"Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile," is a 1961 Italian movie. In Ancient Egypt, sculptor Tumos (Edmund Purdom) and Tenet (Jeanne Crain) are in love, but the high priest Benakon (Vincent Price) refuses to allow them to marry, forcing Tumos to ask his old friend, the young Pharaoh-apparent Amenophis IV, to intercede on his behalf, but when the old Pharaoh dies, Benakon ceremonially renames Tenet to Nefertiti and tricks Amenophis into marrying her instead, using threats against Tumos's life to force Nefertiti to remain quiet.
Further complicating matters is the introduction of a new monotheistic religion preaching pacifism and worship of the sun God Aten, leading to a clash between them and Benakon and the other priests of the old polytheistic religion.
Tropes:
- Badass Pacifist: Seper, the Aten worshipping priest, stares potential execution by Amenophis's soldiers without batting an eye, and manages to plead for the freedom of his worshippers in the new Egypt. He is even able to convert Amenophis.
- Driven to Suicide: Amenophis, aka Akhenaten, falls on his sword during the siege of the palace.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Amenophis, in a fit of mental disorder, unwittingly attacks Tumos near the beginning of the movie. Tumos's reaction implies this is not the first time he has done such a thing.
