'Mummies'
PITTSBURGH — During Ancient Egypt's reign in northern Africa, thousands of people were prepared for the afterlife through mummification, an amazing embalming process that preserved the bodies for more than 2,000 years.
"Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs," opening Friday, in the Rangos Omnimax Theater at Carnegie Science Center, brings to life the wonders and mysteries of ancient Egypt and explores the amazing process of mummification.
The worldwide curiosity about mummification is an age-old phenomenon as enduring as the mummies themselves. In "Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs," filmgoers can marvel at the sight of these human time capsules, preserved by techniques and ingredients rediscovered in only the last 15 years.
Narrated by actor Christopher Lee, star of the original 1959 film "The Mummy," this IMAX film unravels some of the mysteries enshrouding the ancient royal mummies, explores how they were embalmed and where they were hidden, and recreates the dramatic story of their recovery — an Indiana Jones-type tale of tomb-raiders and hidden treasure.
Featuring top researchers such as Egyptologists Dr. Bob Brier and Dr. Zahi Hawass (head of Egypt's antiquities), and DNA scientist Angelique Corthals, the film also embarks on a genetic analysis of mummies that could have implications for the study of modern human diseases.Filmed by award-winning director Keith Melton and renowned cinematographer Reed Smoot, "Mummies" features breathtaking panoramas and stunning locations with lavish sets and period recreations that immerse viewers in different eras in Egyptian history."Mummies" takes viewers on a journey back thousands of years to explore why mummification was so vital to ancient Egyptian life. The film then leaps ahead to the 1800s, dramatically recreating the events surrounding the late 19th century discovery of a cache of 40 royal mummies, including 12 Kings of Egypt, in a single tomb.Among them were three of the greatest pharaohs that ever lived; the legendary Rameses the Great — considered to be the pharaoh of the Exodus and perhaps the only face the world can see from the Bible — his father Seti I, and his son. Prior to that, not even one pharaoh had ever been found. Believed by many to be the ultimate archeological find, it was uncovered a full four decades before Howard Carter found the intact tomb of the boy-king, Tutankhamen.Interwoven throughout the film's historic narrative is a modern-day forensic story. More than a decade ago, Dr. Brier and a colleague used the clues he had assembled to perform the first human mummification in the Egyptian style since the time of the pharaohs.
Now, in the film, he and a DNA specialist check in on the progress of that modern mummy and conduct key genetic testing.The Carnegie Science Center features hundreds of hands-on exhibits, three live demonstration theaters, a four-story IMAX® Dome theater, an interactive full-dome digital planetarium, a science-of sport exhibition, a Cold War submarine moored on Pittsburgh's Ohio River, and a world-renowned model railroad display.The Science Center is at One Allegheny Avenue on Pittsburgh's North Shore next to Heinz Field.For more information, call 412-237-3400 or visit the Web site, www.CarnegieScienceCenter.org.
