Pharaoh 4K 1966 Ultra HD 2160p

Young Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers.

User Review

Our cultural studies teacher, V. O. Shpakovsky, asked us to watch a movie or read a book, then write a review of it. I chose the movie, of course. Here is my review.

The film covers the life of a young heir to the throne, Ramses XIII, who did not exist in real life. Thanks to this work, we can immerse ourselves in the cruel and far from sweet life of Egypt's ruling circles. One cannot envy the prince, who is about to take the throne. The life of rulers is full of intrigue and conspiracy. The priests, an ancient spiritual caste, have concentrated wealth and power in their clutches, which is in no way inferior to the power of the pharaoh, and in some respects even surpasses it.

To be a good ruler, Ramses needs to enlist the support of the priests, but the young man is proud and impulsive, and he is not satisfied with the clergy's power over the pharaoh. He wants to get rid of their control and pressure.

But not everything is as simple as it might seem. The priests do not want to relinquish their power and try to conduct politics independently of the pharaoh, Ramses' father, who is weak and ill.

The country is threatened with war, wasteful and bloody. On the other hand, Egypt may lose its power if it concludes a peace treaty with the Assyrians, giving them Phoenicia. The priests do not want to allow war, and the young and ambitious, now pharaoh, does not want a humiliating treaty.

On top of everything else, Ramses' life is complicated by his Jewish concubine, which is unheard of for pharaohs. The young man, unaware of all the intrigues of the priests and, on the other hand, the merchants, succumbs to temptation and makes mistakes.

The parties will do anything to force the pharaoh to do what they want. This makes you worry about the main character throughout the film and sympathize with him.

No matter how much power is concentrated in the hands of rulers, after watching the film, you no longer want to become one of them or receive the same honors. There are too many people who want you dead and want what you have.

However, despite the atmosphere of intrigue that has been created, it is unclear how the parties influenced the opinion of the people, forcing them to do what was necessary, because it is very difficult to organize even a small group of people, and here we are talking about a huge number of people. To my great regret, this remained behind the scenes.

Incidentally, the film is based on a three-volume novel by Polish writer Bolesław Prus. The essence and main idea of the books are conveyed very well, and it is no surprise that the film has received many positive reviews.

I also liked the acting; you believe the characters and their words without hesitation.

The priests—especially the antagonist, Ramses's main rival—are portrayed very effectively. Wisdom, quick-wittedness, and cunning are a dangerous but useful combination in the “game of thrones.” The pharaoh's advisor-priest, Pentuer, is very likable.

Overall, unfortunately, the film is drawn out: it completely lacks the dynamism that is found in abundance in most modern films. The tedious intrigues become tiresome, but the unpredictable plot twists save the day.

In general, the film shows the social life and customs of ancient Egypt, the corruption and cruelty of power-hungry people, everything as usual. Where there is enormous power and big money, you either have everything or lose everything.

The film is worth watching for those interested in the history of the rulers of Egypt.

I would like to conclude this review with a quote from a completely different work, but one that is very similar to this one: “He who plays for the throne either perishes or wins. There is no middle ground!”

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (65.0 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Info Audio

#Polish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
#Polish: FLAC 1.0
#Czech: Dolby Digital 2.0

Info Subtitles