SPHINX (1981) – Scream Factory

[Mose Harper]

This was about the last movie I expected to be on sale during it's release week- so of course I ended up paying almost $5 more than I needed to, just because I was sure I wouldn't find a good deal on it till fall or winter, and really wanted to see it again during the summer.

schmuck.

[albert_m2]

Originally Posted by Mose Harper

This was about the last movie I expected to be on sale during it's release week- so of course I ended up paying almost $5 more than I needed to, just because I was sure I wouldn't find a good deal on it till fall or winter, and really wanted to see it again during the summer.

schmuck.

Me too.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by Aunt Peg

I recall when the film was initially released that one critic (can't remember who) simply said 'Sphinx Stinks'. (They weren't wrong but I can never resist a Lesley Anne Down film).

Funny this announcement coming the same day as I saw Francois Ozon's Summer of 85 in which the lead character is fascinated by death and has a film poster in his bedroom of a film from the 1980's with a mummy on the poster. I wasn't sure what it was at first but when it turned up a second time in a scene it was clearly The Awakening (1980).

I remember that as well.... I'm pretty sure more than one critic used that comment....

[DukeTogo84]

I actually enjoyed this one way more than I thought I would based on the comments here. It's not a horror film at all, but I found it pretty entertaining.

[Dunemoon]

Watched it last night and enjoyed the pacing, score and 70s/80s mystery adventure novel feel/tone. Hadn't seen the film since the 80s.

[DMRI2006]

So the movie was Dolby Stereo and the VHS is Hifi Stereo....and Shout's Blu-Ray is mono.

Pathetic.

EDIT - Site review is erroneous!

[Wtdk]

Sounds like an appropriate double feature with “The Keep”

[The Workaholic]

Originally Posted by DMRI2006

So the movie was Dolby Stereo and the VHS is Hifi Stereo....and Shout's Blu-Ray is mono.

Pathetic.

The soundtrack on my copy is definitely in stereo. The reviewer is wrong.

[Wtdk]

https://siskelebert.org/?p=7390

I like Ebert’s comment on the film.

[DMRI2006]

Originally Posted by The Workaholic

The soundtrack on my copy is definitely in stereo. The reviewer is wrong.

I just opened up my copy and you're right on, it's completely stereo. That review needs to be corrected.

[DrrnHarr]

Originally Posted by Aunt Peg

I recall when the film was initially released that one critic (can't remember who) simply said 'Sphinx Stinks'. (They weren't wrong but I can never resist a Lesley Anne Down film).

Here’s hoping “Rough Cut” (1980), which paired Lesley Anne Down with Burt Reynolds and David Niven gets a release in some format other than VHS

[Aunt Peg]

Originally Posted by DrrnHarr

Here’s hoping “Rough Cut” (1980), which paired Lesley Anne Down with Burt Reynolds and David Niven gets a release in some format other than VHS

My most wanted Lesley Ann Down film is The Betsy (1978).

"The Harold Robbins women. What you say, they do". The Betsy is such a hoot on so many levels and the cast is to die for.

[DrrnHarr]

This is a movie that has long been on my guilty pleasure list after I saw it on British TV in the early 1980s. Primarily because of the cast.

[edmonddantes]

Originally Posted by Aunt Peg

My most wanted Lesley Ann Down film is The Betsy (1978).

"The Harold Robbins women. What you say, they do". The Betsy is such a hoot on so many levels and the cast is to die for.

I remember reading the betsy in my forbidden books phase when I was a teenager. It was trash but had a couple of very sexy passages, I mean at that age almost anything is sexy.

At that time lesley ann down and jane seymour were probably my two biggest crushes, thankfully I never knew there was a movie adaptation of the betsy with lesley ann down, that'd been bad for my health and development.

As for this one, I got it and Im saving it for a rainy day. My expectations are kind of low but it has three big things going for it: lesley, its about old egypt and has a michael j lewis score.

[DrrnHarr]

Originally Posted by edmonddantes

At that time lesley ann down and jane seymour were probably my two biggest crushes, thankfully I never knew there was a movie adaptation of the betsy with lesley ann down, that'd been bad for my health and development

I think a lot of people had a crush on Lesley Anne Down. At the age of 15 she had already been voted as “Britain’s Most Beautiful Teenager”

[x5gb]

+1 on Rough Cut + The Betsy, some of most wanted.

[edmonddantes]

don't think I liked anything in this, other than michael j lewis score, langella's performance, and that it was about ancient egypt, but the rest was awful. I didnt even like how lesley ann down looked, I dont think that hair color and style suited her the best.

Franklin j schaffner was a very good director, this has to be his worst movie by a country mile. He tried to add a little humor but the tone its all over the place, theres a joke, and 2 minutes later theres

[Show spoiler]a very serious scene where a policeman tries to rape lesley ann down

, it felt so disjointed.

Wasn't crazy about shout edition either, almost no extras.

Frankly, unless you're an egyptologist (of which Im not sure how faithful or respectful this movie is) I'd say pass on this one. It really is a bad movie, and 2 hours long

[Resident Evil Labs]

Picked this up on the sale, hope it's good.

[Lurtz6]

Gave this a spin the other night - I came in with high hopes that it might be a hidden gem but sadly I have to echo the general sentiment that while the visuals (and score!) are gorgeous and an awesome time capsule to 1980 Egypt, the plot is near incomprehensible with only a few tomb setpieces and anemic action scenes to carry it along. Frank Langella was fun I guess.

I wish the blu had some extras, even just a historian commentary as I'd love to know how exactly this muddled mess came together.