Nefertite, regina del Nilo (1961) - full transcript
Chronicles the rise and fall of the woman who eventually became known as Queen Nefertiti.
(dramatic music)
- I beseech the many gods.
Oh, help us.
Protect the one I love
and stay the evil forces
who would keep us apart.
(gentle instrumental music)
- [Narrator] It was told
in the time of the pharaohs
that Egypt was to be
ruled by a great queen
and the image of her
exquisite youth and beauty
would remain forever on earth.
The night began in
deceptive quiet in Thebes
and along the banks of the river Nile.
On this night, two lovers planned to meet.
A meeting that would affect their destiny
and the destiny of Egypt.
(insects chirping)
(water splashing)
- You might have been born an owl, Tenet.
Will you go to your bed?
It's so late.
- I am not sleepy.
- Your night wanderings
will be your undoing.
These walls have eyes and ears.
Suppose the high priest
hears of what you're doing?
Suppose the guards or
your tutor report to him?
- Priests, guards, tutors, high walls.
Days and nights marked out
with frightful precision.
I'm sick of it all, Penaba.
- Quiet!
- I wanna be free.
Free to come and go like any other girl.
- But you are not like any other girl.
I do understand, child,
but please, please be careful.
(moving instrumental music)
- Oh, you're drowned.
If the guards don't kill
you, the night cold will.
- This is the last time.
I have the boat.
We can reach the sea and be out of Egypt.
- Oh Tumos, I've dreamed of this moment
and now that it's at
hand I'm sick with fear.
If you're caught you'll
surely be killed, Tumos.
- If I were to be separated from you.
I should prefer to die.
- There are powerful forces
set against any plan of ours.
- Then we must get away while we can.
(dramatic music)
I'll get the boat.
(Tenet screaming)
- Run, Tumos, they will not harm me!
(guards shouting)
- [Guard] There he is!
After him!
(spear bangs)
(guards shouting)
(water splashing)
- [Guard] Stop him!
- He's beyond our range
but not beyond the
range of the crocodiles.
Leave him to them.
(somber music)
(singing in foreign language)
(gong clangs)
- Child, do you know why
you have been brought here?
- I suspect the reason, Excellency,
but I intended no sacrilege.
- You met in secret with a young man.
You proclaimed your love for him.
The gods demand punishment.
However your youth and special position
command a degree of mercy.
- But he is young, too.
What of him?
- The boy, oh yes.
The sacred laws are clear.
The penalty for heresy,
sacrilege, willful disobedience
is the same, death.
(chisels scraping)
- When will you let me pose for you?
- Dancers are not my specialty.
- But I would never tire.
I could stand for you
by the hour, by the day.
- It would take more
than a day to capture you
in stone, my little
desert gypsy. (chuckles)
- It's plain you know your subject well.
- Well I should.
My father was the prince's fencing master
when we were both old
enough to lift a hilt.
- Yes, yes.
But familiarity with the subject
may not always be an asset.
It's possible you portray
Amenophis too accurately.
- Accurately?
- The eyes.
You know what the gossips say.
The prince is cursed with madness.
- The prince is my friend.
I depict him as I find him.
- There is a restlessness
in every line of that work.
- There's a restlessness
in the whole of Egypt.
- And it's dangerous.
- Oh that's nothing,
Master, just a scratch.
- I want to talk to you.
Come to my rooms.
I'm sure she's beautiful.
- Hmm?
- And no doubt, she's worth a
hundred such wounds as that.
(chuckles)
Who is she?
- Well, all I know about
her is that she called Tenet
and since she was a child
she's been groomed for the temple.
- Then isn't it obvious that powerful
influences control her?
Far too powerful for a young man like you.
- I love her and she loves me.
- Well, if you must pit
yourself against a high priest
there is only one man that can help you.
The Pharaoh.
Go to his son, Prince
Amenophis, he's your friend.
He can speak to his father.
- But Amenophis is,
Amenophis is in the desert.
He's leading his army
against the Chaldeans.
- Find him.
You don't seem to realize
that your life is in danger.
And if your Tenet is
ordained, no power on earth
not even the Pharaoh himself
can set aside the sacred rites.
- No, Merith, no, I go alone.
- It would be better if
you took me with you.
The desert is my home, I know the way.
- You stay here.
- A thousand trickeries lie before you.
- I must face them alone.
- Tumos.
There is a well half a night's
ride from the old gate.
(doors banging)
- Stop, what do you want?
You've no right to break into this house.
- We've come for the sculptor named Tumos.
- He's not here, we haven't seen the man.
- The crocodiles in the
river may have got him.
- Search the house.
(door banging)
- He's gone.
(dramatic music)
- Leave him.
The night will pass, have faith.
(whip snapping)
No, have pity, he's not an animal.
He's a human being as you are.
- Look here old man, you
must have great faith
in that one god you preach about.
What's his name?
- Aten.
- Why not appeal to him?
He'll care for their wounds.
- He succors our souls.
I pray he'll have mercy on yours.
- Mercy on me?
Am I in the need of the
mercy of a mythical one god?
And has one god the power to
deflect the point of my dagger
from your scrawny old neck?
(dramatic music)
(men shouting)
- Attention all of you!
What sort of control do you exercise
that causes such a tempest here?
- My prince, these captives
have become unbearable.
They're a burden to our army.
- What would you do with them?
- Stake them here when we march.
Let the sands bury them where they stand.
- Your Highness, you have defeated brave
and honorable soldiers, they
deserve the consideration--
- Heresy this man preaches.
Give me the right to act
in your behalf, my prince.
Say the word, sire.
- The killing of these defenseless men
will be a brutal act of cowardice
and a confession of weakness
on the part of the future ruler of Egypt.
- You plead for the lives of these men?
What do you ask for yourself?
- Nothing.
- And you, have you no fear for yourself?
- You can destroy my body, yes,
but my true destiny rests in the hands
of a power greater than
all the laws of Egypt,
in the hands of Aten, the only true god.
- Your god gave you defeat.
Our gods give us victory.
- There is no god but Aten, the sun god.
All other gods are false.
- Enough!
(Seper thuds)
- [Amenophis] Nagor!
- I will assert my right.
Not even the commander of the armies
has the right to shield a heretic.
- [Amenophis] Nagor!
(dramatic music)
- Come on, brave one.
Let's test your courage
with someone your own age.
- Lower your weapons!
Tumos! (laughing)
Tumos, my foolish friend.
You've challenged the bloodiest
anchor in my ranks, eh?
What brings you to the desert?
- I've come to enlist your aid.
- Well, come in and tell me about it.
Remember, Nagor, I hold you responsible
for the lives of these prisoners.
Now come in, you must be tired and hungry.
- What will you do with him?
Will you not punish him?
- In religious matters I'm
without complete authority.
If I were to punish every
act of insubordination
I'd be a commander without an army.
- There was a time when
you'd have had his head
for a lesser offense.
Amenophis, you've changed.
- Do you think so?
Well times change, Tumos, and so do men.
(laughs) Come in.
Go gaze at the stars for a while.
I have a guest. (laughs)
Make yourself comfortable, my friend.
Are you as thirsty as always? (laughing)
Now then Tumos, you said
you came to ask my help.
Well if you're in debt,
your problem's solved.
My purse is wide open.
- No, I'm not in debt,
but I do need your help.
- It's pledged.
What's your problem?
- I've, I've fallen in love.
- Wonderful.
Do I know her?
- No, I don't think so.
Her name is Tenet.
- Tenet?
No, I'm sure I don't
know anyone by that name.
You're going to be married I suppose.
- Amenophis, that depends on you.
- Me?
- Unfortunately there's a great obstacle
that stands in our path.
- Tell me, we'll break it down.
- Tenet is under the
protection of the high priest.
I believe it's her destiny
to be ordained a priestess.
- What a waste of beauty.
- You must help us.
- I want to, surely my friend,
but only the Pharaoh has the power
to oppose the high priest.
- But surely you can
intercede with your father.
- Look at my position, Tumos.
I'm far from Thebes, my
father's old and sick.
All my communications to
him pass through the hands
of the high priest.
Do you think Benakon
would agree if I petition
in your behalf?
- Amenophis, you are our last hope.
- I want to help, I want to.
(armor thudding)
Perhaps, perhaps when I return
with my army into Thebes.
- But then it'll be too late
for me and for Tenet.
Your failure to act at once dooms us.
Already Benakon has condemned me to death.
- Death?
My friend, you torture me.
The hour is late, my brain won't function.
We must rest.
Sleep Tumos, sleep.
We'll talk again when the sun rises.
Don't despair.
A new day wears a new complexion.
Sleep Tumos, sleep.
- [Penaba] Tenet, what are you doing
out of bed at this late hour?
- My sleep is lost, my mind wanders.
- Do you want me to be nursing an invalid?
