Blu-ray Review: The Egyptian (1954) - Page 3

But it was definitely “lost.” Following its rather disastrous theatrical run in the ‘50s, The Egyptian did a great job of evading the general public; only ever finding its way to home video in the mid-‘90s in a pan-and-scan VHS form. Now, thanks to the folks at Twilight Time, you can see The Egyptian on Blu-ray in its original 2.55:1 Cinemascope form, and in a remarkably-beautiful transfer to boot. Although Fox Home Entertainment was responsible for creating this stunning 1080p/AVC transfer, Twilight Time’s very first Blu-ray is a memorable one, displaying some gorgeously-vibrant colors throughout, next to no print damage, and detail that really grabs your attention (when you’re not looking for cobwebs on the ceiling, that is).

Also commendable here is the disc’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack (itself a fantastic reworking of the original 4-Channel stereo mix), which is a joy in itself, delivering more than you'd really anticipate it would. No subtitles are included with this release.

Though you wouldn’t expect to find them in such a low-key release, Twilight Time’s release of The Egyptian actually sports a few special features. First of all, there’s a lively and informative audio commentary with film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini, who discuss many aspects of the film from its production to its harsh reception. Silver and Ursini also touch on the film’s cast here and there; it’s always funny for a self-professed b-movie fanatic like myself to hear “real” film scholars talk about actors and their careers. Take, for example, when our academics say of John Carradine, who, as they put it, “later on, unfortunately, got associated entirely with horror films.” They also (more than likely intentionally) neglect to mention Edmund Purdom’s post-Hollywood career in Italian exploitation movies — which is how I came to know of the actor growing up, since we weren’t rich enough to afford “A” movies in my household (and, as such, the late actor has a godlike quality to me).

Additional bonus materials include an isolated DTS-HD MA 2.0 music score of the Newman/Hermann collaboration (a nice touch indeed) and a theatrical trailer that is presented in Standard Definition. A couple of other trailers for upcoming Twilight Time releases play when the disc boots up (and are also in SD).

Article Author: Luigi Bastardo

Luigi Bastardo is the disgruntled alter-ego of Adam Becvar, a thirtysomething lad from Northern California who has watched so many weird movies since the tender age of 3 that a conventional life is out of the question. …

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