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      Sphinx

      PG Released Feb 11, 1981 1h 59m Adventure List
      Reviews 33% 250+ Ratings Audience Score An Egyptologist (Lesley-Anne Down) finds danger and romance on her way to a tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Feb 27 Buy Now

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      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member I loved this movie as an alternative to Raiders Of The Lost Ark. It had a good mystery and a lot of suspense. The set designs were well done and the acting was a+. It also had a good payoff at the end that made sense. Leslie Ann Down was gorgeous to look at and she carried the film very well. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member The thing about adventure movies is that they should capture all genres: Action, horror, comedy, romance, etcetera. This overlooked gem by Franklin J. Schaffner captures all of that, not to mention that its entertainment value is through the roof. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Lesley-Anne Down is an unusually beautiful woman, but her hair is oddly weird in this movie. The script writers seem determined to subject her to most of a Western woman's most disturbing fantasies about Oriental sex and violence. The tourism-dependent Egyptian government must have been horrified to see how this movie portrays their country as being dangerous as hell (back in the relatively safe pre-9/11 era). Gielgud's appearance is all to brief. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member I saw this movie a long time ago on British TV and have often wondered if I had just imagined how good it was. But, seeing it again on cable it has all the magic that I remember and also the gorgeous Lesley-Anne Down. The movie centers around the search for a stolen mummy and leads Down as archealogist Erica Barron into danger as she enters a world of corruption, smuggling and murder. The shots of Egypt are simply breathtaking and the movie serves up a generous portion of suspense from Erica attempting to flee a team of assassins towards the beginning of the movie to attempting to evade capture after escaping from a crypt in the second half of the picture. Adding to the superb calibre of this movie are a number of very recognizable faces. In addition to Frank Langella (who had played the title role in DRACULA just a couple of years previous) to John Rhys-Davies (who would go on to play Sallah in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK) there is also Sir John Gielgud (who was perhaps best known to American audiences at that time as the butler in ARTHUR). The movie actually opens in a prelude to the main story. We are in ancient Egypt and a group of thieves are attempting to break into the tomb of one of the Pharoah's. Captured, they meet terrible fates. Fast forward to the 20th century and we meet Baron, who is writing a paper on the man who captures the thieves in the prelude, the advisor to Pharoah Seti 1 of the 19th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Upon arrival in Egypt she is shown a rare statue of Pharoah Seti 1 by Gielgud's character (Abdu-Hamdi) before he is brutally murdered. Nobody is quite as they seem and the game of trying to sort out true allegiences will keep you guessing to the closing minutes. Highly recommended. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member En DVD. Cine comercial como tantos pero de los 80's que, por una extraña razon, toma como escenario y tema Egipto. Creo que es su gran atractivo a la ve que no pretende mas ya que nos presenta a una especie de experta-arqueologa-reportera-turista-mujer soltera busca, que se ve metida en cada follon sin saber bien cual es su movil pero que divierte. Salpicadas de gags,aunque no lo parezcan, paisajes exoticos y secretos misteriosos, es una peli de sobremesa para, tal vez, promocionar el turismo, y que una buena revision y posterior remake, no estaria mal. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Light, but fun little action/suspense/thriller. It's got a great Egyption-ness about it, maybe it's just the music, but the mood was really good. And Frank Langella can't be bad. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Sphinx

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      Critics Reviews

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      Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) Entertaining at times, Sphinx is a spectacle that dabbles in different genres and esthetics with the intention of pleasing everyone a little bit, but fails to thrill anybody. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 20, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis An Egyptologist (Lesley-Anne Down) finds danger and romance on her way to a tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
      Director
      Franklin J. Schaffner
      Production Co
      Orion Productions, Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Adventure
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Feb 11, 1981, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Feb 27, 2012
      Runtime
      1h 59m
      Sound Mix
      Surround
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