King Tut - The Face of Tutankhamun [DVD]

Christopher Frayling's BBC documentary from the early nineties is one of the better pieces of television history on ancient Egypt (second only, in my opinion, to John Romer's 1984 effort 'Ancient Lives'- when will that one be commercially released?). Frayling's penchant for cultural history works tremedously well here as he surveys both the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb itself and the significance of the discovery in the western cultural developments during the twentieth century. From an in-depth analysis of Howard Carter's work to interviews with various assorted Californian hippies with mummy fixations, this is a fascinating, well-researched and very entertaining look at the whole Tut phenomenon. It is a relief also to report that unlike many an American edition the series has not been hacked around with inexpert and insensitive editing. Highly recommended.

How wonderful to own the series I saw on TV when writing my own book on mummies! Having had the pleasure of meeting Prof. Frayling on a number of occasions , his lucid, knowledgeable style and impeccable delivery are enchanting. The photography is superb and the discs are a joy to own. Bliss to relive my own journey to look into the face of Tutankhamun.

Very well done, so much so that you felt you were there - segment on Belzoni was especially interesting - EXCELLENT! If I could afford it, I'd send a set to each of my sisters since I won't part with mine.

This expansive 2-DVD set covers just about everything you ever wanted to know about King Tut's tomb and then some...* King Tut's life and times* Forensic analysis & theories on King Tut's death* Howard Carter's personal life and struggles* On-set visits to Carter's & Carnarvon's homes* On-set visits to other Valley of the Kings tombs* Step by Step analysis of the discovery & clearing of King Tut's tomb* Eroding Egyptian Antiquities in modern times* Modern-day religious cults and embalming practices* The state of modern-day Egyptian and future of archaeologyChristopher Frayling excellently wrote & narrated this expansive documentary. The only drawback: grandstanding. Frayling's relentless onscreen appearances are just plain awkward at times - tending to distract rather than engage.

I saw this on the A&E channel many many years ago and am thrilled to have a DVD copy. Thanks

This was a great purchase!! The dvd is very well presented.

I have two children who have followed my interest in mummies and have agreed to watch anything mummy- related. I actually ordered this as a BRIBE for them to clean their rooms, and it worked. Anyway, I was disappointed in this particular documentary as I felt like it was not nearly as attention-grabbing as some of the other films we have seen. I did enjoy more of the "storytelling" than just facts that it offers, but I think there is almost too much story, and not enough artifacts. My six year old actually stopped watching about ten minutes in, and he insisted that we go to a museum for his birthday to see the mummies again (clearly obsessed, most six year olds would probably pick a birthday party). My eight year old lasted through one episode before she asked to do a learning game (not unusual for her), so I ended up watching more of it than they did. It isn't bad, just a little dry, and much older than some of the other options out there.

Let there be no misunderstanding about this: the series itself is very much deserving of five stars. I saw it as a kid on German television over 20 years ago and it stuck with me ever since.I still have many vivid memories of an episode detailing "Tut-Mania", which left its marks on contemporary art and architecture. There were bits on the Chrysler Building and Harrods, commercials of mummies trying to get those pesky blood stains out, the story beind the Tutankhamun-exhibition, Ramses-brand condoms ("Ramses fathered over 100 children", says Professor Frayling), a story of Howard Carter getting litigitious over a replica of the Tutankhamun-tomb at the world fair and excerpts from De Mille's "The Ten Commandments" and Lang's "Metropolis". All this made for a colorful and highly entertaining episode. Like I said, it stuck with me in rich detail and that alone should tell you something about the quality of the series.However, said episode is not included on this set. Nowhere can a warning be found on the front or back of the cover. No mention whatsoever of an episode having been removed for whatever reason. To top it all off, one of the episodes' synopses DOES talk about Tutankhamun's influence on then-contemporary pop culture and Tut-mania, whereas the actual episode is about something else entirely.Extra material is decent, if - with the exception of audio recordings of Carter himself - somewhat forgettable. It does in no way excuse the excision of an entire episode. At a price like this, you might feel inclined to think that they would have bothered to bring you the complete series. Avoid!

very good

Even with 1 episode missing from the original series this is by far the best TV serie about King Tut. All parts of his life and death and Egypt/mummies in general is reviewed. I still hope that an update with all the new information (DNA, family etc) will be filmed to complete this series.Although shot in the 1990's it is still a valuable documentary to have.

product arrived in good condition