The cold air will touch your bones.
(gentle music)
- The sun has gone down
five times since he left.
- And it may go down five times
more before you meet again.
Get back to bed or you'll be meeting him
with a wet, red nose.
Don't throw the rest of
the night away, sleep.
- The caravans report sand
storms over the desert.
- Yes, and he's sure to
come through with no loss.
(wind howling)
(dramatic music)
(men grunting)
- Amenophis, it is Tumos.
It is I, Tumos.
Amenophis, it's your friend, Tumos.
- Tumos.
What happened?
Tumos, are you all right?
- Yes, yes I'm all right.
- Forgive me, my friend.
I might have killed you.
- It's all right.
It must have been a bad dream.
- Dream?
Dream, dream.
Is there anything but bad dreams?
Why do my gods twist my mind?
why do they distort my days
and foul my nights with
the suffocating stench
of a thousand cadavers fallen
on the field of battle?
Why do they drive me to
kill, to kill, to kill
when all I want is peace?
- You need to rest.
You need to sleep.
- Sleep? (laughs)
Sleep, sleep is the spit on which
the evil gods roast the prince.
By heritage and the royal tradition
I'm their favorite son on earth
but yet they torture
me beyond my endurance.
- [Seper] And lifting up their hands
to heaven in your praise.
The beasts of the fields graze at peace,
pasture and woodland flourish.
The birds of the air
fly high in the heavens
and move their wings in your praise.
- But what of him?
What is the true source of his
courage, is it tranquility?
- Whose courage?
- That Chaldean priest.
He fears nothing.
He has one god and he's comforted.
He's out there in the cold night
yet he has an inner
warmth that astounds me.
- And are born again.
You shine from afar but your
rays are upon the earth.
They touch the face of every man.
You move high across heaven
but your steps count the day on earth.
Hail Amenophis, ruler of Egypt.
- What nonsense are you
suggesting, old man?
My father rules Egypt.
- Before the sun twice warms these sands
you will be proclaimed Pharaoh.
- If your prophecy is realized
you will ride with me
to Thebes a free man.
- They're palace guards.
It looks like General Mareb.
- Hail Pharaoh, King of Egypt.
It is my solemn duty to report
that your father the Pharaoh
has passed to the ranks
of Egypt's immortals.
(dramatic music)
- How did my father die?
Was he in pain?
- He died as he lived, my Pharaoh,
in peace and with fortitude.
- I made a promise, now
it's time to keep it.
- I cannot accept freedom for me alone.
- Then accept it also for your men.
(men cheering)
- [Soldier] Hail Pharaoh!
- I prefer tears for my
father than cheers for me.
Mareb, you will select
enough men to form an escort
for my return to Thebes.
- [Mareb] When will my Pharaoh leave?
- With the second sunrise.
- The escort will be ready.
- I'm turning my command
of the desert troops
over to you, Mareb.
- I'm honored, Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Has my new station
already changed my face
in the eyes of an old friend?
- Amenophis.
- Now and always.
You were going to ask something.
- I was going to tell you something.
I share your grief.
- Oh, thank you my friend.
I recall you have a sorrow
of your own, it's over now.
You may return to Thebes
with the palace guards
and you will carry with you
the mandate of a new Pharaoh
freeing you from interference
in the pursuit of a girl you love.
- Amenophis, that you
should have a thought
for me in this moment, thank you.
(hooves clomping)
Where is your commander?
(moving instrumental music)
- Oh Tumos, I nearly died without you.
- Let me look at you.
- Oh, but come, come tell
me what has happened.
What news have you?
Tell me everything.
- This document is notable
as the first official order
of the new Pharaoh.
It means that we're free, free.
Now no one can touch us.
- Not even the high priest.
- Not even Benakon.
- Oh!
Come, let us make plans,
wild, wonderful plans.
- There's time enough for that.
- What do you mean?
- 70 days, the traditional
mourning for the dead Pharaoh.
We'll have to suffer it out.
- Somehow I'll survive,
70 days of joyous torture,
and then the great moment.
- Amenophis has promised
to give our wedding feast.
- I'll burst with joy.
Just think, me, Tenet,
wife of the famous young sculptor Tumos,
mother of his children, his many children.
(Tumos laughing)
- Wife.
Wonderfully modest little wife.
Oh, master, please.
- I can't think what she sees in you.
You're so ugly.
(Tumos laughing)
- Master, I owe you a lot for
all that you've done for us
and for making today possible.
- Yes, yes but I'm the one
who's anxious to meet her.
I'm ready.
- Oh.
- Come on.
(dramatic music)
- With this consecrated sword,
the mandate of the great
god Amun shall be executed.
(dramatic music)
With the shedding of this drop of blood
Tenet is a name forgotten,
Tenet is no more.
In her place rises a pure chaste soul
fit for the destiny for
which she has been prepared.
From this day forth she
shall be known as Nefertiti.
Rise, Nefertiti.
- They've taken her.
- Calm yourself.
The Pharaoh will be back soon.
He'll help you to find her.
- I'll not wait.
I'll go to the desert.
I'll show the Pharaoh how his authority
is flouted in Thebes.
He'll have every inch of Egypt searched.
- Get him!
- Escape Tumos!
(Tums shrieks)
(dramatic music)
- Come, my child.
You must not tremble so.
You should rejoice.
You are the most fortunate
girl in all Egypt.
- I do not understand these strange rites.
Am I now a priestess?
- No, my child.
Your station is far loftier.
You are now the betrothed of the realm,
the future bride of Egypt.
- Betrothed?
- You will be married
to Amenophis immediately
upon his return from the desert.
- But this is not possible.
- Egypt will have a new
Pharaoh and a new queen.
- But Amenophis is Tumos's friend.
He would never permit
anything so dishonorable.
He gave his word.
- The needs of the state
are never dishonorable.
- But Tumos has the Pharaoh's mandate.
You dare ignore this?
- I have a prior mandate.
Binding even upon the new Pharaoh.
A mandate from the god Amun.
Sanctioned by the old
Pharaoh before he died
and subscribed to by your father.
(somber string music)
- But this is your signet, your seal.
- There's no longer any
reason for secrecy between us.
I can tell you now.
I am your father.
- Why have you waited
so long to tell me this?
- It was better so, my daughter.
The intricacies of church
and state are not easily
comprehended by the young,
some day you will thank me.
(majestic music)
(crowd shouting)
- People of Thebes, as your new Pharaoh
I now affirm my solemn
promise to dedicate myself,
as did my great father, to
the pursuit of your progress,
your happiness and your prosperity.
(crowd cheering)
- Does Amenophis know that I am the girl
he granted Tumos permission to marry?
- You are not the same girl.
Tenet is dead.
- I'll inform Amenophis of
this plot to violate his word,
to dishonor his friend.
- That would give you no comfort.
On the contrary it would
surely seal the doom
of your young friend.
- Are you saying that you'd
have Tumos killed if I speak?
- His life is in your hands, my daughter.
Your silence is his salvation.
(somber music)
- I must have your solemn promise
that no harm will come to Tumos.
- Have faith, my daughter.
(claps)
Come now, you must try to seem
animated before the Pharaoh.
- Have we seen the end of
the day's appointments?
My head is splitting.
- Your high priest has a
most important presentation
to make, but first I
would like to register
the objections of our priesthood
to the presence of an alien priest
so close to the throne of Egypt.
- The Pharaoh is aware that
few normal prerogatives
will be left to him while
he occupies the throne
but he retains the right
to think for himself
in purely personal matters.
If I choose to be
influenced by the philosophy
of the one god at some future
time, that is my concern.
You said you have a presentation to make.
- I have here a proclamation
transmitted through
the priesthood by the god Amun
designating the maiden
chosen to sit beside
the new Pharaoh on the throne of Egypt.
(gentle instrumental music)
(singing in foreign language)
(exotic music)
- Tumos, Tumos.
- Master.
Master!
- Tumos, stand back,
stand back, stand back!
(whacking)
(energetic music)
(people shouting)
- Master, oh, Master.
- At last, Tumos.
Come, we have no time.
Get to the well at Rhada.
Wait for me there.
Go as fast as you can.
Hurry.
(energetic music)
(people clapping)
(water splattering)
(foreboding music)
(horse neighing)
(lion roaring)
(dramatic music)
(horse neighing)
(lion roaring)
(Tumos grunts)
(horse neighs)
(lion roaring)
(arrow thwacks)
- Tumos!
Tumos!
Answer me, please answer me.
- Is he alive?
- I don't know.
I'm afraid.
(soft, exotic music)
(people laughing)
- To Nefertiti, the most beautiful queen
ever to grace the throne of Egypt.
(people chattering)
- To the Queen.
- Lovely Queen.
- No, no keep your seats.
There are faces here
that are strange to me.
Where is the face of
my dear friend, Tumos?
