CLAS 157A: Ancient Egypt on the Silver ScreenInstructor: Darlene Brooks Hedstrom Prerequisites: None Course Description: From the Ten Commandments to The Mummy to Michael Jackson’s Remember the Time, Ancient Egypt has attracted audiences with images of powerful pharaohs from Ramesses to Cleopatra and a divine pantheon with Isis, Horus, and Anubis. The archaeological discoveries of ancient Egypt in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries fueled the global imagination of a world of gold riches, mummified bodies, and palace intrigue. From silent films to modern music videos, directors, writers, and set designers have used ancient history and the history of modern archaeology to present Egypt’s past for entertainment. </br></br> In this course, students will view films and read scholarship on historical dramas related to ancient and modern Egypt, primarily through the eyes of English-language films. When possible, we will view Arabic, French, and Italian films that offer counter-narratives to the Anglophone film tradition. Such films as The Mummy (1932), El-Momya/The Night of Counting the Years (1969), and Sphinx (1981) present windows into the history of archaeology, the antiquities market, and the protection of Egyptian cultural heritage. With this foundation, we turn to Egypt in silent films such as Cecil B DeMille’s 1923 The Ten Commandments, Michael Curitz’s 1924 Moon of Israel, and Theda Bara in Cleopatra (1917). With color cinema, we will see Ancient Egypt now with vivid set designs and the racialization and elitism of ancient Egyptian rulers as white, in contrast to enslaved Egyptians (Valley of the Kings; Land of the Egyptians; Cleopatra). We will discuss the race, ethnicity, and sexuality of powerful leaders such as Moses, Joseph, Queen Nefertiti, Pharaoh Akhenaten, and Queen Cleopatra and how their portrayal in film compares to the historical evidence from Egypt. The course will conclude by comparing recent films (Cleopatra-1999, Agora2009, Gods of Egypt-2016, The Mummy-2017) with animated representations (Prince of Egypt-1998, La Reine Soleil-2007; Mummies-2023). Students will read scholarship examining enslavement, colonial archaeology, and Egyptian history to assess the historical value of the films. </br></br> Lectures will discuss the films in their historical context, outline major archaeological elements of the film related to set designs, and trace how ancient Egypt has evolved as a subject from silent films to epic films to modern music videos. Students will participate in online discussion boards, take quizzes on the films and lectures, and write short analysis responses. Films will be in English, with others in Arabic, French, Italian, and German, with English subtitles. Session: Extended Day: Online Asynchronous 10-week Time: Asynchronous Credit Hours: 4 Credits Course Format: 10-week Asynchronous Online format Brandeis Graduation Requirement Fulfilled: DJW, HUM Enrollment Limit: 20 students Course Classification: Undergraduate Level Course Course Tuition: $3,700 Course Fees: None Open to High School Students: Yes |
