"Nefertiti watches how her beloved Thutmosis is being embalmed by the priests with a hardened expression on her face. Slowly he disappears behind the bandages, his eyes fixed on Nefertiti, who has to witness his desperation and his tears without being able to help him. Her chest trembles; she struggles for her self-control. The priests seal the coffin. Right before the tomb is closed two of the soldiers add the bust of Nefertiti that Thutmosis made to it. Thutmosis gives a muffled cry out of the coffin while the priests wall up the tomb. Nefertiti merely keeps her posture with great difficulty. Then the tomb is closed. At night Nefertiti sits alone and desperate in front of the wall behind which Thutmosis is buried. Now she’s not pharaoh, only a mourning woman; a woman who swears eternal revenge to the murderers of her lover ..."
Short summary part 1: The wife of the pharaoh
The first part of the film-project starts full of action with a nightmare-sequence in which the Hebrew people try to save themselves from capture by fleeing into the torrential Nile. The army of the Nubic king Suppilul encircles them. A family escapes into a boat, which, however, capsizes. All passengers drown with the exception of a little boy. A basket from the boat is washed up on the Egyptian shore, where the young pharaoh Amenhoteb, who has observed everything, pulls it ashore. After having unravelled the rags from the bundle in the basket he beholds a small, crying child with an amulet around the neck: Nefertiti.
It is Amenhoteb who relives this moment in which he saves Nefertiti in his nightmare. Now, twenty-five years later, it is she who dries his forehead from the fever-sweat. She still has got the amulet around her neck. In the first third of part 1 of our film, the audience finds out that Nefertiti (25) is about to marry Amenhoteb (60) out of love and gratitude for her rescue. Akhenaten (31), the athletic son of Amenhoteb doesn't approve this. He too loves Nefertiti; the woman who grew up by his side and was able to enjoy the same privileges and education as he the son of the king did. Nefertiti’s best friend is her governess and lady’s maid Nechbet (55). She is a substitute for Nefertiti’s mother. Again and again Nefertiti suffers from the ignorance of who her parents are. Not knowing her descent is a long-term-problem of Nefertiti’s. Amenhoteb doesn’t tell her anything and neither does Nechbet – except for the clue that the amulet will smoothen out the way to her family when the time is right.
Repeatedly, Nefertiti negotiates between father and son. They don’t get along because of Akhenaten’s tendency to the fine arts and his faith in a different god (Aton) than the one Amenhoteb honours (the official god Amun). Eje, the beautiful high priestess of Amun, logically stands on Amenhoteb’s side and despises Akhenaten for his heretic ideas of a renewal of the kingdom and the religion. The fact that Akhenaten wants to abolish human sacrifice rituals, makes Eje (45) fear for her power and influence over the people. And of course she doesn’t want the people to stop paying taxes to the priests once Amun isn’t official god anymore. Together with Akhenaten, Nefertiti attends a human sacrifice ceremony, which confirms her aversion to rituals of that kind.
Akhenaten has a secret affair with his slave, the young May (20). But this doesn’t change the fact that Akhenaten loves Nefertiti and has a hard time accepting that he will loose her to his father through their marriage. When Suppilul (40), the aggressive and power-hungry king of the neighbouring country Nubia, as well as other guests, arrive for the wedding-ceremony, everything turns out differently than expected: Amenhoteb dies from a heart-attack during a harsh dispute with Akhenaten. The insecurity among the guests is great, mainly among the kings and tribal chieftains of the neighbouring countries; first and foremost Tuschratta, pharaoh of Mitanni which is devoted to Egypt.
They fear the end of the political balance provided by Egypt with its army and Amenhoteb politics and like that for their future and freedom. Suppilul pretends to be peaceful on the outside. But no one trusts him. After the death of his father, Akhenaten is crowned pharaoh. He announces the departure into a new era, the thorough reform of Egypt and the abolishment of human sacrifices. Eje swears that she won’t let this happen. During Amenhoteb’s funeral a dispute breaks out between Akhenaten and Suppilul about the treatment of Nefertiti. She‘s not allowed to attend the funeral. Suppilul, who’s enchanted by Nefertiti’s charm, leaves Egypt in annoyance. He doesn’t take Akhenaten seriously in other matters as well. It is met with approval under the people that Akhenaten proposes to Nefertiti afterwards. Numerous young men adore Nefertiti. But she doesn’t show any interest in them and doesn’t even notice their worship. To deep is the sadness about the loss of Amenhoteb. Only out of loyalty to Egypt she agrees to marry Akhenaten and this hurts him deeply.
