Land of the Pharaohs

In Ancient Egypt, Pharaoh Khufu (Jack Hawkins) returns home after months in the desert having fought his fifth war in six years. During his victorious escapades he has accumulated an enormous quantity of gold. He tells his lifelong friend Hamar (Alexis Minotis), the high priest, that he wants only two things: a son by his wife Queen Nailla (Kerima), and an enormous tomb where he, Hamar, his servants, his priests and his gold will be buried for all eternity. Because he wants the tomb to be impregnable, he assigned the slave Vashtar (James Robertson Justice), an architect far superior to any Egyptian, to design it. Vashtar agree to help the pharaoh on the condition that once the pyramid-tomb is constructed, the slaves will be freed. Only Vashtar, who will know the secret to entering the tomb, will have to die. Work on the pyramid goes on for several years. Both slaves and Egyptian citizens, who were promised "a place in the land to come" though their labors, help in the construction of the massive tomb. As time passes the life of everyone in the country begins to evolve more and more around the pyramid. During this time, the queen bears the pharaoh a son, while during that same time Vashtar's son Senta (Dewey Martin) grows into manhood. The pharaoh asks every neighboring nation, from the Nubian Kingdom to the south, to the Sumateran Kingdom in the east, to send him a tribute in gold. But Cyprus sends him a beautiful young woman named Nellifer (Joan Collins) instead. Although her refusal to bow to his presence and demands angers him, she also excites him. She becomes his second wife. While the pharaoh is distracted by the progress on his pyramid, Nellifer schemes to become heir to his throne and to his enormous wealth. She wins the heart of Trenah (Sydney Chaplin) a palace guard, and together they plot to kill the pharaoh and his son. Both murder attempts fail, although Queen Nailla is killed while saving her son, and the pharaoh is injured. The sly Nellifer convinces the pharaoh that it was Treneh alone who tried to kill him and his son. The pharaoh kills Treneh but is mortally wounded himself. Instead of calling for aid, Nellifer watches him die. At the last moment, the pharaoh realizes that it was she behind his downfall. Nellifer discovers that the pharaoh's gold is in the tomb. She goes inside with pharaoh's funeral procession, intending to order the gold brought out the moment she becomes queen. However, Hamar informs her that she will be buried alive with the rest of them by saying: This is your kingdom." She falls to the ground, crying hysterically. Outside, Vashtar and Senta, whom Hamar has freed, lead their peoples from bondage.