"The Making of Luxor" (1994)

A neat historic and exclusive look at the famous pyramid still standing in Las Vegas.

👤 Kris Caballero 📅 Sep 08, 2023 🗨 0 comments 📂 VHS Reviews

You can't get any more exclusive than casino history, and Luxor is no exception. You're looking at an actual videotape release in the making of Luxor, the designs, the development and the ideas integrated as more than just another themed casino located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The man behind Luxor was William G. Bennett who acquired Circus Circus, then went forward in opening the Excalibur. He and Circus Circus Enterprises, Inc. set plans in developing an Egypt-themed hotel and casino on a 47-acre land not too far from Excalibur. The documentary went on to cover the development of the attraction filled with special effects, 3D animation and designs done in the making of the casino—in other words, it wasn't just a place to gamble but included areas deemed family and tourist friendly.

Talking about that part, I couldn't help but smile at the classic "retro" computers in usage while designers were working in collaboration with the project. If you're a graphic designer of any level, or a video editor, you may notice and recognize some of the software and animations used in their projects. Oh, and if you're a huge fan/collector of computer keyboards, you will see an IBM in action. Lastly, for those who still swear by CRT monitors, yes, you will see a lot of them on this presentation as a great trip done memory lane, technologically speaking. As a computer geek, it was a joy to glance at.

"Luxor is probably the most spectacular architectural statement in the world today, I think. It's a destination. It's the most high-tech evolution of accomodation of entertainment and gaming."
— Clyde Turner, President of Circus Circus Enterprises, Inc.

While majority of the film talked about the special effects and the actors involved, along with the creation of the tour attractions, you'll learn and find that the Luxor's 2,500 slot machines, hotel rooms, and a Sphinx made with 35 tons of ice made this one of the most exciting openings in casino history. The casino floor is 100,000 square feet and was completed in 18 months, and given its high-tech features, it's no wonder this place was highly anticipated. So much excitement and lots of hype, as former Nevada governor Bob Miller congratulated all who contributed and made this project what it is today. Bennett then proceeds to flip the switch to show the iconic light beam atop the pyramid, which according to narrator Eric Conger, the switch was flipped on October 14, 1993 at 6:45PM. Amazing! You then get first-hand reactions to Luxor's attraction and theme park-like rides from patrons. After a few final words about the casino overall, swearing they will never close—we hope not!—the film ends with credits.

As you can tell from the fourth picture on the image carousel above, this release comes in both the large and regular-sized spool tapes. Both play similarly but wanted to make mention, for all you VHS collectors out there.


(Click image above to watch the full documentary here at KCU + Plus!)

Perhaps it's me, having grown up in Nevada visiting my grandmother time and time again since birth, that films showcasing casino history excites me. It's a history you don't often learn anywhere else making it exclusive to those who work in the industry, local residents, current and/or former employees and more. As someone who prides himself being a retro video gamer and PC gamer, it's fun diving into the casino games, casino venues and what makes a casino run the way it is. Granted, such topic isn't for everyone, but as someone who very much marks Las Vegas as his second home, releases like this make me happy to watch, learn, be entertained and to add in my collection. Giving its niche target audience, if you're someone who like rare and exclusive releases like this, in relation to personal nostalgia, or just like anything related to casinos, I highly recommend this! The film was done and edited well, and the content was presented and told directly with none of the boring stuff. At under 30 minutes, this shouldn't take much of your time.

Thank you, Scott Morris, Circus Circus Enterprises and the entire Luxor staff for putting this together! Well done!

PROFILE
Title	The Making of Luxor
Description	The Making of Luxor is an entertaining and informative film about the building of the Luxor Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, and the creation of its hi-tech attractions by Hollywood special effects expert, Douglas Trumbull. Look behind-the-scenes at the construction of the 30-story glass pyramid, and see how spectacular miniatures, special effects photography and engineering techniques are combined to provide audiences with cutting-edge entertainment experiences. From pre-planning through grand opening day, The Making of Luxor reveals why Luxor is being called "the eighth wonder of the world."
ISBN / Bar Code number	4 77777 13472 4
Video Format	1.33:1 (4:3) / Full screen
Audio Format	Stereo
Tape Count	One (1)
Genre	Documentary / Special
Run Time	28 minutes. Actual time: 0:28:37
Language(s)	English
Subtitles	--
Closed Captioning	???
Rated	--
VHS Release	1994 (???)
Specification	Color
Produced by	Scott Morris Productions, Inc. New York City || Circus Circus Enterprises
Cover Design	Sarah Chabon
Cover Photo	Neal Lauron
Production / Company	Scott Morris Productions, Inc. New York City || Circus Circus Enterprises
Product / Item Number	???
Copyright	© 1994 Circus Circus Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Other Formats	???
Quoted Reviews	--
Other	WARNING: Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for unauthorized reproduction, distribution or exhibition of copyrighted motion pictures, videotapes or video discs. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and may contribute a felony with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.

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