Besides that there’s someone whose intentions have become clearer and clearer to Nefertiti in the course of various meetings: Thutmosis (30), the sculptor, who has been in love with Nefertiti from their first meeting on and is responsible for the decoration of the wedding on behalf of Amenhoteb. Thutmosis friend, the smart merchant Halef tries to persuade him that he has got no chances to get with Nefertiti. But Thutmosis doesn’t give up hope. Nefertiti feels that she’s found the love of her life in him. She marries Akhenaten and spends a wedding-night without passion with him but gives her heart to Thutmosis.
Five years later. Egypt is well. Thutmosis, meanwhile supreme sculptor of the country, has modernized the palace, establishes art-schools and creates a whole new style of art, which enjoys Akhenaten’s admiration. Akhenaten and Thutmosis have become friends, which is not very easy for Thutmosis because of his affair with Nefertiti. Besides the official god Amun, the religion of Aton, the god that Nefertiti and Akhenaten worship, has been established. Eje, the high priestess, apparently has come to terms with this compromise. Akhenaten enjoys a reputation of a tactical, cunning politician with a healthy distrust of his advisers. His marriage, on the other hand, only fulfils its duties. Nefertiti has given him three daughters. But she fears that Akhenaten might expose her as an adulteress. She doesn’t want to consider Thutmosis’ suggestion to leave Egypt. She has developed to an acknowledged ruler at Akhenaten’s side and takes care of the education of the youth.
But a stroke of fate spoils the good life at court: Maketaten, the second-oldest of her three daughters dies. Nefertiti believes that the death of her child is the price for her love to Thutmosis. Thutmosis manages to free Nefertiti from her grief. Akhenaten is of no help. He is pharaoh, he says, and not supposed to mourn. The personal physician diagnoses that Akhenaten’s daughter died from the same cardiac defect than Amenhoteb.
Akhenaten loves to talk over his political and religious visions with Thutmosis during long rides through the desert. He doesn’t want to hear about the worries of his advisers because of his neglect of the foreign policy. He believes in the irrefutable power of Egypt, which makes his country and its allies unassailable.
His thoughts rank around the construction of a new capital, by means of which he wants to build a home for his god Aton and like that elevate him to the new official religion. The idea for the construction of Akhetaten is born. Eje, the high priestess of Amun, is completely against this and makes use of her spy Paranefer – a servant, who in the meanwhile has worked up his way to the position as Akhenaten’s cup bearer, to foil Akhenaten’s plans. Paranefer, who already served Amenhoteb, walks freely in the private rooms of the pharaoh and now serves Akhenaten. With the help of Paranefer, Eje has Akhenaten’s lover May, the slave, kidnapped and brutally tortured by her two closest priests until he promises to help her ruining the plans for Akhetaten. Eje wants to reveal the shameful affair of Akhenaten and May prior to the voting about Akhetaten. As a result, Nefertiti and Akhetaten would be removed from there office, Akhetaten wouldn’t be build and her own position of supremacy would be kept. But the intrigue fails. Nechbet, Nefertiti’s long-standing lady’s maid and former governess finds out about it and kills May just before his hearing in front of the high council. Then she kills herself. Eje has to realize that she hasn’t only lost her witness but also the fight for her future. She disappears from one day to the other.
This way, Akhenaten wins the political struggle for Akhetaten but loses Nefertiti’s affection. She blames him for Nechbets’ death. Now, her heart belongs entirely to Thutmosis. All the more after this second stroke of fate, because the death of her long-standing, intimate friend Nechbet affects her profoundly. For her, it’s almost like losing her mother. The old conflict concerning her unknown descent breaks out again. Thutmosis is very worried about Nefertiti.
