Building the Great Pyramid
Not quite documentary, not quite drama, this reenactment of a fictional conscript's life building the Great Pyramid of Giza is best described as docudrama. Omar Sharif voices the thoughts of the aged Nakht remembering the moment Egyptian soldiers drafted him into the king's service. The 57-minute film re-creates the boat trip up the Nile and his ascent through the ranks, from delivering water to helping haul 2.5-ton blocks up ramps for the king's tomb. Interspersed are narrator Michael Pennington's historical assertions, along with contrasting footage of what the pyramid looks like today. Pennington's comments are not substantiated during the film, although a list of academic and museum consultants is part of the credits. Almost as interesting as the actual film is the DVD's 14-minute making-of featurette, which explains what shots were real, what were visual effects, and how they used a real Egyptian village to stand in for Giza, now a well-developed suburb.--Kimberly Heinrichs