Dakim.
Why was my friend not at the temple?
Why is he not here for my wedding feast?
- His name, my Pharaoh, was
struck from the guest list.
- By who's order?
- By my order, my Pharaoh.
- Why?
- I regret that my Pharaoh poses
such a question at this time.
I had hoped to avoid the introduction
of a sad note on this happy occasion.
Tumos is dead.
(somber music)
- How did it happen?
- He was held at a
desert post as punishment
for an impulsive indiscretion.
I ordered his release but he escaped.
A search party found his tunic sleeve,
it was blood stained.
Apparently he'd been
attacked by some wild beast.
That is the information I
have received, my Pharaoh.
(people murmuring)
- You must go to bed.
- I cannot.
Sleep is impossible
until I know he is safe.
(gentle string music)
- What satisfaction does
the Queen get in humiliating
her husband and insulting the Pharaoh?
- I have no desire to hurt your feelings.
- But you have.
I've stared into the
blank face of the moon
three nights while you
languish here alone.
- I have not been well.
- You make a ravishing invalid.
Much too healthy to be neglected.
- You must give me time, time to adjust.
- You're frightened.
Or is this merely part
of the eternal game of womanly evasion?
- I am frightened.
I have never been alone
with a man like this.
- We're not alone now, my love.
The minds of all the people
of Egypt are centered here
in the hopes of an heir to
the throne, you know that.
- Oh, I cannot!
Oh, I beg you, do not press me.
I have no desire to hurt you.
- How considerate.
Do you think your evasions
can bring me pleasure?
Is there a greater prize besides a throne
a Pharaoh must bestow on
a queen for her favors?
- I would gladly vacate the throne
for someone more submissive,
I never wanted it.
- We have an obligation to our people.
(somber instrumental music)
- If you insist on the hard
cold discharge of a contract
then that is what it will be.
The last cospasm of a
passion that is dead.
If that will satisfy your pride, take it.
I know I've been cruel.
- Life is cruel.
To me you are the beautiful instrument
that sharpens the diabolical
humor of the gods.
(chisel tapping)
- Look, it's Tumos.
- Oh Master, you promised
you'd go to Amenophis.
- Yes, I tried.
- You did, didn't you?
- Well, you know the
Pharaoh is not easy to reach
when a high priest like
Benakon blocks the way.
- But what's the news of Tenet?
What's happened to her?
I must know, where is she?
- Oh, forget everything for the present
and concentrate on getting well.
- What's that noise outside?
- Oh, another of these
long monotonous series
of state displays.
(people shouting)
- Long live the Queen!
- Long live the Queen!
- Long live--
- The Queen?
Has Amenophis already taken a bride?
Then I must see.
- Tumos.
(dramatic music)
(people shouting)
- Tenet!
Tenet!
- No!
Come!
- You lied to the Pharaoh, you lied to me.
- I believed the young man was dead
but apparently my
informants were impulsive
and their conclusions faulty.
- But you were eager, anxious to believe.
- I confess I regarded such a possibility
as the elimination of
a dangerous impediment
in your present exalted position.
- I cannot admire such cold disregard
for my personal feelings.
(Tumos laughing)
- What are you thinking about?
The Queen?
- The distance between us now
is deserts, oceans, centuries.
Come drink with me.
To the deserts, the
oceans, and the centuries.
Let us celebrate together, you and I.
- Together, how I've dreamed of it.
- We'll laugh at the past. (laughing)
And we'll take all that
the future has to give.
Come Merith to us, to you and to me.
(somber music)
- Come on, it's late.
Put them on.
Come on, come on.
You've much work to do.
- I know.
Behold, Master, a new Tumos.
Without memory and without sentiment,
blown by the wind
wherever chance dictates.
- Well, chance has dictated
a royal commission.
- A royal commission for me?
- Yes, for you.
You've been selected to do the statue,
the statue of the Queen.
Yes, it's true.
(gentle music)
- Tenet.
But why me?
Why not you?
You're the master.
- No, the commission is yours.
Your selection is a tribute to me.
I'm more than satisfied.
- But who selected me?
- Seper, the new priest.
He suggested the statue,
the Queen named the artist,
and the Pharaoh readily agreed.
- Well, I don't know that I can accept.
- Oh you can't refuse,
it's a royal command.
Don't you see what the Queen
is trying to do for you?
- Yes, balm for a disturbed conscious.
- For whatever reason you may think,
don't you realize what
it would mean to you?
It would immediately lift
you up to the heights
of the master sculptors of Egypt
and your future will be assured.
- Why not?
Why shouldn't I be as
she is, an opportunist!
Yes, I'll do it.
I'll take advantage of this.
(soft instrumental music)
Where's the other one?
- Everything you brought is over there.
You are nervous.
- Come on, sit over here.
- You are nervous because
the Queen will soon be here.
- The Queen is no different
from any other subject
I've ever done.
Look over there.
Yes, the light is good, very good.
My Queen.
- Amenophis, have you nothing
to say to your old friend?
- My old friend?
Tumos.
Tumos.
But someone told me that you were...
Ah, you must forgive me,
my friend, I'm not quite well.
Too many pressures, you know.
All the ceremonies drain my energies.
I'm so happy to see you again.
You look well.
- And you, you seem--
- No, no, no compliments.
I see my face in every piece
of silver in the palace.
I don't like what I see, I don't.
Ah, so you are going to
make a statue of my bride.
Well, don't let me delay the work.
Will I disturb if I watch?
- It would be an honor.
- Please begin.
- If it would please my Queen to sit here.
If the Queen will direct her gaze toward,
toward my assistant, then we can begin.
- It seems to me you came to the desert
during my very last campaign
to enlist my aid for,
what was it?
- I came to ask your help,
in my efforts to marry
the girl that I loved.
- [Amenophis] And I gave it?
Of course I must have.
- [Tumos] It was your first
official order as Pharaoh.
- So it was.
You told me she was
very pretty, I remember.
- She was beautiful, so I thought.
(soft string music)
But beauty is not the quality
that we artists depict,
it lies deeper, when it's real.
Deeper than what is captured
by the hammer and chisel
or by the eye of a too trusting lover.
My Queen.
- So the marriage didn't take place?
- No, it didn't take place.
- Did you change your mind or did she?
- As I remember, it was she.
- Unfortunate.
And what happened?
- Nothing, I was just a
diversion for the moment
but time changes things for everyone.
New attitudes, new opportunities.
- I'm afraid I'm,
I'm not up to this ordeal this morning.
I'm tired.
After I rest perhaps.
- It's true.
Broken romances are saddening.
- Why do I have her pose at all?
I know every shadow,
every curve of her face.
I could mold it from
memory a thousand times.
- She still loves you.
I could see it in her eyes.
And I hate her for it.
I could kill her.
- Merith.
- No.
I want to go away, back to
my people in the desert.
Where I can forget
everything about Thebes.
- But you won't, will you?
- We all love the Pharaoh
but our ancient gods are supreme.
Amenophis is cursed by the gods,
he is no longer fit to rule.
You, you too will feel
the wrath of the gods
if you submit without--
- The priests are very busy this morning.
There's something in the air.
- I have placed great reliance
on my relationship with the Queen,
but I must confess that my influence,
my efforts of gentle persuasion
have availed me little.
The cold reality, my brothers,
is that our priesthood
is faced with possible extinction.
- Does his excellency
have a plan of action?
- I have.
Much as I deplore violence,
an incident must be created
to bring the Pharaoh and
the Queen to their senses.
(gentle music)
- With the Queen's permission.
- Perhaps the Queen would
prefer to end today's session.
- Oh Tumos, Tumos, why do you hate me so?
I had no control over what happened.
- You have everything that
an ambitious girl would want.
As for me, there is my work.
- I've nothing that I want.
I've never stopped loving
you for an instant.
- But you're the Queen.
You're married with my friend.
- There is no marriage.
I have not deceived him,
but I am not a wife to Amenophis.
- What are you saying?
There's a legal bond between you.
- I will never stop loving
you as long as I live.
Oh please, please Tumos
try to understand, I...
At least don't hate me, I can't bear it.
Amenophis will be here soon,
to view the finished work.
- Yes, it's finished.
It's the end of my work here.
Tenet I, I must leave.
I must go away.
- Oh, but what are you saying?
- I must go out of Egypt.
- Oh no, no I will never let you go.
I will never let you go.
- Oh, this is madness.
If there were one witness,
an eye in the wall,
you know what could happen to you.
Now it is you who are in
danger and I cannot bear it.
- I will not listen to this.
Oh, there must be something we can do.
- I must leave.
For you.
(somber string music)
Tomorrow at dawn I will visit the temple
to choose a place for your
statue before I leave.
(dramatic music)
(singing in foreign language)
- Tumos.
- You shouldn't have come here.
You'll be recognized.
