''The Dancer of the Nile'' is a 1923 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

William P.S. Earle William Pitt Striker Earle (December 28, 1882 – November 30, 1972) was an American director of the silent film era. He attended Columbia University and worked for a time as a photographer before breaking into the movie business by sneaking o ...

and starring

Carmel Myers Carmel Myers (April 9, 1899 – November 9, 1980) was an American actress who achieved her greatest successes in silent film. Early life Myers was born in San Francisco, the daughter of Isidore Myers, a Russian-Jewish rabbi who was born in ...

Malcolm McGregor Malcolm McGregor (October 13, 1892 – April 29, 1945) was an American actor of the silent era. McGregor appeared in more than 50 films between 1922 and 1936. He was born in Newark, New Jersey and died in Hollywood, California. A cross bet ...

, and

Sam De Grasse Samuel Alfred De Grasse (June 12, 1875 – November 29, 1953) was a Canadian actor. He was the uncle of cinematographer Robert De Grasse. Biography Samuel Alfred De Grasse was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick to Lange De Grasse (1828–1891) ...

. The film was produced in response to the public fascination following the discovery of the tomb of

Tutankhamun Tutankhamun (, egy, twt-ꜥnḫ-jmn), Egyptological pronunciation Tutankhamen () (), sometimes referred to as King Tut, was an Egyptian pharaoh who was the last of his royal family to rule during the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty (ruled ...

in November 1922.

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, an Egyptian Princess is infatuated with Karmet, a Syrian prince who is disguised as a merchant. He, however, loves Arvia, a dancer. The Princess plots to sacrifice Arvia to the sacred crocodiles. Arvia is saved by her father and united to Karmet. The princess weds Prince Tut, who afterwards becomes King of Egypt.

Cast

Production

To give the film an authentic historical look, the film used

double exposures ''Double Exposures'' (A.K.A. ''Alibi Breaker'') is a 1937 British crime film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring David Langton, Julien Mitchell and Ruby Miller. It was made at Shepperton Studios as a quota quickie. (David Langton is cr ...

on detailed paintings with blacked areas where actors would be added, and by filming through transparent painted glass for the background settings. Originally titled ''Tutankhamen'' and produced after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in November 1922, distributors in belief that public interest in the Egyptian king had waned requested a change in the title and plot.Corlett p. 239 As a result, the film was edited to change its focus from Prince Tut to the dancer Arvia.

Preservation

With no copies of ''The Dancer of the Nile'' located in any film archives,Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: ''The Dancer of the Nile''
/ref> it is a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

References

Bibliography

* * * Munden, Kenneth White (1997). ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1''. University of California Press.

External links

* * 1923 films 1923 drama films 1920s English-language films American silent feature films Silent American drama films American black-and-white films Film Booking Offices of America films Films directed by William P. S. Earle 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub