"And I Nellifer will rule in Egypt"

How does one culminate a unit on Egypt?  By showing this classic film with sfx created B.C. (Before Computers)  And the reaction?  The film got an ovation and loved the ending, which showed how bad things lead to dire consequences.  This film is pure epic spectacle.  I am sure the WBs spared no expense.  Filmed on location with literally a cast of thousands.  Those sets!  Those costumes!  That score!  That Joan Collins!  Truly a product of the 50s when films about ancient times proved to be a goldmine.  A great fictional account on the building of the Great Pyramid.  Those scenes alone helped my students understand the vast undertaking for such a colossal structure.  Funny to watch the kids's reaction to Joan Collins's costumes.  The admonishment I hear, "we've seen worse on tv!"  But, slinky, sexy costumes were the rage for such films and let costume designers have field day with garish designs.  Dimitri Tiomkin's music is a wonderful aural attraction.  From the opening theme sung in the ancient Egyptian to the choral pieces surrounding Pharaoh and his warriors.  Funny to hear "eggroll, eggroll" from some of the kids.  Only to be told that that's what the chant "pharaoh, pharaoh" sounded like to them.  The best "review" line: "She makes Cruella de Vil look like Mary Poppins."  The class enjoyed Queen Nellifer's demise.  Now, the kids ask if I have any more movies from when I was a kid.  There is hope!  To watch a group of kids react to this 50s film is priceless.  Hopefully this will encourage kids who've seen it all to look at some of the great epics from a Hollywood long gone.  Enjoy Land of the Pharaohs and don't look for hidden messages...just enjoy it as wonderful entertainment!!