The Egyptian Mummy (1914) User Reviews

Too little Talmadge, too much Quirk

[Paularoc · 6/10 · 6 April 2015]

Billy Quirk is a young man who decides that a good way to make some quick money would be sell a "mummy" to a nutty doctor (Lee Beggs) who thinks he has a procedure to bring the dead to life. Quirk wants the money to marry his girlfriend Constance Talmadge. Talmadge has such a small, unremarkable role that there is no indication of the great silent comedy star - such as in The Matrimaniac and Duchess of Buffalo, she would later become ( although oddly, one of her most memorable roles, for me, was as the Mountain Girl in Intolerance). This silent comedy short was just not that funny. What humor there was, except for the whole silly premise of the plot, was provided by the emancipated hobo playing the "mummy." Certainly of historical interest because of Talmadge and because of that worth a watch by silent comedy fans.

An unexceptional short which does not qualify as a precursor to later `mummy' films.

[SlothNOIR · 7/10 · 28 June 2001]

An unexceptional short which does not qualify as a precursor to later `mummy' films. Connie and Billy are young and in love... but her father does not approve. Billy's contrivances make no headway until the mummy of Ramses III is delivered to the house of Connie's father! Remember, this is a comedy not a horror movie.

Effective silent comedy with an Egyptian theme

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 24 January 2017]

Despite the title, THE Egyptian MUMMY isn't an early horror film about a bandage-wrapped creature rampaging through the streets of modern-day America. Instead, it's a lively comedy about an eccentric professor who decides to create a priceless mummy by getting an old tramp to pose as one. Comedy hijinks ensue, including a little romance and a cast of exaggerated characters.

The truth is that this film is pretty decent for its time and has survived in a surprisingly good quality version. The professor character is classic stuff but the old tramp is even better: wait until you see how emaciated and sinister-looking he is! The actor would have been a good fit for a villain in a true horror movie.

Certainly as with all early silent shorts, THE Egyptian MUMMY has dated somewhat in the ensuing years, but there are still some decent set pieces here, and at least one genuinely funny moment about a guy who decides to kill himself in a decidedly novel way. See for yourself.

I thought it was cute

[overseer-3 · 8/10 · 27 June 2004]

I laughed at this short, it was funny. And I was surprised that another Connie Talmadge film survived, and quite delighted to see her playing her perky self again. If only more of her films were still around. She was super at comedy.

This short tells the story of a man who finds an unusual way to make a lot of money very quickly, so that he can marry the girl of his dreams. He enlists the aid of a hobo to play a mummy, so that he can sell his body for scientific experiments. Of course the mummy has to play dead, but has a very difficult time doing so. When he "comes alive" again pandemonium results.

I give this short a 7 out of 10.

Joel Day as "The Mummy"!

[myst0-561-45948 · 8/10 · 6 July 2014]

The emaciated guy playing the "mummy" is in fact very creepy looking! The actor is Joel Day and he is the real star of the film. Constance Talmadge is not on screen all that much. Billy Quirk is top billed but he is essentially the straight man here. The film is absolutely stolen by Day as the tramp turned mummy. It's very funny and well worth a look if you aren't expecting a Karloff-type mummy or wanting to see prime Constance Talmadge. There is even a horror genre plot element. The doctor, played by director Lee Beggs, is trying raise the dead and he thinks he has discovered "the elixir of life". I was laughing out loud as the nutty professor (or whatever he is supposed to be) believed he was being attacked by a real live and vicious mummy! The whole thing is ultra dumb and silly, but I was surprisingly entertained by this wild film. Joel Day is listed here in only a handful of films, but one of his other credits, Universal's MAN OF SHAME (1915), has him playing Death. Judging from his looks here, I'll bet he was effective as Mr. D. THE Egyptian MUMMY (1914) can be found on the NICKELODIA Volume 1 DVD from Unknown Video.

Very amusing short silent film

[mrb1980 · 8/10 · 12 December 2020]

"The Egyptian Mummy" is a very entertaining short film about a hard-working young man who develops a magic "elixir of life" which he believes will make him a lot of money and will impress his girlfriend's father. He recruits a homeless derelict (Joel Day), makes him up to look like a mummy, and tells him to play dead. The tramp begins to get a little thirsty and decides not to play along, preferring instead to get drunk. The mummy's "awakening" and the ensuing chaos is highly amusing, after which the homeless guy is sent on his way and the hero gets the girl.

Joel Day only appeared in a handful of films in the 1910s but does a great job here, and it's always good to see Constance Talmadge. Pioneering film comedian Billy Quirk is quite good as the young inventor. The film's photography is excellent given its era. We should all feel very fortunate that this entertaining short film has survived for over 100 years.

Film is the Elixir of Life, but Broad Slapstick is Dead

[Cineanalyst · 20 February 2020]

I wanted to see this silent slapstick short from Vitagraph, "The Egyptian Mummy," after having seen another mummy-themed short, "Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled" (1918), from the Ebony Film Company (and included in the Pioneers of African-American Cinema set). The latter film is essentially a remake of this one, but with a black cast instead of a white one, along with a few minor plot alterations. There's nothing like the attempted suicide here played for humor or the business with investing his profits in the stock market in "Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled."

In both pictures, a young man is refused a mad doctor's daughter's hand in marriage without his having a bankroll. The scientist, working on an elixir to bring a mummy back to life, puts a notice in the paper regarding his want to purchase such a preserved Ancient Egyptian corpse. Seeing his opportunity, the young man hires another to pretend to be a mummy for a day. Knockabout ensues. Another slight difference in this one is that the guy hired to pretend he's been dead for thousands of years is a hobo, and stereotypes of the homeless' appetite for booze and smokes are played up quite a bit here.

The entire scenario is rather amusing, though, in its absurdity. I wish something clever had been done with the possibility of equating life, death and mummification with film, which itself records life, leaves them dead as still images and, then, brings them back to life as projected motion pictures. Indeed, André Bazin compared cinema to mummification in his essay, "What is Cinema?" But, that would be expecting too much from a Vitagraph one-reeler from 1914. Besides, "The Egyptian Mummy" remains of interest for being an early example in the history of film of the Western fascination with Ancient Egyptian mummies, and it features Constance Talmadge, before her career-turning role as the Mountain Girl in "Intolerance" (1916), in the minor part of the daughter.

Senseless balderdash

[deickemeyer · 24 June 2019]

While it is rewarded with considerable laughter this picture is made up of a lot of senseless balderdash scenes. The author is A.A. Methley and the producer is Lee Beggs, who plays the professor. Constance Talmadge, Billy Quirk and Joel Day are the other principals. This comedy falls short of the usual Vitagraph offerings. - The Moving Picture World, January 2, 1915