Feature films and TV Drama set in Ancient Egypt
This is a list of films and TV shows set in Ancient Egypt.
Included are those set in Dynastic Egypt (3000BC-300BC) and in Hellenistic and Roman Egypt (300BC-AD600) with some exceptions.
Not included are;
Films based on Biblical or Koranic stories, in particular Exodus and specifically Joseph and Moses films are excluded. Also Cleopatra films, except for a few exceptions where Cleopatra VII is not the primary protagonist, are excluded. The reason for the exclusion of Bible and Cleopatra films is due to the fact that there are so many of them and they essential are retellings of the same story so it would just clutter up and overwhelm the list.
Of the operas and musicals set in Egypt, only filmed theatrical versions are included, not recordings of stage performances.
This list also does not include 'Mummy' films, Archaeology-Adventure films, films where Egypt does not have a prominent role or have just vague Egyptian themes, nor does it include films which feature flashbacks or jaunts (including time travel) to Ancient Egypt. Also not included are documentaries and docu-dramas. Only historical fiction and drama are included.
This list endeavours to be a through survey, however some films which don't fall under the exclusion criteria may have been overlooked. This can be the case with foreign language films and hard to find films. This list will be continually updated so if you notice any missing or inaccurate titles, feel free to leave a note in the comments.
Included are those set in Dynastic Egypt (3000BC-300BC) and in Hellenistic and Roman Egypt (300BC-AD600) with some exceptions.
Not included are;
Films based on Biblical or Koranic stories, in particular Exodus and specifically Joseph and Moses films are excluded. Also Cleopatra films, except for a few exceptions where Cleopatra VII is not the primary protagonist, are excluded. The reason for the exclusion of Bible and Cleopatra films is due to the fact that there are so many of them and they essential are retellings of the same story so it would just clutter up and overwhelm the list.
Of the operas and musicals set in Egypt, only filmed theatrical versions are included, not recordings of stage performances.
This list also does not include 'Mummy' films, Archaeology-Adventure films, films where Egypt does not have a prominent role or have just vague Egyptian themes, nor does it include films which feature flashbacks or jaunts (including time travel) to Ancient Egypt. Also not included are documentaries and docu-dramas. Only historical fiction and drama are included.
This list endeavours to be a through survey, however some films which don't fall under the exclusion criteria may have been overlooked. This can be the case with foreign language films and hard to find films. This list will be continually updated so if you notice any missing or inaccurate titles, feel free to leave a note in the comments.
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- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJean SimmonsVictor MatureGene TierneyIn ancient Egypt, a poor orphan becomes a genial physician and is eventually appointed at the Pharaoh's court where he witnesses palace intrigues and learns dangerous royal secrets.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsJack HawkinsJoan CollinsDewey MartinA captured architect designs an ingenious plan to ensure the impregnability of the tomb of a self-absorbed Pharaoh, obsessed with the security of his next life.
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsRachel WeiszMax MinghellaOscar IsaacA historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hope of pursuing freedom while falling in love with his mistress, the philosophy and mathematics professor Hypatia of Alexandria.
- DirectorJerzy KawalerowiczStarsJerzy ZelnikWieslawa MazurkiewiczBarbara BrylskaYoung Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers.
- DirectorFernando CerchioStarsJeanne CrainVincent PriceEdmund PurdomChronicles the rise and fall of the woman who eventually became known as Queen Nefertiti.
- DirectorCarlo CampogallianiStarsMark ForestChelo AlonsoVira SilentiMaciste travels to Egypt, where he leads a revolt against an evil queen.
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsEmil JanningsHarry LiedtkePaul BiensfeldtThe Ethiopian King offers his daughter to a powerful Pharaoh to secure peace between the two countries.
- DirectorFernando CerchioStarsDebra PagetEttore ManniErno CrisaAfter Cleopatra's death her daughter Shila is brought up in Assyria. When the new pharaoh Nemorat conquers Assyria he takes Shila to Egypt and marries her. He soon dies, and his widow is required to be buried with him - alive.
- DirectorMiguel SapochnikStarsKelsey AsbilleJohn Rhys-DaviesHal OzsanA notorious thief is plucked out of the prison to serve a Pharaoh obsessed with maintaining power.