Akhenaten can tell that something’s wrong with Thutmosis but he doesn’t ask for the reason. He only wants to know why there’s no woman in Thutmosis’ life. But Thutmosis remains silent and doesn’t reveal what is under the covered easels in his studio as well. Akhenaten mustn't find out who is portrayed on them. Nefertiti and Akhenaten lead a marriage, which is seemingly intact and in accordance with their status as royal couple; but Nefertiti doesn’t fulfil her conjugal duties anymore. Akhenaten is very angry about this. He changes, loses his friendly nature and becomes more irascible. He buries himself in his work on the construction of the new capital. He’s still not interested in the political relations to the neighbouring countries regardless of the advices of his counsellors. Meanwhile, Nefertiti struggles with herself. Thutmosis makes the suggestion to leave the country over and over again. But she resists despite her passionate love for him. She is happy to have found a home in Egypt. This is all the more important to her because she doesn’t know anything about her true descent. The country has been good to her; she doesn’t want to let it down and wants to take her duties seriously.
Eje, on the other hand, arrives in Nubia at the court of Suppilul, who is known as a conqueror and ruler craving for power. At first glance Eje realizes that in Suppilul’s kingdom the military is the most important section of the population. Eje and Suppilul quickly understand that they have common interests concerning Egypt. In Egypt worries spread about what may have happened to Eje and her disappearance is considered a bad omen. Eje and Suppilul hatch dark plans together with his team of advisers.
Ahmosis (37), the representative of the Hebrew people, who are imprisoned in Nubia, is among those who Suppilul trusts. The thin man wears the same amulet around the neck as Nefertiti and represents the Hebrew people in the country.
Suppilul and a part of his soldiers march into Egypt and catch Akhenaten’s palace-guards totally by surprise. This is a rude awakening, but Nefertiti proves to be a good diplomat. When she realizes that Eje is the one who brought Suppilul into the country, she is warned. With great political skill she dispels Suppilul’s fear that a radical change of religion in Egypt may lead to difficulties in his country Nubia. Suppilul claims that this fear is the reason for his coming. He still feels the fascination for Nefertiti, which he already felt five years earlier at Amenhoteb’s funeral. This makes it easy for Nefertiti to convince him that he and his country need not fear danger from Egypt. Suppilul follows Nefertiti’s suggestions and seems to be satisfied. Nefertiti has Akhenaten called back from his journey to Amarna, the construction site of Akhetaten and arranges a banquet for Suppilul. A time of harmony follows, but Suppilul is up to something completely different.
Ahmosis, the lean Hebrew who is one of Suppilul's advisers, recognizes the amulet around Nefertiti’s neck as the counterpart to the one around his own. When Ahmosis reveals to Nefertiti that he is her brother she is beside herself with joy and forgets all caution. She is glad to finally have the chance to learn something about her descent. Eje’s closest priests discover the affair of Nefertiti and Thumosis. Nefertiti starts looking for a way to help her people out of the imprisonment by Suppilul. With the best intentions she makes a mistake of serious consequences. She asks Suppilul to put the Hebrew people at her disposal for the completion of Egypt. Suppilul agrees immediately. He’s overjoyed. This way, he can undermine Egypt with his spies. Soon afterwards the Hebrew people march to Egypt. No one notices, that a large number of figures vanish from the crowd of people and hide in Eje’s temple. They are the first of Suppilul's soldiers, who are supposed to start disturbances in Egypt. Eje is Suppilul's ally, whose Army Commander Ramses foretells Akhenaten’s soon end.
While searching for Thutmosis, Akhenaten discovers what is under the covered easels in his studio. Now he knows who the woman in Thutmosis’ life is. He trembles with fury about the deception, but removes the evidences of his rage.
Nefertiti is under pressure too: Eje reveals to her that she knows about her affair with Thutmosis and that Nefertiti is now under her control. Meanwhile Akhenaten orders Thutmosis to follow him into the desert. Suppilul, who in the meantime is back in Nubia, talks, besides others in front of his both sons Zannanza and Tutanchamun, about finally destroying Nefertiti’s and Akhenaton’s kingdom. With a powerful blow of his sword he tears a map of Egypt into two pieces ...
