Omar
Sharif features in 大象传媒 ONE's Pyramid
The
大象传媒 announced today that legendary Egyptian actor Omar Sharif is
to be the voice of Nakht, the central character in Pyramid - 大象传媒
ONE's ambitious history programme which airs on Monday 28 October
at 9.00pm.
The programme tells the story of the Great Pyramid of Giza through
the eyes of the men who built it and centres on the tale of Nakht
an Egyptian conscript.
Pyramid
is one of the most ambitious and visually stunning history projects
ever made by the 大象传媒 and employs the cinematic production values
of a feature film to bring the construction of this extraordinary
Egyptian monument to life.
It is shot entirely on location on 35mm and uses complex state-of-the
art special effects, produced by Mill TV - the Oscar award-winning
company who created the special effects for Gladiator.
During
his recording session for Pyramid, Omar Sharif said: "I grew
up in Cairo and it's a family tradition among Cairenes [people who
live in Cairo] to visit the pyramids.
"I
can remember clearly the first time I went to Giza as a boy, and
being simply overwhelmed by the vastness of what I saw.
"So
vast and so stark. There's a line in the script for Pyramid which
describes it well. Mountains, but mountains made by men.
That's exactly how they seemed to me."
After
an abortive career in the family lumber business Sharif appeared
in over 20 films in his native Egypt before embarking on an international
screen career with movies such as Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago
and Funny Girl.
"I
have lived away from Egypt for many years now, though I still go
back. But the importance of the pyramids will never leave me,"
he said.
"For every modern Egyptian they are an immense source of pride.
No matter what happens to our nation, even when Egypt may fall on
hard times, we can never be ignored.
"The world will always beat a path to Egypt's door because
of our monuments, and the most magnificent of them all is Khufu's
pyramid, the Great Pyramid, at Giza.
"This is an eternal legacy for the world, for all time, something
that can never be taken away.
"I
am proud of it, very proud. It's the real reason I am so happy to
be involved with this programme."
Omar
Sharif's character Nakht is not a real historical figure, but every
aspect of his life is based on the most up-to-date findings of archaeology:
the journey he travels, the clothes he wears, the tasks he's assigned.
Pyramid's
Emmy award-winning producer Jonathan Stamp says: "Nakht's story
provides a powerful emotional focus enabling the viewer to engage
directly with the past.
"I'm
delighted that such a distinguished actor and one of the world's
most famous Egyptians has agreed to take part in this programme.
"We
learn of the hardships and the great dangers of the Pyramid builders'
world, and also of its comradeship and fulfillment.
"By
the time we have arrived at the end of Nakht's story we will understand
the Pyramid as never before."
Notes
to Editors
The
Pyramid press pack (33
KB) is available here, in . You may require Adobe Acrobat Software to read PDF files
which can be obtained .
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