British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

First Peeps of the Opening of Tut-Ankh Amen’s Tomb [Opening Title over Picture of Pyramids and Palm Trees]

Series

Series Name
Daily Sketch Topical Budget

Issue

Issue No.
600-1
Date Released
22 Feb 1923
Stories in this Issue:
  1. 1First Peeps of the Opening of Tut-Ankh Amen’s Tomb [Opening Title over Picture of Pyramids and Palm Trees]

Story

Story No. within this Issue
1 / 1
Summary
[1ST SUBTITLE]: "No need to re-tell the story of the finding of the Tomb of the Great Pharaoh whose death sleep has been disturbed by Civilization - after 3,000 years. The story is on the lips of all men. No discovery of our time has so moved the whole World. No need to recount the extraordinary difficulties which have attended the taking of Cinematograph pictures of the Tomb. They are also well known. The pictures therefore do not pretend to be other than they are. They are not of the high quality ordinarily associated with TOPICAL BUDGET. But if they are crude - they are vital. So vital that despite their imperfections we believe they will have an irresistible appeal as the first to be shown to the public. Pilgrims to the Tomb are crowding to the Nile." Europeans and Egyptians by a railyard. [2ND SUBTITLE]: "Every river steamboat is packed with Pilgrims". Panning long shot of the steamboat ‘Arabia’ on the Nile. [3RD SUBTITLE]: "From the moment one arrives at Luxor the Valley of the Tomb of the Kings comes into view". Panning shot of the Nile with sailing boats at far side and hills in distance. [4TH SUBTITLE]: "The Temple of Luxor". European woman walking through the ruins at Luxor, camera panning right as she passes, showing designs and hieroglyphics on a wall. [5TH SUBTITLE]: "The Trek across the Desert". Egyptian guides with luggage and a camel. Several camels with Egyptian riders passing by, and two Europeans on foot. [6TH SUBTITLE]: "The Half-Way Rest House". Four Europeans, two men and two women, seated at a table on a veranda, are joined by a third man. [7TH SUBTITLE]: "The Approach to the Tomb. Mr Carter (in soft hat) is seen walking away". LS looking beyond a tent to tomb entrance in hillside, with two figures (Howard Carter presumably figure on the left) in mid-distance walking towards the entrance. MLS tent, with two Egyptians in foreground, panning left to show another? tomb entrance. [8TH SUBTITLE]: "The girl is outside the tomb of Rameses VI on the wall above the tomb of Tut-Ankh Amen". [Section missing] [9TH SUBTITLE]: "The Tomb of Tut-Ankh Amen. The cameraman was compelled to work quickly because of watching eyes". Rapid tilt downwards to MCS of tomb entrance. MCS face-on view of entrance with boards across it, then sharp pan right. View directly down steps of entrance, camera then panning right to show a number of empty wooden pallets for carrying out the artefacts. [10TH SUBTITLE]: "The Tomb gives up its Treasure. Bringing out an ebony chair inlaid with ivory and gold". Two men carrying chair on pallet, accompanied by four-man military escort and a European. Similar shot from other side as they pass by. CS of chair on pallet as it goes past. [11TH SUBTITLE]: "The gem-studded wheels of Tut-Ankh Amen’s Chariot". Reverse view of four men carrying artefacts on pallet, accompanied by two soldiers and a photographer, who turns to look at the camera. [12TH SUBTITLE]: "The Inscription on the Shrine. ‘All the Gods who are in the underworld declare that the King, the Lord of the two lands of Egypt, Lord of the Creations, of the Sun, son of Ra, who loves him, [no verb] TUT-ANKH AMEN’". [Final title includes picture of effigy of a tomb guard].
Keywords
Buildings and structures; Ships and boats; Animals; Military; History and archaeology
Length of story (in feet)
293

This series is held by:

Film Archive

Name
British Film Institute (BFI)
Email
For BFI National Archive enquiries:
nonfictioncurators@bfi.org.uk
For commercial/footage reuse enquiries:
footage.films@bfi.org.uk
Web
http://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web
Phone
020 7255 1444
Fax
020 7580 7503
Address
21 Stephen Street
London W1T 1LN
Notes
The BFI National Archive also preserves the original nitrate film copies of British Movietone News, British Paramount News, Empire News Bulletin, Gaumont British News, Gaumont Graphic, Gaumont Sound News and Universal News (the World War II years are covered by the Imperial War Museum).
Series held
View all series held by British Film Institute (BFI)

Record Stats

This record has been viewed 255 times.