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The Mummy - Special Edition (Universal Legacy Series) Posters
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Rating:  -
The monsters unleashed by Universal Pictures across the screens of America in the 1930s left an indelible impression on the American psyche that will never be forgotten, and The Mummy stands among the most memorable of all those classic monster movies. Boris Karloff simply is The Mummy, defining the role for all generations to come. Don't think he's just sleepwalking around in bandages, either; no, while he may be the prototypical mummy, he is not the hunk of animated flesh that his successors all seemed to turn into. Karloff in fact gives an impressive dramatic performance in this role. The action begins in 1922, when British Egyptologists Dr. Muller (Edward Van Sloan) and Dr. Whemple (Arthur Byron) make a potentially incredible discovery underneath the sands of Egypt. They soon identify a mummy they have recovered intact as Imhotep, but they know this is no ordinary mummy because he was not embalmed, there is evidence of his having struggled within his all-encompassing bandages, and the blessings designed to protect his voyage to the afterlife were removed before he was buried. Along with Imhotep the explorers find an intriguing box, one that carries a dire message for those who would open it. While Dr. Muller tries to convince Dr. Whemple to heed the curse and leave the box unopened, their younger associate gives in to his temptation, discovers a scroll inside, and reads from it. Hereby is Imhotep brought back to life, and the mummy shuffles off into the desert.
There is no news of Imhotep for years, and Dr. Whemple returns home vowing never to return or to speak of what he knows. Ten years later, though, his son (with a little help from a mysterious Egyptian named Ardath Bey) makes a fabulous find of his own underneath the sands, the grave and mummy of the Egyptian princess Anckesen-Amon, and so the elder Egyptologist returns to Egypt. As luck would have it, the young Dr. Whemple falls in love with Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann) a half-Egyptian girl who turns out to have a strong connection to the newly discovered mummified princess who, it turns out, just so happens to have been the object of Imhotep's love and sacrifice. The mummy, completely human in appearance now, works to raise his love from the dead with the aid of the Scroll of Thoth, and it is up to young Dr. Whemple and Dr. Muller to safeguard Helen from a fate seemingly ordained millennia ago.
The most interesting thing about this movie is the fact that the mummy only appears in the traditional, caricatured apparel of rotting old bandages at the very beginning, after which point he takes the form of a man - an eccentric one with captivatingly powerful eyes and supernatural powers, but a man nonetheless. After a spooky beginning, the movie eventually takes a detour into romance and melodrama and never fully recovers its steam. While Karloff could appear quite menacing and malevolent, he is hardly the stuff nightmares are made of. I think the story is a little weak in the last stages, but this is still a five-star film based on its fame, its immense influence on the genre, and its overall quality; for a film from 1932, this print is simply amazing in both its audio and visual quality. And, though I need not say this again, Boris Karloff gives a subtle, captivating performance as Imhotep.
Rating: -
I'm not entirely sure why, but much as I enjoy all of the Universal horror classics, for me "The Mummy" is just far and away the best, and a good part of that opinion *may* be down to Boris Karloff's superbly understated performance.
Having made the first Frankenstein film only the year before (1931) - at which time he appeared halfway down the cast list simply as "?" - by the time he came to make "The Mummy" he had been promoted to the spot ABOVE the title, as "Karloff the Uncanny". (This would have been less memorable had it not been for the fact that Karloff was actually an Englishman, and his real name was William Pratt. A number of genuine emigres from Eastern Europe were working in Hollywood at this time, and it was quite usual for them to be credited without any forename.)
As to the film itself, it is important to remember that it was made at a time when TV didn't exist, and a car chase at 60 mph was hot stuff. Though the pace may seem slow by today's standards, in its time it was a magnificent example of mounting suspense. Indeed, considering that it has a running time of only an hour and ten minutes, it actually contains a lot more plot development and characterisation than the average one hour TV programme.
I'm not going to go over the plot here, previous reviewers have already done that justice. I would, however, congratulate Universal on the excellent package of "bonus" material which makes the DVD so attractive even if you already have the film on tape.
There is the almost obligatory sets of stills and posters, plus the original trailer. What is quite unusual, and says a great deal for Universal's commitment to value, is the specially made background feature "Mummy Dearest" (a title borrowed from a rather bitter biography of Joan Crawford by her daughter, if I remember correctly), and the full length "Feature Commentary" by film historian Paul M. Jensen.
"Mummy Dearest" is full of interesting insights, including a brief resume of the discovery of King Tutenkhamun's tomb, in Egypt, which created a general fascination with ancient Egypt in both Europe and the USA, and which paved the way for this film.