If Amenophis should know.
- Poor Amenophis, he knows
little of what transpires
beyond his own inner world.
- It's dangerous.
- The risk I take is the
measure of how desperately
I wanted to see you, once more.
- Before you Aten, you, oh living star,
wellspring of life, shadows take flight
and men come forth rejoicing
and lifting up their hands
to heaven in your praise.
Light the world and warm
the hearts of your children
oh omnipotent sun god.
(arrow thwacks)
(Seper shrieks)
(people screaming)
(dramatic music)
- How did you get in here?
- From the crypt.
There's a passage through
the wall of gardens.
(dramatic music)
(people screaming)
(weapons clanging)
(woman screams)
(gentle music)
Are you all right?
- I have no wounds.
- I've never been so frightened.
- I thought that that
would be our last moment
but I was happy that we
should spend it together.
(hooves clomping)
- Come, the palace is already in alarm.
You must go.
Farewell, Tumos.
- Tenet, dark days lie ahead.
That incident in the
temple was only a prelude.
There is worse to come.
And now without Seper,
Amenophis will lose
his grip on the throne.
Darling, why don't we run
away out of Egypt, together,
to where we can live as we had planned?
- It's a lovely dream, my dearest,
but how could it be fulfilled honorably?
- You are not bound in
your heart to the throne
or to the Pharaoh, there
is no just claim upon you.
- I will take any risk as
long as I can be with you.
(dramatic music)
(singing in foreign language)
(wind howling)
- I express the sentiments
of my priesthood
in deploring the tragic excess
that cost the lives of
so many worshipers here.
But I would be remiss
in my duty to the throne
if I failed to mention the
significance of this spontaneous
outburst on the part of
the people of Thebes.
- You have brutally martyred
a gentle, saintly man
who was so great a comfort to me
and in his name, in the
name of my beloved Seper,
I now proclaim the worship of
one god as the new religion.
I decree the destruction of all idols
and all temples dedicated
to the false gods.
I declare your offices vacated
and your present duties forever ended.
You will prepare to leave the city.
- My Pharaoh, may I remind you that...
- If I were to exercise the
power vested in the Pharaoh
I would now condemn you to death.
But you who have plotted
against the one god,
a god opposed to violence and blood,
a god of love and mercy,
you will be the first in my court
to receive the benefits of his teachings.
- [Soldier] The days roll swiftly by
and if we're to strike, it should be soon.
- [Benakon] The gods have not deserted us
and the moment of our
revenge is not far off.
- [Soldier] It's not enough
to bid us wait though,
my commander, you must act now.
- I have spent the nights
in communion with our gods
and the conclusion is a
painful one, my brothers.
Amenophis and the new religion
must be ruthlessly destroyed.
We must now offer ourselves
for the preservation
of our sacred beliefs.
- We have one great chance to
rally the people to our cause.
- The day of penitence.
- Yes.
- The people will come to
Thebes from all over Egypt
for their annual petitions
and prayers to the god Amun.
They still fear the ancient deities.
It will be easy at that
time to stir them to revolt
against the sun god.
- The best of the Egyptian
army is still in the desert.
We should take advantage of their absence.
I can pledge the support of
all our men here in Thebes.
- Our day is marked, my brothers.
We strike the blow for Amun and our gods.
And with their aid victory is certain.
(foreboding music)
(moving instrumental music)
- Tumos, my love, we
must change our plans.
- What are you saying?
- The high priest is
plotting to destroy Amenophis
and seize the throne.
Tonight I came face to face
with this cold reality.
I cannot, I cannot desert Amenophis now.
- And what of our love?
- That's not changed.
I will always love you.
But Amenophis is not well.
he needs my support desperately.
Seper is gone, he has no one else.
- But what can you do?
- It is not the first time that two people
have been called upon to make the choice
between love and duty.
We must prove our love,
and I, I must prove myself
a queen, nothing less.
Oh Tumos, we must forget
ourselves for the moment.
I need your help.
- My help?
- Take the horses, burn the
sands beneath their feet
until you reach General
Mareb's army in the desert.
Tell him his army is desperately
needed here in Thebes.
There's not a moment to spare.
Go now, Tumos, quickly, at once.
Please, please go.
(people clamoring)
- To the palace!
(dramatic music)
- What do you report?
- Benakon is leading his troops
on a march on the palace.
- Sound the general alarm!
Call out the master guard!
(dramatic music)
- Melad, no word from the desert yet?
- No word.
- Let us hope.
- My Queen, I have distressing news.
The Pharaoh has locked
himself in his chambers
and refuses to see anybody.
You must intercede, my Queen.
(dramatic music)
(people shouting)
You're in a dangerous position, my Queen.
I respectfully suggest that you withdraw.
- [Nefertiti] Never.
(dramatic music)
- [Benakon] Do you speak for Amenophis?
- I speak for all those loyal
to the Pharaoh, traitor.
What do you want?
- We demand that Amenophis
renounce the sun god
and return to the gods of his people.
- [Soldier] And if the
Pharaoh chooses to stand mute?
- We insist upon an answer.
If not,
when the shadow of this
lance crosses that line,
we attack.
- Amenophis.
Amenophis.
Do you hear me, Amenophis?
Benakon leads a march on the palace.
Your throne is threatened,
you must fight to save it.
- There's no intelligence in blood shed.
It offends the one true god, Aten.
- Oh please listen to me, Amenophis.
Benakon has delivered an ultimatum,
the length of the spear's shadow
marks the moment of attack.
Your generals need you.
- They need the light
from the one god Aten,
we all need it.
Send for Seper, bring him to me.
- Seper?
- Yes, he will bring us a
prayer from the heart of Aten.
(somber music)
- Amenophis, Seper is dead.
He was killed in the temple riots.
- Go, tell him to come at once.
Tell him I have a mandate from Aten,
to maintain the power of the throne
so that his word may triumph.
- Come with me, Amenophis,
together we will stand before the people.
When they see you their mood will change.
Come, Amenophis.
- They shall not prevail!
Those foul gods battle for my soul.
They still draw from limbo
those putrid cadavers
I left on the field of battle
and thrust it in my face.
They're all around me.
I can see them with my eyes closed.
There, there, there, there, there,
they're everywhere, everywhere!
Everywhere, everywhere. (sobbing)
- What does the Pharaoh say, my Queen?
- The Pharaoh has nothing to say.
- In the name of Amun, attack!
(dramatic music)
(men yelling)
- It has begun,
and someone must take the
command of the palace.
(arrow thwacking)
(man shrieking)
(man shouting)
- Is there no word at all from the desert?
- None.
We must depend on our own scant resources.
- The palace and the person of the Pharaoh
must be defended at all costs.
(dramatic music)
(men yelling)
(weapons clanking)
(people shouting)
(foreboding music)
(weapons clanging)
- Show yourself, Amenophis.
Show yourself to the people, Amenophis,
if you have the courage.
(men shouting)
(majestic music)
You must realize by now, my daughter,
that further resistance is senseless.
You are out numbered 10 to one.
- What do you want of us?
- The immediate surrender of the palace,
and the life of Amenophis.
I warn you, my daughter.
- And I remind you, subject,
you are addressing the Queen of Egypt.
- You know that you are consigning
everybody in this palace
to certain death.
- Perhaps we prefer death to
the rule of your priesthood.
I've said enough,
consider your own safety.
Leave the palace while
you still have time.
(dramatic music)
(men yelling)
(weapons clanging)
Come with me.
We must take the Pharaoh
away from the palace
to a place of safety.
- But how, my Queen?
The palace is surrounded.
- I know a way, there's a
passage from the royal garden
to the temple of Aten.
Bring some guards for protection.
(dramatic music)
(Nefertiti screams)
(doors banging)
(weapons clanging)
(people screaming)
- This room is our last refuge.
My Queen, first I will
defend you to the end
and then this sword will not
give them the satisfaction
of torturing the Pharaoh's general.
- No, Dakim, you speak of surrender
and we must never surrender,
to anyone or anything.
(dramatic music)
(horse neighs)
(weapons clanging)
(people screaming)
(soldier shrieking)
- Stop, stop, do you hear me!
So we come to the very end, my daughter.
I offer you this last
chance to save your life
and perhaps your throne.
- Your demands come too late, Benakon.
- Take him!
(dramatic music)
Have no fear.
We hold the Queen as
hostage for our safety.
(men grunting)
(dramatic music)
And now, Tumos, it is your finish.
(arrow thwacks)
(Benakon shrieks)
- My father, if only your
ambition had been to be a father
when I needed you so much.
(Nefertiti crying)
(somber music)
- Tenet.
- Tenet.
Tenet.
How far in the past it all seems now.
- My Queen.
- Tumos, to you I owe
my life and my throne.
Both will be a great burden to me.
- Tenet, no.
Nefertiti.
Now you are Egypt.
