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The Mummy (1959)

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38 comments in total

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
influential and fun cheapie from my buddies at Hammer, 8 September 2004

Author: dr_foreman

The Mummy capped off an impressive initial run of horror movies from Hammer Studios. Believe it or not, it was mostly downhill from here; the company's subsequent efforts tended to be tackier and cheesier. But the "big three" (Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, The Mummy) are all solid horror flicks with, oddly enough, some of the most crisp and colorful photography I've ever seen.

There are some weaknesses here, though. The Egypt flashback waffles on for quite a while, and then we get ANOTHER flashback when Banning Sr. resurrects the mummy. However, the beginning and ending are well-paced and exciting, so most sins are forgiven. Lee's Mummy is spectacular; he's goddamn huge, and it's very impressive to watch him crashing through doors and French windows, absorbing shotgun blasts as if they were pinpricks (I hear Lee actually got injured several times making this movie; I can't say I'm surprised!)

My favorite scene is the ideological debate between the Egyptian badguy (a very cool performance by George Pastell) and Peter Cushing's snooty archaeologist character. Their heated exchange adds a bit of texture to the story and even makes me sympathetic to the villain's POV. However, subtext goes out the window again for the violent final confrontation.

On a side note, the exceedingly brilliant BBC show Doctor Who practically remade this movie twice. The episode "Tomb of the Cybermen" features Pastell as a guest star in a story involving an ill-fated archaeological dig, and "Pyramids of Mars" once again pits a hapless poacher against killer mummies. Just thought I'd mention it.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
A must see for horror fans, 12 October 2003
Author: metaldams from Newark, DE.

Far superior to the Brendan Fraser version, which relies too heavily on sterile computerized special FX. Comparing it to the classic 1932 Boris Karloff version, as so many people are doing, I feel is unfair. Karloff is not seen much in bandaged form choking people, but instead, in the Ardeth Bay persona. The Hammer Mummy has a lot more in common with the four Mummy movies Universal made in the 40's, (bandaged mummy chokes people out, the high priest out for revenge, etc.), and while those movies are fun, they don't compare to this one. Simply put, Tom Tyler and Lon Chaney, Jr. are not given the chance to pantomime with as much emotion as Christopher Lee, (kind of ironic when you consider the latter's father was the king of pantomime). Through all of the muddy bandages, there are still glimpses of human expression in Lee's eyes.

Beautiful color and well paced, I highly recommend this movie..............

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
The best Mummy movie ever made, 10 August 2006

Author: m2mallory from California

The Mummy is the Rodney Dangerfield of classic monsters -- he gets no respect. But Hammer's sumptuous, beautifully filmed and acted treatment is as good as your going to find. It is also the most detailed mummy film around, with the recreation of its Egyptian tomb gorgeous and authentic. Christopher Lee is little short of brilliant in the thankless title role, actually managing to giving a compelling and at times touching performance through only his eyes and body language. Peter Cushing is superb as always (and was it a deliberate decision to make his character's lameness a wry twist on the fact that Kharis the mummy was always lame in the old Universal movies?), as is Hammer semi-regular George Pastell in the stereotypical mummy-controller-in-the-fez part. The supporting cast is also classier than usual for Hammer: Sir Felix Aylmer as Cushing's father is wonderful, aging amazingly convincingly and establishing himself as one of the great gibberers of the cinema; while Raymond Huntley is solid as Cushing's sensible uncle (and as London's first stage Dracula, one wonders what conversations he must have had on the set with Lee). Hammer regular Michael Ripper also has one of his best parts as a sodden eyewitness to the mummy's activities. Director Terrence Fisher (another Rodney Dangerfield) contributes many memorable touches, though probably none so effective as the agonizing sloooooooowwwwness with which the stone door of the secret chamber concealing the cursed Kharis closes, which emphasizes the horrific agony of living burial. Everything in this film works, and some elements, such as the photography and the excellent music score, exceed even Hammer's usually high standards. "The Mummy" might be the British studio's best film. It is certainly one of their best.

