"Das Weib des Pharao" or "The Loves of Pharaoh" is a German movie from 1922, so this one will soon have its 100th anniversary already, only slightly over five years to go. The director is early German filmmaking legend Ernst Lubitsch and he was around the age of 30 when he made this one, long before his Hollywood success. The writers are Norbert Falk and Lubitsch's longtime collaborator Hanns Kräly (later an Oscar winner even, something Lubitsch himself never achieved). But back to this one here. Given the year, it should not be a surprise to anybody that this 100-minute movie is a black-and-white silent film. And as with some other early films from Germany, it takes us into a world and culture that is fairly different compared to ours, especially compared to the fairly bleak years between World War I and the Nazis' rise to power here in Germany.
Egypt is the center of the action here and like with many other early silent films, it is a mix of drama, costumes and romance as well. Horror is non-existent in here and neither is comedy. The cast includes a handful of fairly successful silent film actors from back then, not just Emil Jannings, but also Harry Liedtke and Paul Wegener for example and if you have an interest in German movies from that time, then you will see more than just one or two familiar faces. I myself have never been that big really on these very old silent films and sadly this one here cannot change my perception. As many other times, I also felt that it lacks intertitles on many occasions, so that the actual story is fairly difficult to follow at times and the plot not too easy to understand. Still, if you like the genre more than I do and maybe even care about films set in ancient Egypt, then this can be a pretty rewarding watch for your and I would not totally say that I don't recommend it to anybody. However, if this description does not fit you, then maybe it is best to stay away or check out comes other silent films from the 1920s first (more known ones like "Metropolis" or other Fritz Lang works) before deciding to give this one a go. I give it a thumbs-down.
Egypt is the center of the action here and like with many other early silent films, it is a mix of drama, costumes and romance as well. Horror is non-existent in here and neither is comedy. The cast includes a handful of fairly successful silent film actors from back then, not just Emil Jannings, but also Harry Liedtke and Paul Wegener for example and if you have an interest in German movies from that time, then you will see more than just one or two familiar faces. I myself have never been that big really on these very old silent films and sadly this one here cannot change my perception. As many other times, I also felt that it lacks intertitles on many occasions, so that the actual story is fairly difficult to follow at times and the plot not too easy to understand. Still, if you like the genre more than I do and maybe even care about films set in ancient Egypt, then this can be a pretty rewarding watch for your and I would not totally say that I don't recommend it to anybody. However, if this description does not fit you, then maybe it is best to stay away or check out comes other silent films from the 1920s first (more known ones like "Metropolis" or other Fritz Lang works) before deciding to give this one a go. I give it a thumbs-down.