The Mummy (1959)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writer:

Jimmy Sangster (writer)

Release Date:

16 December 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Torn from the tomb to terrify the world!

Plot:

In the 1890s a team of British archaeologists discover the untouched tomb of Princess Ananka but accidentally...

Plot Keywords:

Tomb | Mummy | Revenge | Egypt | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Peter Cushing	...	John Banning
Christopher Lee	...	Kharis, the Mummy
Yvonne Furneaux	...	Isobel Banning / Princess Ananka
Eddie Byrne	...	Inspector Mulrooney
Felix Aylmer	...	Stephen Banning
Raymond Huntley	...	Joseph Whemple
George Pastell	...	Mehemet Bey, Alias Mehemet Akir
Michael Ripper	...	Poacher
George Woodbridge	...	Police Constable
Harold Goodwin	...	Pat
Denis Shaw	...	Mike
Gerald Lawson	...	Irish Customer
Willoughby Gray	...	Dr. Reilly
John Stuart	...	Coroner
David Browning	...	Police Sergeant

Also Known As:

Terror of the Mummy (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1960) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16 | UK:X | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

Hammer Films had already done remakes of Frankenstein and Dracula. This was the first film made after Hammer reached an official agreement with Universal (then Universal International) allowing them to do remakes of their classic horror films. In this film, for example, the agreement with Universal allowed them to use the name "Kharis".

Goofs:

Factual errors: Princess Ananka's mummy's death mask has closed eyes. In reality, the eyes of an ancient Egyptian mummy mask are wide open because the Egyptians wanted their dead to be able to see and hear in the afterlife.

Quotes:

Poacher: I've seen the likes tonight that mortal eyes shouldn't look at.
Irish Customer: You've been around to Molly Grady's again.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tale of the Mummy (1998)

The Mummy- Hammer style

In the 1950's, Hammer studios from the United Kingdom began to produce remakes of the classic Universal films of the 1920's, 30's and 40's. This time though they films would be in color and often contain graphic violence (for that time). Following "The Curse of Frankenstein" in 1957 and "Dracula" in 1958 (re-titled "The Horror of Dracula" in the states), Hammer set its sights on "The Mummy" in 1959, updating the Boris Karloff classic for a new audience. Anyway, Hammer's version of "The Mummy" actually was more indebted plot wise to two of the sequels "The Mummy's Hand" and "The Mummy's Tomb" than to the 1932 original. Either way though this is an excellent film almost as good as the original. One of the biggest reasons "The Mummy" works so well is because Hammer was willing to bring back the same actors-director team that served them so well in "The Curse of Frankenstein" and "The Horror of Dracula", Peter Cushing as John Banning, Christopher Lee as Kharis, the Mummy and director Terrence Fisher. All three are at the top of their game with Cushing giving a very steady and sure performance as the smart and eager doctor, Christopher Lee giving a menacing yet sympathetic performance as the Mummy and Fisher giving this film a good deal of suspense and overall feeling of dread. I was also quite impressed by George Pastell's performance as Mehemet Bey, a devoted follower of the ancient Egyptian religion who is responsible for bringing Kharis to England so he may get his revenge on those who desecrated the grave of his princess. Furthermore the cinematography is absolutely laving in all its bright colors and the script is well written, developing the characters nicely as well as having sharp dialogue. Overall a really solid film, the second best mummy movie ever made and one of Hammer's best. Check it out!