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Spell binding remake of a horror classic!, 2 November 2000

Author: Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK

Director Terence Fisher and crew at Hammer Films revives life in the MUMMY. Horrific color and a much livelier and threatening wrapped menace is the modern slant on the 1930's original.

Boris Karloff was almost mystic in the title role decades ago. Stealing some of his thunder is Christopher Lee. Lee is down right wicked and relentless. And in his own way, just as scary as Karloff.

Peter Cushing brings a double whammy to this movie. More shakes and shivers. Also in the cast are Yvonne Furneaux, George Pastell, Raymond Huntley, David Browning and Michael Ripper.

What a way to spend a rainy night. Curl up with this and the original. Yikes!

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Hammer rules the horror world !!, 11 July 2003

Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Peter Cushing...Christopher Lee... Terence Fisher to direct...Hammer to produce. Voilà, this already should be enough reasons to WATCH THIS FILM !!! A few years ago, the concept of a mummy became very popular thanks to the rather decent films by Stephen Sommers starring Brendan Fraser. Call me old-fashioned but I prefer this more magical version from the golden age of horror ( 50's - 60's ) And I do mean magical cause you don't actually have to be a horror buff to enjoy this movie. My sister, for example, hates the genre but she loves the mythes of the ancient Egypt. So she loved the movie as well. It's really accessible to all kind of people. The famous archaeologist Stephen Banning and his son are on an expedition in Egypt and they discover the grave of a high female priest. They open the grave but do not realize that by doing this, they've awoke the powerful guard of hers, Kharis. ( the almighty CHRISTOPER LEE ) Back in England, a true believer of the Egyptian beliefs has came to look for the archaeologists to avenge the soul of the priest. He brought Kharis with him who answers to his commands. Kharis kills Stephen Banning and his assistant and now goes after the son, John ( the also almighty PETER CUSHING ) His only rescue can be his wife, Isobelle. She seems to have great impact on Kharis.... I've said it before, a great movie !!! The atmosphere hanging around you will stay in your head long time after you saw it. All things about this film are very memorable so it's hard to pick out a few. I'll just end by stating again that you should SEE this film. whether you're a horror fan, a classic fan or just an admirer of good films...you'll all have a great time. My humble opinion : 8/10 Stephen Banning and his assistant

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5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Another success for Hammer studios!, 17 January 2005

Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

After their first successes with takes on famous stories, hammer's finest trio teamed up again to make this delightful take on the legend of an Egyptian mummy, imaginatively titled 'The Mummy'. Peter Cushing is an actor that needs no introduction as he has carried many a Hammer horror production and forever engraved himself in the minds of horror fans across the globe. His performance in this film isn't his finest ever (or even his finest under Terence Fisher), but it's more than solid and, to be honest, Peter Cushing is one of the few actors that could just spend the running time doing nothing and still have this horror fan riveted, such is the power of his screen presence. Christopher Lee has proved himself as the successor to both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi on a number of occasions with his portrayals of the classic monsters, and although he's never surpassed the great masters; this is another of those occasions. Of course, the one and only Terence Fisher direct the film. Fisher is an under-appreciated director in the horror genre as, although he hasn't done much outside of Hammer, the films he made for Hammer are what have gone on to be some of their most respected classics. This is another one.

The film looks great, and despite the fact that it's low budget and was shot well over forty years ago, the colours and locations still bode well, and give the film a fresh feel. The Hammer style camp feeling is very much on display in The Mummy, and for the Hammer fan; that can only be a good thing. The Egypt setting marks a nice departure for the team, as up until this point, audiences had only seen them together in more urban settings. To be honest, aside from Boris Karloff's performance, I didn't much like the Universal classic. I don't hesitate, therefore, to label this film superior in every respect other than the lead. This version of the story is handled in a way that is much easier to like than Karl Freud's version. The story itself is a more than interesting one, and ties in the intrigue of the Egyptian civilisation, with themes of modern society breaking their sacred code to have a museum full of relics, which is really quite thought-provoking.

