King Tut: The Face of Tutankhamun

King Tut: The Face of Tutankhamun (1992, A&E, $79.95 for 4-tape set) The king lives! Tutankhamun is the Elvis of antiquity, an icon with a sensational afterlife lending itself to enormous commercial potential. After British archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed the pharaoh's tomb in 1922, Tutmania infused everything from fashion to toiletries. Tut was resurrected 50 years later, begetting the museum megashow, acrimonious debates about colonialism, and an inspired Steve Martin routine. He even surfaced as a Cold War pawn: In the '70s Nixon and Kissinger made Egyptian president Anwar Sadat promise that the U.S. Tutankhamun museum tour would comprise more cities and more treasures than the Soviet one. Less interesting for its archaeology than for its social history, this series shines brightest when it reveals our own reflections in Tut's golden visage. B-Susan Chumsky