The Curse of King Tut's Tomb (1980 film)

The Curse of King Tut's Tomb
Genre	Horror
Based on	Behind the Mask of Tutankhamen by Barry Wynne
Written by	Herb Meadow[2]
Directed by	Philip Leacock[2]
Starring	Eva Marie Saint Harry Andrews
Music by	Gil Mellé
Country of origin	United Kingdom United States[1]
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Stoddard W. Kerby Hunt Stromberg Jr.
Producer	Peter Graham Scott[2]
Production locations	Egypt England
Cinematography	Bob Edwards
Editor	Adrian Brenard
Running time	98 minutes[2]
Production companies	Columbia Pictures Television[2] Stromberg-Kerby Productions
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	8 May (1980-05-08) – 9 May 1980 (1980-05-09)
Release	31 August 1980 (1980-08-31) (UK)

The Curse of King Tut's Tomb is a 1980 horror film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Eva Marie Saint, Harry Andrews, Raymond Burr and Tom Baker, with Paul Scofield as the narrator.

Plot

The English archaeologist Howard Carter and his financier, Lord Carnarvon discover the tomb of Tut-Ench-Amun after years of search. Unscrupulous art collector Sebastian is after the legendary sarcophagus from within the tomb. Rumors abound of a curse that befalls anyone who disturbs the grave. The Curse of the Pharaoh seems to be effective, for there ensues a series of mysterious deaths.

Cast

• Eva Marie Saint as Sarah Morrissey
• Robin Ellis as Howard Carter
• Raymond Burr as Jonash Sabastian
• Harry Andrews as Lord Carnarvon
• Wendy Hiller as Princess Vilma
• Angharad Rees as Lady Evelyn Herbert
• Tom Baker as Hasan
• Barbara Murray as Giovanna Antoniella
• Faith Brook as Lady Almina Carnarvon
• Patricia Routledge as "Posh" Lady
• John Palmer as Fishbait
• Darien Angadi as Ahmed Nahas
• Rupert Frazer as Collins
• Rex Holdsworth as Doctor
• Stefan Kalipha as Daoud
• Andy Pantelidou as Lieutenant
• Alfred Hoffman as Stallholder
• Paul Scofield as Narrator (voice)

Production

The film was made-for-television by Columbia Pictures Television,^[2] with the story based on the book Behind the Mask of Tutankhamen by Barry Wynne.^[3] It is a fictionalised account of Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon's excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb,^[4] with the real events embellished with various myths and legends. It was shot in Egypt and England.^[1]

The English actor Ian McShane was originally cast as Carter, but had to be replaced when he was involved in a car accident prior to filming and broke his leg.^[4]

Soundtrack

The score was composed by American jazz musician Gil Mellé.

Release

It was released in two parts and aired on 8 and 9 May 1980.^[4]

DVD release

A Region 2 DVD was released in 2011 by Network.

References

1. "Pharaonen- und Mumienfilme" (PDF). G/Geschichte (in German). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
   Note: source gives film's date 1976 not 1980.
2. The Curse of King Tut's Tomb. Worldcat.org. OCLC 30373019. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
3. Wynne, Barry (1972). Behind the mask of Tutankhamen. Souvenir Press. ISBN 0285620258. OCLC 906076909.
4. This Month in Horror: May 1980

External links

• The Curse of King Tut's Tomb at IMDb