MovieChat Forums > The Egyptian (1954) Discussion > Edmund Purdom excellent; film scared me ...

Edmund Purdom excellent; film scared me as kid

posted 18 years ago by bgh48
7 replies | jump to latest

The soft spoken Purdom, with his fine, sensitive line readings, is quite underrated here. Also, when I was young, I remember thinking this film was almmost like a horror movie, what with the creepy music ("how beautiful thou art..."), creepy Bela Darvi (she's also weird in that heavy veil later on when she's sick); Purdom working in the House of the Dead, stirring cauldrons, the whole spooky Egyptian atmosphere. Did anyone else have the same reaction to this when they first saw it years ago?

[–] sfulk 17 years ago

This was the first movie I watched on a color television, back in the early sixties. My next door neighbors had a color tv, and I was staying with them for some reason. We watched this movie, and I can still remember being galvanized by the attempted drowning sequence.

[–] mogfox 17 years ago

No I was not scared - I was doped in sound! Having the luck of watching it with the new 4-dimensional stereophonic sound. Being just 13 years old, I was totally delivered to the new ideas of sex, religion and the use of music - and it lasted ever since (1957). Still wonder if not the sun god Aton could be just as good to worship as any other god now a days?
Mogfox

[–] Molly-31 17 years ago

That was just about my reaction -- like a psychedelic trip -- and I saw it on an old black-and-white at 10:30 on a school night OMG! unheard of, on local television in 1966. Given my mom's penchant for the occult I was used to things like Aten, besides being very excited about ancient Egypt in general. I already owned an ankh and wore it to school even, although I knew it wasn't the right sign for Aten (the sun symbol Akhenaten worships in the desert is). When Edmund Purdom (with that beautiful voice) talked about how he kept asking WHY all his life, it showed me how long the search for the ultimate has been going on. So when they came out singing "How beautiful art thou" I just wanted to grab a sistrum and join in. I've seen it many times in color on WGN, and now own a VHS. Very impressive, 'These things happened thirteen centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ!'

[–] wausau101 15 years ago

i loved the music so much that in the late 60's i bought the LP, which i still have with a gorgeous colorful cover.

[–] Molly-31 15 years ago

I want that album too. I'm going to see if I can find it.

I'm all right, I'm alllll right!

[–] lousvr 10 years ago

Yea, saw this in 1954 when I was 9yrs old in a theater. Never forgot it.. been waiting and waiting..
Found it by chance on youtube !!!!! great...

[–] Maya55555 9 years ago

Edmund Purdom was excellent!

"A stitch in time, saves your embarrassment." (RIP Ms. Penny LoBello)