How a 1954 Hollywood epic accidentally became a proto-Christianity myth-making machine
In short: The 1954 epic The Egyptian, based on Mika Waltari’s novel, used the ankh symbol to frame the Pharaoh Akhnaton’s monotheism as a precursor to Christianity. This reflected a popular 1950s esoteric belief, despite historical evidence that the sun-disk, not the cross-like ankh, was the true iconographic center of Atenism.
Produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by Michael Curtiz, the film adaptation of The Egyptian was a massive 20th Century-Fox undertaking. The production was plagued by casting turmoil, most notably when Marlon Brando quit the lead role of Sinuhe just before filming began in 1954, citing mental strain. Fox sued Brando for $2 million, a dispute eventually settled when the actor agreed to star in the studio's 1954 film, Désirée.
The film’s narrative follows Sinuhe, a physician who rises to court prominence under the rule of Akhnaton, a Pharaoh who attempts to replace Egypt’s traditional gods with the worship of the sun, Aten. While the novel and film depict this as a proto-Christian movement, historians note that the principal symbol of Aten was a solar disk emitting rays, not the ankh. The film’s reliance on the ankh as a central religious icon was an artistic choice that mirrored the era’s fascination with linking ancient monotheism to later religious traditions.
Behind the scenes, the production was characterized by Zanuck’s personal obsessions and cost-cutting measures. He cast his mistress, Bella Darvi, in a leading role, and Philip Dunne, who worked as an unofficial producer, later criticized the casting decisions as detrimental to the script. The film’s sets and costumes were later sold to Cecil B. DeMille, who reused them for his 1956 epic, The Ten Commandments. This recycling created an unintended sense of continuity between the two films, as the events in The Ten Commandments occur seventy years after those in The Egyptian.
Critical reception at the time was mixed. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times argued that the film failed to capture the lusty, violent energy of Waltari’s original novel, instead opting for an overlong, spectacle-driven approach. Despite these critiques, the film remains a notable example of 1950s Hollywood’s attempt to blend historical drama with speculative theology, leaving a legacy that persists in both film history and the ongoing debates regarding the accurate portrayal of ancient Egyptian religion.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Egyptian (film)
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