderful cameo be john carridine and a a philosophical grave robber . the film be certainly worthy of view and a one of the few attempt to show part of the history and culture of ancient egypt .