"You know, if I were a single man, I might ask that mummy out. That's a good-looking mummy."
Posted on 04/08/2005 4:21:11 PM PDT by nickcarraway
CAIRO (AFP) - A Hollywood flick on an alleged love affair between pharaonic Queen Nefertiti and the Biblical Prophet Moses is soon to begin shooting in Egypt, renowned British producer John Heyman has revealed to AFP.
"Nefertiti married perhaps one of the first monotheists in history and the film will tell their story, which logically enough should be set in Egypt" said Heyman on a brief visit to Cairo.
"One can find in the Old Testament that Moses and Nefertiti had a relationship," he added.
The movie will also deal "with the return to the worship of the sun god," said Heyman.
He was referring to Aten -- the radiant disk of the sun -- whose cult was briefly re-introduced by Pharaoh Akhenaten, the 10th king of the 18th Dynasty also known as the "heretic king" for breaking with traditional religion in the 1350s BC.
The cult of Aten is considered by some experts to be a predecessor of modern monotheism.
Scholars generally agree that Nefertiti, often referred to in history as the "most beautiful woman in the world", was Akhenaten's wife.
But few have argued that Akhenaten and Moses may have been the same man, although there is no consensus on their respective dates of birth and death.
Others contend that Ramses II, the third ruler of the 19th dynasty, was in fact Moses while Jews believe the pharaoh king is responsible for their exodus from Egypt.
And founding father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud ventured his belief in "Moses and Monotheism", published in 1939, that Moses was in fact an Egyptian follower of Aten that brought the monotheistic doctrine out of Egypt as Judaism when he led the Israelites away from slavery to freedom some 3,300 years ago.
Ahmed Osman, on whose 1990 book "Moses and Akhenaten: The Secret History of Egypt at the Time of the Exodus" the script of Heyman's next film is based, admitted that "my argument is controversial and not widespread among many Egyptologists."
"But I have collected evidence proving that Akhenaten and Moses are the same person, which so far nobody has been able to contest," said Egypt-born Osman who has lived in London for the past 20 years where he studied Egypt's ancient history.
"Egypt's history is greatly ignored by the film industry besides 'Cleopatra' and 'The Ten Commandments' and that's it," said Heyman, referring to the two epic Hollywood blockbusters released more than 40 years ago.
The shoot "will not start before 2006 and locations will be between studios and along the Nile in Upper Egypt," he added.
Although he said it was too early to talk about the cast, Heyman said he had met "several Egyptian actors who are very good and charming, warm and kind".
British director Hugh Hudson, the acclaimed director of "Chariots of Fire," will direct the movie.
Heyman, who produced or co-financed major films such as "Chinatown", "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Marathon Man", is also known for creating the Genesis project -- a scholarly endeavor to put all the Hebrew and Christian scriptures on film.
He also produced "Jesus," filmed on location in Israel in Biblical settings and subsequently translated in more than 850 languages.
"This idea suffered a blow in 1987 when Danish scientists studying cores from the Greenland icecap reported evidence that Thera exploded in 1645 B.C., some 150 years before the usual date. That put so much time between the natural disaster and the Minoan decline that the linkage came to be widely doubted, seeming far-fetched at best."
EXACTLY!
That would be in the Reversed Standard Version.
:-)
Chinatown had an great premise for a film noir, but I thought it was done pretty poorly. I am a fan of noir, but I was very disappointed in that film.
"You know, if I were a single man, I might ask that mummy out. That's a good-looking mummy."
Will Moses and Nefertiti ride off into the sunset in their Chariots of Fire?
Nefertari was chief and beloved wife of Ramses II. He lived a long time, and she died long before him. He had of course other wives and consorts, and they spit out babies like vending machines for him.
Nefertiti was chief wife of Akhenaton, but may have had some childbearing problems. She died before him, although there's an anachronistic revisionist need to make her into one of his successors, ruling as a male pharaoh. The "evidence" for this is flimsy at best.
There has also been a drive on to make Moses and the Exodus contemporary with the Amarna period, when Egypt was weak. Some have even claimed that the pharaoh and Moses were one and the same. By that reckoning Moses and the Israelites had to hustle their bustles into Canaan after Egypt lost effective control (the gradual loss is documented in the Amarna letters) but before various other powers gained control. Obviously this leaves very little time for everything to unfold.
But Hollywood saddles on anything where Biblical figures can be lampooned and degraded into adulterous, fornicating wretches.
[Hey, nice soapbox under 'Civ!]
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Yes, it means "of the Nile" or "born of the Nile". Sometimes also rendered as "mosis" or "meses". It's like the term "ben" in Hebrew, e.g. David ben Gurion. For pharaohs the usage and interpretation would be Thutmosis (Thoth born of the Nile), or Ramses (Ra moses, "lose the o" - Ra born of the Nile). Fascinating stuff.
Yeah, and her name was NefritiRi - not Nefrititi. Unless, Heston wasn't wearing his glasses when he read the script....
Yes I know. :-)
uh.... first I've heard of it in ... 33 years of my life since I started Bible learning.
I see your point, except for "Chariots of Fire," which won "Best Picture" at the Oscars.
He also produced "Jesus," filmed on location in Israel in Biblical settings and subsequently translated in more than 850 languages.
How many identifiable languages have been spoken since time began?
The real question here...is who plays Moses and Nefertiti?
I think Madonna ought to play Nefertiti. And as for Moses...I'd like to see Pauly Shore. To be honest...I just want to see Pauly score with Madonna...but this could easily take in $2 or $3 million if they market it right. I can see the advertisment right now...Moses, stud by the Red Sea.
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