Short Summary Part 2: War/Fight for Egypt
Disturbances break out in Egypt. Arson attacks shake the country. Nefertiti remembers Eje’s threats of having her – Nefertiti- under control. She consults Army Commander Maja and General Haremhab to find a solution. In her speeches to the people the high priestess Eje announces that the disturbances are consequences of a blasphemy coming from the pharaoh and his wife.
In El Amarna, the site of Akhetaten, a huge tent-city has been created. The Hebrews and workers who are building Akhetaten live in it, below the statues dedicated to Aton. Like an ant-colony the men carry the material from the close by alabaster-quarry to the construction site of each of the houses. It is a gigantic, impressive building site where 800.000 men work. The cleverly simple type of construction speeds up the completion of the city exceedingly, streets are made up and the first roofs are completed.
Akhenaten and Thutmosis are in one of the particularly comfortable royal tents. Paranefer, Akhenaten’s cup bearer, is responsible for the wellbeing of the king. Smenkhkare, a young man of noble birth, is Akhenaten’s right hand on the spot. Akhenaten’s state of health is critical. But driven by an unrestrained will, the pharaoh discusses his wishes for alteration concerning the plans of Akhetaten with the present experts. He includes Thutmosis in the conversations, too, but his manners with the friend and co-creator of Akhetaten are not friendly anymore but cold and distant. All this appears to cost Akhenaten a lot of power; he seems fidgety and overtired. Thutmosis knows that something’s wrong but doesn’t say anything and dedicates himself to the construction work. His students from Theben have already started to furnish the palace. Thutmosis gets to know Ahmosis better, Nefertiti’s brother. Ahmosis leads the Hebrews in Akhetaten as counsellor of Suppilul and is glad that, with the construction of Akhetaten, Nefertiti is smoothing out the way into a better future for him and his people. After the completion of the city, the Hebrew people want to return into freedom instead of returning to Nubia.
A day full of good deals ends horribly for Halef. A horde of rioting men attacks the bazaar in Theben. The bloody massacre costs a lot of human lives. That of Half’s wife Putschife, too. When Thutmosis hears that the wife of his friend Halef is among the victims of the disturbances, he wants to stand by him. Akhenaten, who is still very cold to him, lets him go but gives him instructions to create a portrayal of Nefertiti in Theben, so her beauty can last for eternity. Thutmosis is sceptical but promises to fulfil the wish. Over and above that, Akhenaten assigns Thutmosis his right hand Smenkhkare as bodyguard. But Smenkhkare has orders to shadow Thutmosis around the clock. Thutmosis proposes a talk from friend to friend but Akhenaten rejects this. Ahmosis asks Thutmosis to give Nefertiti and General Haremhab the message that men disappear from the site again and again and hands him letters for Nefertiti, who is overjoyed to see Thutmosis in Theben. A passionate night of love follows. She’s also glad about the letters from Ahmosis and their content; finally she finds out who her parents were and her relatives are. She learns a lot about her brother’s life and his advancement into the team of advisers of Suppilul as well. But she, too, has no explanation for the disturbances or for Akhenaten’s change of mood.
She’s happy about Akhenaten’s order for a portrayal of her. This way Thutmosis stays at court in Theben, even though he asks himself why he’s not supposed to be in Akhetaten in this important phase of construction. He stays sceptical. Neither one notices that they are being shadowed by Smenkhkare. In between times, Thumosis comforts Halef who mourns for his wife and encourages him, considering the business-prospects in the new capital, to move to Akhetaten with his children.
