|
The Mummy
[Hammer/WB]
1959; color
Directed by Terence Fisher
Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee & Yvonne Furneaux
|
|
After breathing new life - so to speak - into the legends of both Frankenstein and Dracula, it made perfect sense for Hammer to take on the next most mythical horror movie figure, The Mummy. And they really did a hell of a job. Seeing as how the Brits love a winding twisty plot, this could have easily gotten bogged down with a lot of unnecessary ancient Egyptian mumbo jumbo but the powers that be (or, uh, were) smartly opted to keep it simple so the storyline is very easy to follow and, for a Hammer film, moves fairly quickly. (I wouldn't go so far as to call it fast paced but it does move faster than many of their screenplays, and most of the drawn out portions of the story occur in flashback.) I'm assuming everyone is familiar with the basic ebb and flow of this oft-told tale but just in case here's the reader's digest version - first there's the discovery of the holy burial tomb; then the entry of said tomb; followed by the accidental or purposeful reawakening of the mummified corpse; which, of course, results in the subsequent murderous revenge on those who have invaded, disturbed, or otherwise fucked with this sacred resting place. While some tombs only contain one dead body, the sacred burial ground set to be desecrated in this film has two residents: the lovely but very much dead and encased in gold, Princess Ananka, and her one time lover and eternally mummified security guard, Kharis. It's the latter, played brilliantly by Christopher Lee, who ends up being brought back to life via the reading of the scroll of life - first, unintentionally, by the archeologically minded father of John Banning (played by Peter Cushing) and then, on purpose, by a living loyal disciple sporting a snappy red fez who aids, abets and generally encourages the Mummy's wrath. The Princess could not be brought back to life for whatever reason, even with the reading of the scroll (Kharis tried that himself, while still alive, in one of the flashback sequences) so it's up to him to get even on both of their behalves. Once he's been resuscitated, our rag wrapped Romeo has no trouble snuffing out archeologists and hapless town drunks alike until he comes face to face with Banning—and Mrs. Banning, who just so happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to his lost love Ananka. I'll let you find out for yourself who wins the battle, and the war. The pairing of Cushing and Lee is almost always a good thing, and they do play well off of each other here, but Lee very much steals the show. Whether freeing himself oh so slowly from the murky swamp waters or crashing through a door to confront a soon to be victim, he strikes quite the imposing pose yet still manages to be a sympathetic figure in some ways. I love a Mummy movie and this version is definitely a classic.
—Bunny
|
|