- DirectorFerdinando BaldiStarsMark DamonScilla GabelArnoldo FoàIn Roman-dominated Egypt, the corrupt administration of a governor named Petronius has sparked a revolt headed by El Kabir, a young man who learns that he's actually the son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. When Petronius' daughter, Livia, newly-arrived from Rome, falls into his hands, El Kabir uses this opportunity to win her over to his side before releasing her to her father. Livia's efforts to promote peace, however, are thwarted, and only the arrival of Octavian Caesar can bring about a resolution to the troubled situation.
- DirectorMichael RedwoodStarsNicole CernatPeter O'TooleJoss AcklandConstantine joins the Roman army to find his missing childhood friend. Once alerted to his friend's whereabouts, he prepares for an all out war between the East and the West.
- DirectorClemente FracassiStarsRenata TebaldiEbe StignaniGino BechiAida, featuring the actress Sophia Loren, is a film adaptation of a theatre performance written by Verdi. The plot revolves around the character Radames who falls in love with what he thinks is a slave in a country his armies has conquered. The young woman is actually the daughter of the leader he ousted.
- DirectorJohn RawlinsStarsMaria MontezJon HallTurhan BeyYoung, lovely Naila becomes queen of the ancient Egyptian kingdom of Khemis after her father is killed in a slave revolt. Continuing her penchant for going incognito among the people, she seeks out rebel leader Herua. But through palace treachery, she herself is captured and enslaved. After various adventures, she finds herself rescued by (and attracted to) the very rebel she was seeking. Will gratitude or revenge win out? Gorgeous scenery and costumes.
- DirectorPhilippe LeclercStarsCoralie VanderlindenDavid ScarpuzzaArnaud LéonardAkhesa, lovely Princess 14, is far from imagining that one day reign over Egypt ... When this adventure begins, the impetuous young girl rebels against her father, Pharaoh Akhenaton. She refuses to live confined within the precincts of the royal palace and wants to discover why her mother, Queen Nefertiti, has been exiled to the island of Elephantine. Akhesa fled with the help of Prince Tut, hoping to find her mother. Regardless of danger, the two teenagers travel the banks of the Nile to the burning desert dunes, and bravely confront the mercenary Zannanza and priests who conspire to overthrow the pharaoh. With innocence their only weapon, and Akhesa Thout overcome many hardships and encounter an extraordinary destiny ...
- DirectorAlex ProyasStarsBrenton ThwaitesNikolaj Coster-WaldauGerard ButlerMortal hero Bek teams with the god Horus in an alliance against Set, the merciless god of darkness, who has usurped Egypt's throne, plunging the once peaceful and prosperous empire into chaos and conflict.
- StarsBen KingsleyAvan JogiaSibylla DeenA largely fictional mini-series based on a legendary teenage Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.
- StarsMichelle NewellGraham CrowdenHelen SparksThe lives of a series of queens belonging to the Ptolemaic Dynasty of ancient Egypt, culminating in its final active ruler Cleopatra VII.
- DirectorPiero PierottiViktor TourjanskyStarsPascale PetitGeorge ArdissonRik BattagliaStory of the power struggle between Egyptian queen Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy, and how a common soldier risks his life to serve her.
- DirectorViktor TourjanskyStarsLinda CristalPierre BriceArmando FrancioliA beautiful girl and a young physician fall in love in the midst of a family, and power struggle between rival princes of Upper and Lower Egypt. When all seems to turn to the better, a dejected woman gets her revenge, and the couple's destruction.
- DirectorChadi Abdel SalamStarsAhmad AnanAhmad HegaziAhmed MareiBased on one of the major literary texts survived from the Middle Kingdom, the classical period of Egyptian literature, The Eloquent Peasant is a combination of a morality/folk tale and a poem. The events are set between 2160 and 2025 BC. When the peasant Khun-anup and his donkey stumble upon the lands of the noble Rensi, the peasant's goods are confiscated and he's unjustly accused of theft. The peasant petitions Rensi who is so taken by the peasant's eloquence that he report his astonishing discovery to the king. The king realises the peasant has been wronged but delays judgement so as to he can hear more of his eloquence. The peasant makes a total of nine petitions until finally, his goods are returned.