And we will remember
the Tenet of yesterday.
(dramatic instrumental music)
- I beseech the many gods.
Oh, help us.
Protect the one I love
and stay the evil forces
who would keep us apart.
(gentle instrumental music)
- [Narrator] It was told
in the time of the pharaohs
that Egypt was to be
ruled by a great queen
and the image of her
exquisite youth and beauty
would remain forever on earth.
The night began in
deceptive quiet in Thebes
and along the banks of the river Nile.
On this night, two lovers planned to meet.
A meeting that would affect their destiny
and the destiny of Egypt.
(insects chirping)
(water splashing)
- You might have been born an owl, Tenet.
Will you go to your bed?
It's so late.
- I am not sleepy.
- Your night wanderings
will be your undoing.
These walls have eyes and ears.
Suppose the high priest
hears of what you're doing?
Suppose the guards or
your tutor report to him?
- Priests, guards, tutors, high walls.
Days and nights marked out
with frightful precision.
I'm sick of it all, Penaba.
- Quiet!
- I wanna be free.
Free to come and go like any other girl.
- But you are not like any other girl.
I do understand, child,
but please, please be careful.
(moving instrumental music)
- Oh, you're drowned.
If the guards don't kill
you, the night cold will.
- This is the last time.
I have the boat.
We can reach the sea and be out of Egypt.
- Oh Tumos, I've dreamed of this moment
and now that it's at
hand I'm sick with fear.
If you're caught you'll
surely be killed, Tumos.
- If I were to be separated from you.
I should prefer to die.
- There are powerful forces
set against any plan of ours.
- Then we must get away while we can.
(dramatic music)
I'll get the boat.
(Tenet screaming)
- Run, Tumos, they will not harm me!
(guards shouting)
- [Guard] There he is!
After him!
(spear bangs)
(guards shouting)
(water splashing)
- [Guard] Stop him!
- He's beyond our range
but not beyond the
range of the crocodiles.
Leave him to them.
(somber music)
(singing in foreign language)
(gong clangs)
- Child, do you know why
you have been brought here?
- I suspect the reason, Excellency,
but I intended no sacrilege.
- You met in secret with a young man.
You proclaimed your love for him.
The gods demand punishment.
However your youth and special position
command a degree of mercy.
- But he is young, too.
What of him?
- The boy, oh yes.
The sacred laws are clear.
The penalty for heresy,
sacrilege, willful disobedience
is the same, death.
(chisels scraping)
- When will you let me pose for you?
- Dancers are not my specialty.
- But I would never tire.
I could stand for you
by the hour, by the day.
- It would take more
than a day to capture you
in stone, my little
desert gypsy. (chuckles)
- It's plain you know your subject well.
- Well I should.
My father was the prince's fencing master
when we were both old
enough to lift a hilt.
- Yes, yes.
But familiarity with the subject
may not always be an asset.
It's possible you portray
Amenophis too accurately.
- Accurately?
- The eyes.
You know what the gossips say.
The prince is cursed with madness.
- The prince is my friend.
I depict him as I find him.
- There is a restlessness
in every line of that work.
- There's a restlessness
in the whole of Egypt.
- And it's dangerous.
- Oh that's nothing,
Master, just a scratch.
- I want to talk to you.
Come to my rooms.
I'm sure she's beautiful.
- Hmm?
- And no doubt, she's worth a
hundred such wounds as that.
(chuckles)
Who is she?
- Well, all I know about
her is that she called Tenet
and since she was a child
she's been groomed for the temple.
- Then isn't it obvious that powerful
influences control her?
Far too powerful for a young man like you.
- I love her and she loves me.
- Well, if you must pit
yourself against a high priest
there is only one man that can help you.
The Pharaoh.
Go to his son, Prince
Amenophis, he's your friend.
He can speak to his father.
- But Amenophis is,
Amenophis is in the desert.
He's leading his army
against the Chaldeans.
- Find him.
You don't seem to realize
that your life is in danger.
And if your Tenet is
ordained, no power on earth
not even the Pharaoh himself
can set aside the sacred rites.
- No, Merith, no, I go alone.
- It would be better if
you took me with you.
The desert is my home, I know the way.
- You stay here.
- A thousand trickeries lie before you.
- I must face them alone.
- Tumos.
There is a well half a night's
ride from the old gate.
(doors banging)
- Stop, what do you want?
You've no right to break into this house.
- We've come for the sculptor named Tumos.
- He's not here, we haven't seen the man.
- The crocodiles in the
river may have got him.
- Search the house.
(door banging)
- He's gone.
(dramatic music)
- Leave him.
The night will pass, have faith.
(whip snapping)
No, have pity, he's not an animal.
He's a human being as you are.
- Look here old man, you
must have great faith
in that one god you preach about.
What's his name?
- Aten.
- Why not appeal to him?
He'll care for their wounds.
- He succors our souls.
I pray he'll have mercy on yours.
- Mercy on me?
Am I in the need of the
mercy of a mythical one god?
And has one god the power to
deflect the point of my dagger
from your scrawny old neck?
(dramatic music)
(men shouting)
- Attention all of you!
What sort of control do you exercise
that causes such a tempest here?
- My prince, these captives
have become unbearable.
They're a burden to our army.
- What would you do with them?
- Stake them here when we march.
Let the sands bury them where they stand.
- Your Highness, you have defeated brave
and honorable soldiers, they
deserve the consideration--
- Heresy this man preaches.
Give me the right to act
in your behalf, my prince.
Say the word, sire.
- The killing of these defenseless men
will be a brutal act of cowardice
and a confession of weakness
on the part of the future ruler of Egypt.
- You plead for the lives of these men?
What do you ask for yourself?
- Nothing.
- And you, have you no fear for yourself?
- You can destroy my body, yes,
but my true destiny rests in the hands
of a power greater than
all the laws of Egypt,
in the hands of Aten, the only true god.
- Your god gave you defeat.
Our gods give us victory.
- There is no god but Aten, the sun god.
All other gods are false.
- Enough!
(Seper thuds)
- [Amenophis] Nagor!
- I will assert my right.
Not even the commander of the armies
has the right to shield a heretic.
- [Amenophis] Nagor!
(dramatic music)
- Come on, brave one.
Let's test your courage
with someone your own age.
- Lower your weapons!
Tumos! (laughing)
Tumos, my foolish friend.
You've challenged the bloodiest
anchor in my ranks, eh?
What brings you to the desert?
- I've come to enlist your aid.
- Well, come in and tell me about it.
Remember, Nagor, I hold you responsible
for the lives of these prisoners.
Now come in, you must be tired and hungry.
- What will you do with him?
Will you not punish him?
- In religious matters I'm
without complete authority.
If I were to punish every
act of insubordination
I'd be a commander without an army.
- There was a time when
you'd have had his head
for a lesser offense.
Amenophis, you've changed.
- Do you think so?
Well times change, Tumos, and so do men.
(laughs) Come in.
Go gaze at the stars for a while.
I have a guest. (laughs)
Make yourself comfortable, my friend.
Are you as thirsty as always? (laughing)
Now then Tumos, you said
you came to ask my help.
Well if you're in debt,
your problem's solved.
My purse is wide open.
- No, I'm not in debt,
but I do need your help.
- It's pledged.
What's your problem?
- I've, I've fallen in love.
- Wonderful.
Do I know her?
- No, I don't think so.
Her name is Tenet.
- Tenet?
No, I'm sure I don't
know anyone by that name.
You're going to be married I suppose.
- Amenophis, that depends on you.
- Me?
- Unfortunately there's a great obstacle
that stands in our path.
- Tell me, we'll break it down.
- Tenet is under the
protection of the high priest.
I believe it's her destiny
to be ordained a priestess.
- What a waste of beauty.
- You must help us.
- I want to, surely my friend,
but only the Pharaoh has the power
to oppose the high priest.
- But surely you can
intercede with your father.
- Look at my position, Tumos.
I'm far from Thebes, my
father's old and sick.
All my communications to
him pass through the hands
of the high priest.
Do you think Benakon
would agree if I petition
in your behalf?
- Amenophis, you are our last hope.
- I want to help, I want to.
(armor thudding)
Perhaps, perhaps when I return
with my army into Thebes.
- But then it'll be too late
for me and for Tenet.
Your failure to act at once dooms us.
Already Benakon has condemned me to death.
- Death?
My friend, you torture me.
The hour is late, my brain won't function.
We must rest.
Sleep Tumos, sleep.
We'll talk again when the sun rises.
Don't despair.
A new day wears a new complexion.
Sleep Tumos, sleep.
- [Penaba] Tenet, what are you doing
out of bed at this late hour?
- My sleep is lost, my mind wanders.
- Do you want me to be nursing an invalid?
The cold air will touch your bones.
(gentle music)
- The sun has gone down
five times since he left.