It certainly explains how the original storyline, about a three hundred year old Italian mystic, Cagliostro, ended up as film about a 3,700 year old Egyptian priest called Imhotep.
Unlike Tom Weaver's rather high speed commentary on "The Wolf Man", Paul Jensen's contribution is a little more measured - but just as interesting in it's own way.
Jensen is equally interested in both the background to the film - actors' previous and subsequent work, etc. - and the actual film making process. This can seem a little irritating at first, as he seems to be simply describing what you can plainly see for yourself. But after a very little time we find that Jensen is actually highlighting the film maker's technique to show why the camera was placed 'here' rather than 'there', and how, even in 1932, Karloff and the film's director, Karl Freund, were already masters of the "less is more" technique.
So, both for the film and for the excellent package of "extras", this is definitely a worthy addition to any classic horror film fan's collection.
Highly recommended.
Rating:  -
The Mummy is a classic horror film, staring Boris Karloff. It begins when archeologists discover a mummy and a box. The box warns to not open, or else evil will come to him. The archeologist does not believe, and opens the box to discover a scroll in it. He reads it out loud, which brings the mummy back from the dead. Ten years later that mummy is searching for his reincarnated love. He performs a spell to attract her to him, and after the girl tries to find him, she is soon found to be under the spell, by a father and son team of archeologists. The son falls in love for her, and he trys to thwart the mummys plans. But the mummy soon catches her and shows her who she was back in Ancient Egypt when they were in love, and how she died, and he tried to bring her back to life, for which he was buried alive for. So now the girl is torn betweer who she really is, the old egyptian women reincarnated, or a new women. In the end she decided shes a new woman, and rejects the mummy. But the mummy has plans to murder her, and awaken her from the dead, in her turn spirit self, to live together in love, forever. It is up to the man who loves her to save her from the mummy.
Overall the film is average, and drags in a lot of spots. The story becomes more and more interesting as the film progresses but it moves very slow. The film is mostly dialog driven, and I can't see anyone enjoying this much, unless they are fans of older films, or horror films. Egyptology fans may enjoy this, as some parts are histoically acurate. I wouldnt buy this unless you are a fan, so either rent or watch on tv first. 3 stars. Check it out, if your a fan of the topics I have mentioned.
Rating: -
BY FAR UNIVERSALS GREATEST HORROR FILM! THE BEST MUSICAL SCORE OF ALL THEIR MOVIES! THE MUMMY/ARDETH BAY MAKEUP THOUGH DONE IN 1932 IS STILL AMAZING TODAY! THIS WAS MAKE-UP ARTIST JACK PIERCES GREATEST CREATION! BORIS KARLOFF GIVES HIS GREATEST AND MOST NUANCED PERFOMANCE! THIS MOVIE HAS AMAZING EGYPTIAN SET DESIGN BEAUTIFULLY RENDERED! THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE MOST ATMOSPHERIC AND DREAM-LIKE FILM MADE IN ANY GENRE! THIS MOVIE IS MORE OF A CREEPY GOTHIC ROMANCE THAN A SHEER HORROR FILM. NEVERTHELESS THE OPENING SCENE IN WHICH KARLOFFS MUMMY IS BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE IS TERRIFYING! THIS IS THE CLOSEST A FILM AS EVER COME TO POETRY! THE DVD IS EXCELLENT WITH A PRISTINE PICTURE TRANSFER! AND GREAT MENU ARTWORK! NOT TO MENTION LOTS OF GREAT EXTRAS! WATCH THIS FILM ALONE IN THE DARK AFTER MIDNIGHT FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT! ALL OTHER MUMMY MOVIES ARE FORGETTABLE B MOVIE TRASH IN COMPARISON!
Rating:  -
I noticed that there isn't a single one-star review on here. Well, there's going to be one now. I really think this deserves a negative rating, like -5 stars, but since that isn't an option, I'll simply have to opt for the lowest available.
I didn't really want to watch this movie to begin with but my dear mother wanted to give it a whirl so I figured I'd just do the same. Afterwards we both agreed that it was a total waste of time that could have been spent in such infinitely more profitable ways. First, the whole occultic aspect was sickening to me; second, the acting, script, plot, and everything else about the movie was not worth much comment except negatively. Third, pizza is best without mushrooms. In fact, every kind of food is better without mushrooms.
Mushrooms and Mummies aside, if you want to watch a good suspense or "horror" film try Fredric March's "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" or most any Alfred Hitchcock movie. At least those are well-done pieces of artwork as well as masterpieces as far as acting, script, plot, and everything else about them.
Thank you for your time.
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