Building the Great Pyramid

Rating:
Summary: More please
Review: i don't know who wrote the review giving this show 1 star ... Watching it i was just pleased to see someone trying to visualise Ancient Egypt rather than go through the various (constantly repeated) mysterious , multi-million dollar book selling,... (atlantean) theories. It seemed to be based on the latest conventional archaeology and gave a broad view of how the workers would have lived and the pyramid erected. A visual treat set against a plethora of acedemic documentaries that abound in this field.

Rating:
Summary: Egypt On A Spectacular And Human Scale
Review: Outside of John Rohmer's excellent 4 part series of over a decade ago called "Ancient Lives" it is rare to find a documentary on Ancient Egypt that pays anything but passing attention to the average Egyptian. Pharoahs, priests , gods, mummies and crackpot astrological theories fuel most of these documentaries. "Building the Great Pyramid" tries something different. The epic of building it but on a more human scale a close look at the workers who built it. Not just their work but their daily lives. Using a fictional character named Nakht (voiced by Omar Sharif) we see through his eyes the building of the Great Pyramid on the Giza Plateau and the day to day off hours life of the average Egyptian. It is a lively and often touching portrait as we see the pyramid grow in height and Nakht in age.

Making this possible are the computer graphic imaging (CGI) that is used to show us the construction. All too often CGI has been used as an excuse to fill the screen with mobs of people to the point of ridiculous excess. Here it is used in a very fine fashion to show us something that would be virtually impossible to recreate. Real people are used and then blended in with the CGI to often spectacular and eye filling effect. In the end a view of Ancient Egypt and Egyptians that is quite unique.
This doumentary originally appeared on The Learning Channel but the version here has some additional 10 minutes of footage and additional features to enhance the viewing. Well worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: Egypt On A Spectacular And Human Scale
Review: Outside of John Rohmer's excellent 4 part series of over a decade ago called "Ancient Lives" it is rare to find a documentary on Ancient Egypt that pays anything but passing attention to the average Egyptian. Pharoahs, priests , gods, mummies and crackpot astrological theories fuel most of these documentaries. "Building the Great Pyramid" tries something different. The epic of building it but on a more human scale a close look at the workers who built it. Not just their work but their daily lives. Using a fictional character named Nakht (voiced by Omar Sharif) we see through his eyes the building of the Great Pyramid on the Giza Plateau and the day to day off hours life of the average Egyptian. It is a lively and often touching portrait as we see the pyramid grow in height and Nakht in age.

Making this possible are the computer graphic imaging (CGI) that is used to show us the construction. All too often CGI has been used as an excuse to fill the screen with mobs of people to the point of ridiculous excess. Here it is used in a very fine fashion to show us something that would be virtually impossible to recreate. Real people are used and then blended in with the CGI to often spectacular and eye filling effect. In the end a view of Ancient Egypt and Egyptians that is quite unique.
This doumentary originally appeared on The Learning Channel but the version here has some additional 10 minutes of footage and additional features to enhance the viewing. Well worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: This is a JOKE, right?
Review: People, do your Self a favor and spend your money on something else. The decision to buy a "product" like this one strangely enables the producers and the companies who finance such things TO MAKE MORE OF THEM. Who needs that?

Why support the claims and "findings" of a bunch of people who are simply out to make a buck by selling you their version of "the truth behind the mystery"?

Make no mistake, this production is pure fantasy. It doesn't even have value as ENTERTAINMENT FILLER. The best thing that we can all hope for is that once the intitial batch has been run, that the option to produce more of them will not be excercised at the pressing plant.

Rating:
Summary: This is a JOKE, right?
Review: People, do your Self a favor and spend your money on something else. The decision to buy a "product" like this one strangely enables the producers and the companies who finance such things TO MAKE MORE OF THEM. Who needs that?

Why support the claims and "findings" of a bunch of people who are simply out to make a buck by selling you their version of "the truth behind the mystery"?

Make no mistake, this production is pure fantasy. It doesn't even have value as ENTERTAINMENT FILLER. The best thing that we can all hope for is that once the intitial batch has been run, that the option to produce more of them will not be excercised at the pressing plant.

Rating:
Summary: A very good overview of life in Egypt
Review: There are actually two versions of this film. One was shown on the Discovery Channel with about 5 minutes or so cut from it and with a different narrator and this one. Of the two, this one is a bit better. The DVD says it has a "making of" part and it does but this part is quite lacking. It is like they slapped it together.

Historical points. Overall they were quite good in their presentation but they made a few errors. One of which was saying "Egypt had no need of slaves." This is absolutely historically false. Egypt had slaves like every nation in the area. Their slaves, though, would not have built the pyramids or holy places. They were doing other tasks. Also their portrayal of the copper smithing is off. A book called "Technology in the Ancient World" does a better job of describing metal working/discovery in detail.

Outside of these minor points, the story is engaging. It follows the life of one man from anonymous villager to a foreman over a work gang on the great pyramid. Some of the shots are quite beautiful and the reconstructions are well made. The actors, overall, did a good job. They didn't overdo their roles nor look like stiffs. This is a great DVD for people who are casually interested in ancient Egypt or for classroom activities.