In Nubia, Army Commander Ramses gives his king Supilul report on the progress of the construction in Akhetaten , which runs according to plan. The brick-buildings grow quickly and the palace unfolds in never known splendour. Suppilul sends his son Tutanchamun to Theben to give Eje the order to prepare the people of Egypt for a rule of Zannanza, Suppilul’s first-born son, after Akhenaten’s death. Theben is supposed to stay capital. Tutanchamun delivers this order to Eje but she decides to become pharaoh herself. When Tutanchamun visits Nefertiti to congratulate her in the name of his father to the successful course of the construction works of Akhetaten, he falls in love with her. But she turns him away. Soon afterwards Tutanchamun discovers the affair of Nefertiti and Thutmosis, while she sits for Thutmosis, who has decided for the format of a bust. But Tutanchamun discovers that Smenkhkare shadows Thutmosis, as well.
Eje, inspired by the idea of becoming high priestess and pharaoh, orders Bot to travel to Akhetaten, so he can supervise that everything proceeds after tried and tested model. After this, Akhenaten gets worse and worse; he doesn’t suspect that Paranefer works for Eje and is killing him with slow poison which he adds to his food. He is not interested in the disturbances in Theben; he relies on General Haremhab and Army Commander Maja. He has a capital to finish to please Aton. But the disturbances spread. The population falls into turmoil. Nefertiti tries everything lying in her political power to calm down the Egyptians. At night she works with Thutmosis on the bust in his studio to fulfil Akhenaten’s order. They enjoy some wonderful, unspoiled months together despite the disturbances. Meanwhile, Akhenaten supervises the last works on Akhetaten, completely obsessed by the thought of fulfilling his mission for Aton and like that finishing the thorough reform of religion in Egypt. Couriers, who are sent to him by Smenkhkare, provide Akhenaten with all information about Nefertiti and Thutmosis, while Akhetaten is facing its completion. Akhenaten becomes ever bitterer, even though he can look down on his completed new capital.
When, one morning, Tuschratta, king of Mitanni, arrives seriously wounded in front of the palace in Akhetaten, Akhenaten learns from the dying king that Suppilul has not only just conquered Mitanni, but is also responsible for the disturbances in Egypt.
Egypt is the next country that Suppilul wants to conquer. Ahmosis, Nefertiti’s brother convinces Akhenaten to travel to Theben immediately, considering the imminent danger. He, Ahmosis, wants to accompany him. Even though not very far, the journey turns out to be complicated because of Akhenaton’s weak health.
Ahmosis discovers why Akhenaten is feeling so bad and exposes Paranefer as the one who is poisoning the pharaoh. Akhenaten, full of rage, summons all his strength and kills Paranefer after a violent sword-fight.
From now on Akhenaten sees but traitors around him. He hurries to Theben, to Nefertiti and Thutmosis who are working on the bust in the studio. Nefertiti
feels insecure about Akhenaten’s sudden appearance. When he once more insists on his right on a son she refuses him. She counters his fit of rage, which comes close to a rape, by reminding him how much she has helped him in making Aton the new god of Egypt. Aton is the son she has given to him. And for that son she will do even more. This calms Akhenaten down. He tells Nefertiti that Eje tried to poison him and that she presumably is working on the taking over of Egypt together with Suppilul’s soldiers.
Shortly after this Nefertiti, full of hatred, orders the destruction of all images and statues of Amun, the official god, and the deleting of his name in all inscriptions. Over and above that she orders the clearing of Theben. Akhetaten is finished; the people, civil servants, soldiers, merchants ... everyone is supposed move to the city of Aton. The move starts. Akhetaten is initiated.
Eje is beside herself with rage. She gives her soldiers, who follow the beautiful high priestess and obey her every word, the order to kill the high council. Maja dies during the bloody massacre. General Haremhab cannot do anything against the strictly organized Nubic men who defeat his soldiers from the ambush over and over again. Out of vengeance, Eje forces Tutanchamun to testify about the affair of Nefertiti and Thutmosis in public.