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4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Almost as good as Universal's 'The Mummy'. Features a terrific performance from Peter Cushing, and Christopher Lee makes a menacing Mummy, even more powerful and threatening than Karloff's., 3 May 2004
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

When Hammer started making horror movies in the 1950s that were inspired by some of the classic Universal movies of the 1930s they had to tread carefully. Universal threatened legal action if they copied the makeup of their Frankenstein's monster for example, which is the reason the Monster (played by Christopher Lee) looked quite different to Karloff's in Hammer's 'Curse Of Frankenstein'(1957). By the time they made 'The Mummy' two years later some kind of understanding had been entered into and this movie, though it isn't credited as such, and the characters names have been changed, is pretty much a remake of the 1932 Universal classic which starred Boris Karloff. Once again Lee plays the Karloff role, except a second character played by George Castell has been created for this version, so we don't get to see Lee without his bandages, apart from a brief flashback sequence. Peter Cushing plays the leading man role, an archaeologist who is initially sceptical but soon must accept the existence of the Mummy. Yvonne Furneaux plays Cushing's devoted wife who is also a dead ringer for Princess Ananka, the woman the Mummy loved centuries earlier. Furneaux is probably best remembered for playing Catherine Deneuve's sister in Polanski's classic 'Repulsion', and also appeared in another sixties art film classic Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita'. Cushing gives a terrific performance as usual. I've yet to see a Hammer movie where he didn't. Lee makes a menacing Mummy, even more powerful and threatening than Karloff's. Though I still love the original version of 'The Mummy' this one is almost as good. In fact it's very difficult to choose one over the other. Both come with my highest recommendations and wipe the floor with the recent tongue in cheek versions starring Brendan Fraser et al. It's a pity that Hammer didn't make more Mummy movies starring Cushing and Lee. I do however highly recommend Hammer's 'Blood From The Mummy's Tomb', even though it has no connection to 'The Mummy' and doesn't feature either actor.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Visually Beautiful, Very Moody--and a Lot of Fun, 3 February 2008

Author: gftbiloxi (gftbiloxi@yahoo.com) from Biloxi, Mississippi

England's Hammer Studios existed primarily as a distributor--until the low budget 1955 THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT suddenly put the studio on the map. Sensing an untapped market, Hammer began to develop similar titles and by the early 1960s developed a style that mixed Victorian sets and costumes with bouffant hairstyles, bared breasts, and lots of blood. The films were largely responsible for jolting the horror genre back to life on both sides of the Atlantic, as popular in the United States as they were in England.

Released in 1959, THE MUMMY was among Hammer's earliest color films and helped lay out the visual style that come to dominate "Hammer Horror" for more than a decade. Drawing from Universal's 1932 THE MUMMY and 1940 THE MUMMY'S HAND, it opens with a band of Victorian-era archaeologists in Egypt, where they discover the lost tomb of Princess Ananka--and in the process unleash a mummy cursed to guard her throughout eternity. It is a curse that follows the men back to England, where they are stalked to their deaths one by one.

Director Terence Fisher and cinematographer Jack Asher worked a number of Hammer films, including the earlier HORROR OF Dracula and REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Although some of the lighting may give you pause--judging from all the backlighting and colored filters it would seem the ancient Egyptians had mood lighting installed in their tombs--their efforts result in a series of truly arresting visuals; in their hands, bright color is no obstacle to moodiness. The cast plays it out extremely well, with the lovely Yvonne Furneaux a classic Hammer beauty, Peter Cushing as her archaeologist husband, and (yes, the posture and bearing really is unmistakable) Christopher Lee under wraps for the title role.

The DVD contains no extras beyond the original trailer, and although the transfer is not pristine it is nonetheless very good indeed. Hammer Horror may not save the world, but it is often a lot of fun--and THE MUMMY is easily among the studio's best. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Very good movie, 8 May 2006

Author: Zombie_CPA from United States

This forgotten Hammer classic is wonderful. I like it better than the 1932 version and much better than the awful 1999 version. The start of and end of the movie are very solid. They did a great job building suspense by holding back the appearance of The Mummy until well in the movie. Christopher Lee's Mummy costume was a sight to see. It was very well done. Peter Cushing did a solid job as John Banning and Yvonne Furneaux was lovely.