- And it may go down five times
more before you meet again.
Get back to bed or you'll be meeting him
with a wet, red nose.
Don't throw the rest of
the night away, sleep.
- The caravans report sand
storms over the desert.
- Yes, and he's sure to
come through with no loss.
(wind howling)
(dramatic music)
(men grunting)
- Amenophis, it is Tumos.
It is I, Tumos.
Amenophis, it's your friend, Tumos.
- Tumos.
What happened?
Tumos, are you all right?
- Yes, yes I'm all right.
- Forgive me, my friend.
I might have killed you.
- It's all right.
It must have been a bad dream.
- Dream?
Dream, dream.
Is there anything but bad dreams?
Why do my gods twist my mind?
why do they distort my days
and foul my nights with
the suffocating stench
of a thousand cadavers fallen
on the field of battle?
Why do they drive me to
kill, to kill, to kill
when all I want is peace?
- You need to rest.
You need to sleep.
- Sleep? (laughs)
Sleep, sleep is the spit on which
the evil gods roast the prince.
By heritage and the royal tradition
I'm their favorite son on earth
but yet they torture
me beyond my endurance.
- [Seper] And lifting up their hands
to heaven in your praise.
The beasts of the fields graze at peace,
pasture and woodland flourish.
The birds of the air
fly high in the heavens
and move their wings in your praise.
- But what of him?
What is the true source of his
courage, is it tranquility?
- Whose courage?
- That Chaldean priest.
He fears nothing.
He has one god and he's comforted.
He's out there in the cold night
yet he has an inner
warmth that astounds me.
- And are born again.
You shine from afar but your
rays are upon the earth.
They touch the face of every man.
You move high across heaven
but your steps count the day on earth.
Hail Amenophis, ruler of Egypt.
- What nonsense are you
suggesting, old man?
My father rules Egypt.
- Before the sun twice warms these sands
you will be proclaimed Pharaoh.
- If your prophecy is realized
you will ride with me
to Thebes a free man.
- They're palace guards.
It looks like General Mareb.
- Hail Pharaoh, King of Egypt.
It is my solemn duty to report
that your father the Pharaoh
has passed to the ranks
of Egypt's immortals.
(dramatic music)
- How did my father die?
Was he in pain?
- He died as he lived, my Pharaoh,
in peace and with fortitude.
- I made a promise, now
it's time to keep it.
- I cannot accept freedom for me alone.
- Then accept it also for your men.
(men cheering)
- [Soldier] Hail Pharaoh!
- I prefer tears for my
father than cheers for me.
Mareb, you will select
enough men to form an escort
for my return to Thebes.
- [Mareb] When will my Pharaoh leave?
- With the second sunrise.
- The escort will be ready.
- I'm turning my command
of the desert troops
over to you, Mareb.
- I'm honored, Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Has my new station
already changed my face
in the eyes of an old friend?
- Amenophis.
- Now and always.
You were going to ask something.
- I was going to tell you something.
I share your grief.
- Oh, thank you my friend.
I recall you have a sorrow
of your own, it's over now.
You may return to Thebes
with the palace guards
and you will carry with you
the mandate of a new Pharaoh
freeing you from interference
in the pursuit of a girl you love.
- Amenophis, that you
should have a thought
for me in this moment, thank you.
(hooves clomping)
Where is your commander?
(moving instrumental music)
- Oh Tumos, I nearly died without you.
- Let me look at you.
- Oh, but come, come tell
me what has happened.
What news have you?
Tell me everything.
- This document is notable
as the first official order
of the new Pharaoh.
It means that we're free, free.
Now no one can touch us.
- Not even the high priest.
- Not even Benakon.
- Oh!
Come, let us make plans,
wild, wonderful plans.
- There's time enough for that.
- What do you mean?
- 70 days, the traditional
mourning for the dead Pharaoh.
We'll have to suffer it out.
- Somehow I'll survive,
70 days of joyous torture,
and then the great moment.
- Amenophis has promised
to give our wedding feast.
- I'll burst with joy.
Just think, me, Tenet,
wife of the famous young sculptor Tumos,
mother of his children, his many children.
(Tumos laughing)
- Wife.
Wonderfully modest little wife.
Oh, master, please.
- I can't think what she sees in you.
You're so ugly.
(Tumos laughing)
- Master, I owe you a lot for
all that you've done for us
and for making today possible.
- Yes, yes but I'm the one
who's anxious to meet her.
I'm ready.
- Oh.
- Come on.
(dramatic music)
- With this consecrated sword,
the mandate of the great
god Amun shall be executed.
(dramatic music)
With the shedding of this drop of blood
Tenet is a name forgotten,
Tenet is no more.
In her place rises a pure chaste soul
fit for the destiny for
which she has been prepared.
From this day forth she
shall be known as Nefertiti.
Rise, Nefertiti.
- They've taken her.
- Calm yourself.
The Pharaoh will be back soon.
He'll help you to find her.
- I'll not wait.
I'll go to the desert.
I'll show the Pharaoh how his authority
is flouted in Thebes.
He'll have every inch of Egypt searched.
- Get him!
- Escape Tumos!
(Tums shrieks)
(dramatic music)
- Come, my child.
You must not tremble so.
You should rejoice.
You are the most fortunate
girl in all Egypt.
- I do not understand these strange rites.
Am I now a priestess?
- No, my child.
Your station is far loftier.
You are now the betrothed of the realm,
the future bride of Egypt.
- Betrothed?
- You will be married
to Amenophis immediately
upon his return from the desert.
- But this is not possible.
- Egypt will have a new
Pharaoh and a new queen.
- But Amenophis is Tumos's friend.
He would never permit
anything so dishonorable.
He gave his word.
- The needs of the state
are never dishonorable.
- But Tumos has the Pharaoh's mandate.
You dare ignore this?
- I have a prior mandate.
Binding even upon the new Pharaoh.
A mandate from the god Amun.
Sanctioned by the old
Pharaoh before he died
and subscribed to by your father.
(somber string music)
- But this is your signet, your seal.
- There's no longer any
reason for secrecy between us.
I can tell you now.
I am your father.
- Why have you waited
so long to tell me this?
- It was better so, my daughter.
The intricacies of church
and state are not easily
comprehended by the young,
some day you will thank me.
(majestic music)
(crowd shouting)
- People of Thebes, as your new Pharaoh
I now affirm my solemn
promise to dedicate myself,
as did my great father, to
the pursuit of your progress,
your happiness and your prosperity.
(crowd cheering)
- Does Amenophis know that I am the girl
he granted Tumos permission to marry?
- You are not the same girl.
Tenet is dead.
- I'll inform Amenophis of
this plot to violate his word,
to dishonor his friend.
- That would give you no comfort.
On the contrary it would
surely seal the doom
of your young friend.
- Are you saying that you'd
have Tumos killed if I speak?
- His life is in your hands, my daughter.
Your silence is his salvation.
(somber music)
- I must have your solemn promise
that no harm will come to Tumos.
- Have faith, my daughter.
(claps)
Come now, you must try to seem
animated before the Pharaoh.
- Have we seen the end of
the day's appointments?
My head is splitting.
- Your high priest has a
most important presentation
to make, but first I
would like to register
the objections of our priesthood
to the presence of an alien priest
so close to the throne of Egypt.
- The Pharaoh is aware that
few normal prerogatives
will be left to him while
he occupies the throne
but he retains the right
to think for himself
in purely personal matters.
If I choose to be
influenced by the philosophy
of the one god at some future
time, that is my concern.
You said you have a presentation to make.
- I have here a proclamation
transmitted through
the priesthood by the god Amun
designating the maiden
chosen to sit beside
the new Pharaoh on the throne of Egypt.
(gentle instrumental music)
(singing in foreign language)
(exotic music)
- Tumos, Tumos.
- Master.
Master!
- Tumos, stand back,
stand back, stand back!
(whacking)
(energetic music)
(people shouting)
- Master, oh, Master.
- At last, Tumos.
Come, we have no time.
Get to the well at Rhada.
Wait for me there.
Go as fast as you can.
Hurry.
(energetic music)
(people clapping)
(water splattering)
(foreboding music)
(horse neighing)
(lion roaring)
(dramatic music)
(horse neighing)
(lion roaring)
(Tumos grunts)
(horse neighs)
(lion roaring)
(arrow thwacks)
- Tumos!
Tumos!
Answer me, please answer me.
- Is he alive?
- I don't know.
I'm afraid.
(soft, exotic music)
(people laughing)
- To Nefertiti, the most beautiful queen
ever to grace the throne of Egypt.
(people chattering)
- To the Queen.
- Lovely Queen.
- No, no keep your seats.
There are faces here
that are strange to me.
Where is the face of
my dear friend, Tumos?
Dakim.
Why was my friend not at the temple?
Why is he not here for my wedding feast?