Akhenaten can't help himself. His doomed kingdom in mind he sentences Nefertiti and Thutmosis to death through embalmment and burying alive according with the laws, the very same evening. Nefertiti is arrested while she is with Ahmosis, who tries to help his sister, but can’t do anything against the palace-guards. Thutmosis, on the other hand, can escape the arrest. Eje goes and sees the almost mad Akhenaten and is able to poison him. The poison paralyses his muscles. Right at that moment, Thutmosis storms into the throne room, grasps the situation and wants to help Akhenaten. Eje takes the cup out of Akhenaten’s cramped hand and presses it in Thutmosis‘, who, in his confusion accepts it. When the palace-guards storms into the throne room, Eje accuses Thutmosis of the murder of Akhenaten. Akhenaten still understands the ongoing injustice but isn’t able to do anything anymore. He’s still conscious but already paralyzed. He asks Thutmosis for forgiveness with a last glance and a handshake and dies full of agony shortly after. In the meantime Akhenaten’s soldiers lose the fight against Suppilul’s drawn up army. But Ahmosis and a couple of devoted Hebrews rescue Nefertiti from the dungeon and hide her. Ahmosis contradicts the warning of an Elder not o mix up too much in Egyptian business with the fact that the Hebrews owe help to Nefertiti as one of their daughters, because she helped them as well.
Suppilul arrives in Theben and takes possession of the palace and the throne room. Ahmosis is at his side as his adviser. Akhenaten’s body is still lying on the throne with open eyes. Thutmosis is brought in by Suppilul’s soldiers. Again Eje accuses him of the murder of Akhenaten. Thutmosis contradicts in vain. Suppilul asks about Nefertiti. Eje thinks her dead and is surprised when she is brought into the throne room after a sign by Ahmosis.
Eje informs Suppilul on the death sentence that Akhenaten had already given over Nefertiti and that has to be executed. But Suppilul explains that he admires Nefertiti for what she has achieved for Egypt. He wants her to keep ruling the country by his guidelines. Eje protest energetically. She herself wants to become pharaoh of Egypt. Suppilul rejects this. But the murderer of a king has to die according to the old custom Suppilul allows a last meeting between Nefertiti and Thutmosis in the death cell. It is a long parting full of tears. Thutmosis shows strength; Nefertiti suffers terribly.
The next day Nefertiti watches how her beloved Thutmosis is being embalmed by the priests with a hardened expression on her face. Slowly he disappears behind the bandages, his eyes fixed on Nefertiti, who has to witness his desperation and his tears without being able to help him. Her chest trembles; she struggles for her self-control. The priests seal the coffin. Right before the tomb is closed two of the soldiers add the bust of Nefertiti that Thutmosis made to it. Thutmosis gives a muffled cry out of the coffin while the priests wall up the tomb. Nefertiti merely keeps her posture with great difficulty. Then the tomb is closed. At night Nefertiti sits alone and desperate in front of the wall behind which Thutmosis is buried. Now she’s not pharaoh, only a mourning woman; a woman who swears eternal revenge to the murderers of her lover.
With the funeral of Akhenaten Nofretete fulfils his last wish. She has him buried in Akhetaten and abandons Theben. Only the Amun-priests stay. Akhetaten lives. The image of Akhenaten is everywhere. Noefertiti is aware of what she owes to Akhenaten and Suppilul respects her for that.
Through a hint of Ahmosis and Pentu, the personal physician of the pharaoh-family, Nefertiti discovers that Eje is also responsible for the death of Amenhoteb and her second-born daughter. Tutanchamun helps her to take actions against Eje and proves that Eje is to blame for the death of Akhenaten as well. Eje, with the aim in mind to become pharaoh, has Zannanza, Suppilul’s son murdered on his way to Akhetaten. Suppilul’s former soldiers obey her completely and now fight against their own fellow-country-men. But she goes too far with the murder of Zannanza and sets her ally Suppilul against her.
In the following fight for Egypt, Nefertiti’s and Suppilul’s soldiers are supported by Ahmosis and the Hebrew people. Eje loses the direct fight against Nefertiti and dies in agony. But Nefertiti, too, is at the end of her powers. She retires from the throne, has Thutmosis laid to rest in a rehabilitated way with the help of Halef and gives the Hebrew people their freedom. Tutanchamun marries Meritaten, Nofretete’s first-born daughter and becomes the new pharaoh of Nubia and Egypt, while Nefertiti takes her leave of from Akhetaten forever. She disappears with a small escort into the desert. Only the stunningly beautiful bust remains ...
17.07.06