This movie was not very campy but it had just enough. I loved watching The Mummy's first appearance.

The Egypt scenery was a nice touch to the film. It was clean and bright. This made it look almost like a fantasy sequence.

The only negative is the flashback scene. That was way too long and got a little boring. This movie is a slight drop from Horror of Dracula and Curse of Frankenstein, but it is still very good and a worthy addition into the Hammer family.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Execellent Mummy film, 25 November 2005

Author: frid2k4 (frid2k4@yahoo.com) from Los Angeles, Ca

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"The Mummy" is one of the better Hammer from their early years.

**SPOILERS**

In 1895 Egypt, Stephen Banning (Felix Aylmer) discovers a sacred badge in a dig site of an old tomb. His son John (Peter Cushing) is excited about the find, as it means they are closer to finding the long lost burial site of the ancient Princess Ananka. Descending into the tomb, they find the body of the Princess, guarded by a mummy (Christopher Lee) in another chamber. As they remove treasures from the tomb, disturbing her from her sleep, the mummy comes to life and begins to track down the members of the search party. John and his wife Isobel (Yvonne Furneaux) try to discover who is behind the brutal murders, and their shocking discovery will lead them to an answer that wasn't meant to exist in their time.

The Good News: Out of the Hammer films, this one has always been a favorite of mine. I guess it's because of with this one, Hammer finally had the freedom to go all out with the Universal creatures, and that allows for one important factor: giving us recognizable characters in a different setting, allowing us to use this new situation to draw the horror from. Granted, there isn't many "jump-boo" scares in here, but it does use the old style of horror of having normal characters in an extraordinary situation become the focus of the horror. Several of the deaths inside are very well done for the time. The first one is perhaps the best. The mummy breaks into the room of one of his victims, who has seen him coming and is desperately trying to get away. Once the mummy breaks in, it is only a matter of time before the inevitable happens, which is pretty tame but brutal. The other deaths aren't so spectacular, but they do provide for some interesting viewing and definitely add some speed to plot. The film's set design is perhaps the best part of the film, as is the case with so many of their films. I always thought of the mummy films as being the most striking of the films, simply because of what has to be done to the set to make it believable. You would have to create artifacts, sculptures, tools, paintings, and other sort of details in the tomb. Each one of those is in such bright and beautiful color that they seem to stick out from the other films in color from that time. Their films are so beautiful to watch that it could make a fan out of somebody who just likes the bright colors of this film. Among the many highlights of this film is the lengthy scene that depicts how the whole ordeal transpired, which is the very entertaining mummification scene. It is a bit more detailed in here than in the original version, as well as a little more bearable in that it has new ideas in it that the original never used. I really think it is the standard for all mummy mummification scenes, and it hasn't been toped yet. The dramatic score and Lee's intense presence in the scene all play out in a great scene that often sends chills down your spine. The mummy itself is a wonderful sight, as Lee gives a marvelous performance, caked in layers of muddy bandages, which his frame and body language combine into one perfect image.

The Bad News: For modern day viewers are accustomed to seeing deaths were everything is shown, this can be a pretty dull experience. We see nothing in the film, just mere drops of blood, so this isn't anything that gore-hounds won't be too thrilled about. It is also a little slow for more modern tastes since it isn't an action-packed film, but it isn't as slow as some may think.

The Final Verdict: This is one of the best Hammer films of its time, and should definitely please all fans of this type of film. It features a lot of new twists on the mummy legend, and while it isn't as action-packed as many would've wanted it to be, it's strong performances and creativity lift it up above into the upper echelon of mummy films. Recommended to Hammer films and fans of films that don't have to rely on blood and gore to get along.

Today's Rating: PG: Mostly off-screen Violence and implied Nudity

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