Why set the movie in the 1920s? It was made in 99, why not set it in 99?

It's not a ridiculous question. If it was set in 1999, they would've had it been a bit different with plot lines. So "have you seen the movie" is a bit unfair to say.

I personally love that it's set in the 30's. It's makes it have a more fun vibe and the clothes are wonderful. How can you not love that part of the movie?

1. First, King Tut's tomb was discovered in the 20s (& so the supposed myth of the curse was set on that date),

2. also the 20s although part of the modern world as opposed to the long skirted previous century of the 1900 has an enigmatic quality setting to it,

3. third the whole treasure hunters and Arabian romanticism really was at its height in the 20s (even Lawrence of Arabia is in that time period),

4. 4th this was meant as a throwback to the genre like Indiana Jones which was set in the 40s & 50s, so the setting and time period was a necessity to evoke the feeling of such adventure films,

5. and last, the highly controversial and best selling book The Sheik came out in 1919, was made into a popular box office hit in 1921 with Rudolph Valentino & its sequel came out in 1926 - so 1920s it is.

The twenties is when the big mummy excavation efforts took place. In the present the 'cowboys' would never be allowed to take the jars as souvenirs. The Egyptian government would have confiscated them.

Another reason I could see is the motivation. Back in the 20's everyone was looking for Egyptian tombs to get artifacts for money. By the 90's it was illegal to export artifacts.

Because it was an age when Egyptology was a big deal, because it was a colonial era when white people could do what they liked in Egypt, because it was a low-tech era when you had to find lost cities by racing across the desert with camels instead of studying satellite photos, etc.


It was an era in which fantastical adventures were more possible.

Raiders of the Lost Ark was made in 1981, so why wasn't it set in 1981?
/sarcasm