- His name, my Pharaoh, was
struck from the guest list.
- By who's order?
- By my order, my Pharaoh.
- Why?
- I regret that my Pharaoh poses
such a question at this time.
I had hoped to avoid the introduction
of a sad note on this happy occasion.
Tumos is dead.
(somber music)
- How did it happen?
- He was held at a
desert post as punishment
for an impulsive indiscretion.
I ordered his release but he escaped.
A search party found his tunic sleeve,
it was blood stained.
Apparently he'd been
attacked by some wild beast.
That is the information I
have received, my Pharaoh.
(people murmuring)
- You must go to bed.
- I cannot.
Sleep is impossible
until I know he is safe.
(gentle string music)
- What satisfaction does
the Queen get in humiliating
her husband and insulting the Pharaoh?
- I have no desire to hurt your feelings.
- But you have.
I've stared into the
blank face of the moon
three nights while you
languish here alone.
- I have not been well.
- You make a ravishing invalid.
Much too healthy to be neglected.
- You must give me time, time to adjust.
- You're frightened.
Or is this merely part
of the eternal game of womanly evasion?
- I am frightened.
I have never been alone
with a man like this.
- We're not alone now, my love.
The minds of all the people
of Egypt are centered here
in the hopes of an heir to
the throne, you know that.
- Oh, I cannot!
Oh, I beg you, do not press me.
I have no desire to hurt you.
- How considerate.
Do you think your evasions
can bring me pleasure?
Is there a greater prize besides a throne
a Pharaoh must bestow on
a queen for her favors?
- I would gladly vacate the throne
for someone more submissive,
I never wanted it.
- We have an obligation to our people.
(somber instrumental music)
- If you insist on the hard
cold discharge of a contract
then that is what it will be.
The last cospasm of a
passion that is dead.
If that will satisfy your pride, take it.
I know I've been cruel.
- Life is cruel.
To me you are the beautiful instrument
that sharpens the diabolical
humor of the gods.
(chisel tapping)
- Look, it's Tumos.
- Oh Master, you promised
you'd go to Amenophis.
- Yes, I tried.
- You did, didn't you?
- Well, you know the
Pharaoh is not easy to reach
when a high priest like
Benakon blocks the way.
- But what's the news of Tenet?
What's happened to her?
I must know, where is she?
- Oh, forget everything for the present
and concentrate on getting well.
- What's that noise outside?
- Oh, another of these
long monotonous series
of state displays.
(people shouting)
- Long live the Queen!
- Long live the Queen!
- Long live--
- The Queen?
Has Amenophis already taken a bride?
Then I must see.
- Tumos.
(dramatic music)
(people shouting)
- Tenet!
Tenet!
- No!
Come!
- You lied to the Pharaoh, you lied to me.
- I believed the young man was dead
but apparently my
informants were impulsive
and their conclusions faulty.
- But you were eager, anxious to believe.
- I confess I regarded such a possibility
as the elimination of
a dangerous impediment
in your present exalted position.
- I cannot admire such cold disregard
for my personal feelings.
(Tumos laughing)
- What are you thinking about?
The Queen?
- The distance between us now
is deserts, oceans, centuries.
Come drink with me.
To the deserts, the
oceans, and the centuries.
Let us celebrate together, you and I.
- Together, how I've dreamed of it.
- We'll laugh at the past. (laughing)
And we'll take all that
the future has to give.
Come Merith to us, to you and to me.
(somber music)
- Come on, it's late.
Put them on.
Come on, come on.
You've much work to do.
- I know.
Behold, Master, a new Tumos.
Without memory and without sentiment,
blown by the wind
wherever chance dictates.
- Well, chance has dictated
a royal commission.
- A royal commission for me?
- Yes, for you.
You've been selected to do the statue,
the statue of the Queen.
Yes, it's true.
(gentle music)
- Tenet.
But why me?
Why not you?
You're the master.
- No, the commission is yours.
Your selection is a tribute to me.
I'm more than satisfied.
- But who selected me?
- Seper, the new priest.
He suggested the statue,
the Queen named the artist,
and the Pharaoh readily agreed.
- Well, I don't know that I can accept.
- Oh you can't refuse,
it's a royal command.
Don't you see what the Queen
is trying to do for you?
- Yes, balm for a disturbed conscious.
- For whatever reason you may think,
don't you realize what
it would mean to you?
It would immediately lift
you up to the heights
of the master sculptors of Egypt
and your future will be assured.
- Why not?
Why shouldn't I be as
she is, an opportunist!
Yes, I'll do it.
I'll take advantage of this.
(soft instrumental music)
Where's the other one?
- Everything you brought is over there.
You are nervous.
- Come on, sit over here.
- You are nervous because
the Queen will soon be here.
- The Queen is no different
from any other subject
I've ever done.
Look over there.
Yes, the light is good, very good.
My Queen.
- Amenophis, have you nothing
to say to your old friend?
- My old friend?
Tumos.
Tumos.
But someone told me that you were...
Ah, you must forgive me,
my friend, I'm not quite well.
Too many pressures, you know.
All the ceremonies drain my energies.
I'm so happy to see you again.
You look well.
- And you, you seem--
- No, no, no compliments.
I see my face in every piece
of silver in the palace.
I don't like what I see, I don't.
Ah, so you are going to
make a statue of my bride.
Well, don't let me delay the work.
Will I disturb if I watch?
- It would be an honor.
- Please begin.
- If it would please my Queen to sit here.
If the Queen will direct her gaze toward,
toward my assistant, then we can begin.
- It seems to me you came to the desert
during my very last campaign
to enlist my aid for,
what was it?
- I came to ask your help,
in my efforts to marry
the girl that I loved.
- [Amenophis] And I gave it?
Of course I must have.
- [Tumos] It was your first
official order as Pharaoh.
- So it was.
You told me she was
very pretty, I remember.
- She was beautiful, so I thought.
(soft string music)
But beauty is not the quality
that we artists depict,
it lies deeper, when it's real.
Deeper than what is captured
by the hammer and chisel
or by the eye of a too trusting lover.
My Queen.
- So the marriage didn't take place?
- No, it didn't take place.
- Did you change your mind or did she?
- As I remember, it was she.
- Unfortunate.
And what happened?
- Nothing, I was just a
diversion for the moment
but time changes things for everyone.
New attitudes, new opportunities.
- I'm afraid I'm,
I'm not up to this ordeal this morning.
I'm tired.
After I rest perhaps.
- It's true.
Broken romances are saddening.
- Why do I have her pose at all?
I know every shadow,
every curve of her face.
I could mold it from
memory a thousand times.
- She still loves you.
I could see it in her eyes.
And I hate her for it.
I could kill her.
- Merith.
- No.
I want to go away, back to
my people in the desert.
Where I can forget
everything about Thebes.
- But you won't, will you?
- We all love the Pharaoh
but our ancient gods are supreme.
Amenophis is cursed by the gods,
he is no longer fit to rule.
You, you too will feel
the wrath of the gods
if you submit without--
- The priests are very busy this morning.
There's something in the air.
- I have placed great reliance
on my relationship with the Queen,
but I must confess that my influence,
my efforts of gentle persuasion
have availed me little.
The cold reality, my brothers,
is that our priesthood
is faced with possible extinction.
- Does his excellency
have a plan of action?
- I have.
Much as I deplore violence,
an incident must be created
to bring the Pharaoh and
the Queen to their senses.
(gentle music)
- With the Queen's permission.
- Perhaps the Queen would
prefer to end today's session.
- Oh Tumos, Tumos, why do you hate me so?
I had no control over what happened.
- You have everything that
an ambitious girl would want.
As for me, there is my work.
- I've nothing that I want.
I've never stopped loving
you for an instant.
- But you're the Queen.
You're married with my friend.
- There is no marriage.
I have not deceived him,
but I am not a wife to Amenophis.
- What are you saying?
There's a legal bond between you.
- I will never stop loving
you as long as I live.
Oh please, please Tumos
try to understand, I...
At least don't hate me, I can't bear it.
Amenophis will be here soon,
to view the finished work.
- Yes, it's finished.
It's the end of my work here.
Tenet I, I must leave.
I must go away.
- Oh, but what are you saying?
- I must go out of Egypt.
- Oh no, no I will never let you go.
I will never let you go.
- Oh, this is madness.
If there were one witness,
an eye in the wall,
you know what could happen to you.
Now it is you who are in
danger and I cannot bear it.
- I will not listen to this.
Oh, there must be something we can do.
- I must leave.
For you.
(somber string music)
Tomorrow at dawn I will visit the temple
to choose a place for your
statue before I leave.
(dramatic music)
(singing in foreign language)
- Tumos.
- You shouldn't have come here.
You'll be recognized.
If Amenophis should know.
- Poor Amenophis, he knows
little of what transpires
beyond his own inner world.
- It's dangerous.
- The risk I take is the
measure of how desperately
I wanted to see you, once more.
- Before you Aten, you, oh living star,
wellspring of life, shadows take flight
and men come forth rejoicing
and lifting up their hands
to heaven in your praise.
Light the world and warm
the hearts of your children
oh omnipotent sun god.
(arrow thwacks)
(Seper shrieks)
(people screaming)
(dramatic music)
- How did you get in here?
- From the crypt.
There's a passage through
the wall of gardens.
(dramatic music)
(people screaming)
(weapons clanging)
(woman screams)
(gentle music)
Are you all right?
- I have no wounds.
- I've never been so frightened.
- I thought that that
would be our last moment
but I was happy that we
should spend it together.
(hooves clomping)
- Come, the palace is already in alarm.
You must go.
Farewell, Tumos.
- Tenet, dark days lie ahead.
That incident in the
temple was only a prelude.
There is worse to come.
And now without Seper,
Amenophis will lose
his grip on the throne.
Darling, why don't we run
away out of Egypt, together,
to where we can live as we had planned?
- It's a lovely dream, my dearest,
but how could it be fulfilled honorably?
- You are not bound in
your heart to the throne
or to the Pharaoh, there
is no just claim upon you.
- I will take any risk as
long as I can be with you.
(dramatic music)
(singing in foreign language)
(wind howling)
- I express the sentiments
of my priesthood
in deploring the tragic excess
that cost the lives of
so many worshipers here.
But I would be remiss
in my duty to the throne
if I failed to mention the
significance of this spontaneous
outburst on the part of
the people of Thebes.
- You have brutally martyred
a gentle, saintly man
who was so great a comfort to me
and in his name, in the
name of my beloved Seper,
I now proclaim the worship of
one god as the new religion.
I decree the destruction of all idols
and all temples dedicated
to the false gods.
I declare your offices vacated
and your present duties forever ended.
You will prepare to leave the city.
- My Pharaoh, may I remind you that...
- If I were to exercise the
power vested in the Pharaoh
I would now condemn you to death.
But you who have plotted
against the one god,
a god opposed to violence and blood,
a god of love and mercy,
you will be the first in my court
to receive the benefits of his teachings.
- [Soldier] The days roll swiftly by
and if we're to strike, it should be soon.
- [Benakon] The gods have not deserted us
and the moment of our
revenge is not far off.
- [Soldier] It's not enough
to bid us wait though,
my commander, you must act now.
- I have spent the nights
in communion with our gods
and the conclusion is a
painful one, my brothers.
Amenophis and the new religion
must be ruthlessly destroyed.
We must now offer ourselves
for the preservation
of our sacred beliefs.
- We have one great chance to
rally the people to our cause.
- The day of penitence.
- Yes.
- The people will come to
Thebes from all over Egypt
for their annual petitions
and prayers to the god Amun.
They still fear the ancient deities.
It will be easy at that
time to stir them to revolt
against the sun god.
- The best of the Egyptian
army is still in the desert.
We should take advantage of their absence.
I can pledge the support of
all our men here in Thebes.
- Our day is marked, my brothers.
We strike the blow for Amun and our gods.
And with their aid victory is certain.
(foreboding music)
(moving instrumental music)
- Tumos, my love, we
must change our plans.
- What are you saying?
- The high priest is
plotting to destroy Amenophis
and seize the throne.
Tonight I came face to face
with this cold reality.
I cannot, I cannot desert Amenophis now.
- And what of our love?
- That's not changed.
I will always love you.
But Amenophis is not well.
he needs my support desperately.
Seper is gone, he has no one else.
- But what can you do?
- It is not the first time that two people
have been called upon to make the choice
between love and duty.
We must prove our love,
and I, I must prove myself
a queen, nothing less.
Oh Tumos, we must forget
ourselves for the moment.
I need your help.
- My help?
- Take the horses, burn the
sands beneath their feet
until you reach General
Mareb's army in the desert.
Tell him his army is desperately
needed here in Thebes.
There's not a moment to spare.
Go now, Tumos, quickly, at once.
Please, please go.
(people clamoring)
- To the palace!
(dramatic music)
- What do you report?
- Benakon is leading his troops
on a march on the palace.
- Sound the general alarm!
Call out the master guard!
(dramatic music)
- Melad, no word from the desert yet?
- No word.
- Let us hope.
- My Queen, I have distressing news.
The Pharaoh has locked
himself in his chambers
and refuses to see anybody.
You must intercede, my Queen.
(dramatic music)
(people shouting)
You're in a dangerous position, my Queen.
I respectfully suggest that you withdraw.
- [Nefertiti] Never.
(dramatic music)
- [Benakon] Do you speak for Amenophis?
- I speak for all those loyal
to the Pharaoh, traitor.
What do you want?
- We demand that Amenophis
renounce the sun god
and return to the gods of his people.
- [Soldier] And if the
Pharaoh chooses to stand mute?
- We insist upon an answer.
If not,
when the shadow of this
lance crosses that line,
we attack.
- Amenophis.
Amenophis.
Do you hear me, Amenophis?
Benakon leads a march on the palace.
Your throne is threatened,
you must fight to save it.
- There's no intelligence in blood shed.
It offends the one true god, Aten.
- Oh please listen to me, Amenophis.
Benakon has delivered an ultimatum,
the length of the spear's shadow
marks the moment of attack.
Your generals need you.
- They need the light
from the one god Aten,
we all need it.
Send for Seper, bring him to me.
- Seper?
- Yes, he will bring us a
prayer from the heart of Aten.
(somber music)
- Amenophis, Seper is dead.
He was killed in the temple riots.
- Go, tell him to come at once.
Tell him I have a mandate from Aten,
to maintain the power of the throne
so that his word may triumph.
- Come with me, Amenophis,
together we will stand before the people.
When they see you their mood will change.
Come, Amenophis.
- They shall not prevail!
Those foul gods battle for my soul.
They still draw from limbo
those putrid cadavers
I left on the field of battle
and thrust it in my face.
They're all around me.
I can see them with my eyes closed.
There, there, there, there, there,
they're everywhere, everywhere!
Everywhere, everywhere. (sobbing)
- What does the Pharaoh say, my Queen?
- The Pharaoh has nothing to say.
- In the name of Amun, attack!
(dramatic music)
(men yelling)
- It has begun,
and someone must take the
command of the palace.
(arrow thwacking)
(man shrieking)
(man shouting)
- Is there no word at all from the desert?
- None.
We must depend on our own scant resources.
- The palace and the person of the Pharaoh
must be defended at all costs.
(dramatic music)
(men yelling)
(weapons clanking)
(people shouting)
(foreboding music)
(weapons clanging)
- Show yourself, Amenophis.
Show yourself to the people, Amenophis,
if you have the courage.
(men shouting)
(majestic music)
You must realize by now, my daughter,
that further resistance is senseless.
You are out numbered 10 to one.
- What do you want of us?
- The immediate surrender of the palace,
and the life of Amenophis.
I warn you, my daughter.
- And I remind you, subject,
you are addressing the Queen of Egypt.
- You know that you are consigning
everybody in this palace
to certain death.
- Perhaps we prefer death to
the rule of your priesthood.
I've said enough,
consider your own safety.
Leave the palace while
you still have time.
(dramatic music)
(men yelling)
(weapons clanging)
Come with me.
We must take the Pharaoh
away from the palace
to a place of safety.
- But how, my Queen?
The palace is surrounded.
- I know a way, there's a
passage from the royal garden
to the temple of Aten.
Bring some guards for protection.
(dramatic music)
(Nefertiti screams)
(doors banging)
(weapons clanging)
(people screaming)
- This room is our last refuge.
My Queen, first I will
defend you to the end
and then this sword will not
give them the satisfaction
of torturing the Pharaoh's general.
- No, Dakim, you speak of surrender
and we must never surrender,
to anyone or anything.
(dramatic music)
(horse neighs)
(weapons clanging)
(people screaming)
(soldier shrieking)
- Stop, stop, do you hear me!
So we come to the very end, my daughter.
I offer you this last
chance to save your life
and perhaps your throne.
- Your demands come too late, Benakon.
- Take him!
(dramatic music)
Have no fear.
We hold the Queen as
hostage for our safety.
(men grunting)
(dramatic music)
And now, Tumos, it is your finish.
(arrow thwacks)
(Benakon shrieks)
- My father, if only your
ambition had been to be a father
when I needed you so much.
(Nefertiti crying)
(somber music)
- Tenet.
- Tenet.
Tenet.
How far in the past it all seems now.
- My Queen.
- Tumos, to you I owe
my life and my throne.
Both will be a great burden to me.
- Tenet, no.
Nefertiti.
Now you are Egypt.
And we will remember
the Tenet of yesterday.
(dramatic instrumental music)