Plot
In 1921, a group of British Museum archeologists excavating in Egypt discover a sarcophagus containing a very unusual mummy. They also uncover an ancient scroll, and when one of the men heedlessly reads it aloud, it sets into motion a terrible curse. The mummy awakens, purloins the scroll, and escapes into the desert night without a trace.
The newly awakened mummy turns out to be “Imhotep, High Priest of the Temple of the Sun at Karnack” who was buried alive, due to his sacrilegious passion for the virginal Princess Anck-es-en-Amon. Now covered with makeup and masquerading as a rather disquieting modern Egyptian named Ardath Bey, Imhotep takes steps to have the remains of his beloved princess exhumed so that he can summon her soul back to this world and resurrect her.
His plan is complicated when he meets Helen Grosvenor, a young woman who bears a striking resemblance to the princess. Believing she’s the reincarnation of Anck-es-en-Amon, Imhotep decides she must die so that he can revive her as a living mummy like himself…
Death, eternal punishment for anyone who opens this casket.
Critique
7.5Timeless fright-film classic, “The Mummy” unquestionably represents one of the most compelling, interesting works ever produced by Universal Studios. Credit goes to the excellent direction by the great Karl Freund, veteran cameraman and innovative cinematographer who made his American directorial debut with this film. Additional pluses include Jack Pierce’s outstanding makeup as well as Charles Stumar’s refined black and white photography.
The legendary Boris Karloff obviously merits special mention. His Ardath Bey is a mix of treachery and darkness, but not without a hint of sadness (the close-up of him emoting pure evil is iconic). Further, his slow, shuffling gait succeeds in perfectly conveying the weight of an ancient body.
Among noteworthy scenes, we would cite the one where the ancient priest (in the guise of Ardath Bey) gazes into a pool of water to spy on his enemies and mete out a horrific death to those who would stand in his way.
All in all, an elegant film, rich with charm, extremely well made.
More Info
Quotes
- I loved you once, but now you belong with the dead. I am Anck-es-en-Amon, but I... I'm somebody else, too. I want to live, even in this strange new world.
- Death, eternal punishment for anyone who opens this casket, in the name of Amon-Ra, the King of the Gods.
Trivia
- The soundtrack includes an excerpt from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” (1875-76), the same piece used the prior year in Tod Browning’s “Dracula”.
- Imhotep, an actual historic figure, was an architect, priest, vizier, and physician to the pharaoh Djoser during the Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt (approx. 2700-2620 BC).
- In 1940, “Universal” produced “The Mummy’s Hand”, a pseudo-remake of the 1932 classic and the first installment in a series of four films (five, if we count the comedy “Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy”), all featuring a mummy named Kharis. At any rate, Freund’s film received an “official” remake in 1999 when Stephen Sommers directed the frenetic, gaudy “The Mummy.” It’s best to simply pretend the 2017 reboot, “The Mummy” directed by Alex Kurtzman and starring Tom Cruise, never happened.
Products
Disclosure
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| Product name | Price | |
|---|---|---|
 | The Mummy: Complete Legacy Collection | |
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| Nome del prodotto | Prezzo | |
|---|---|---|
 | La Mummia (1932) | |
 | La Mummia (1932) |
| Product name | Price | |
|---|---|---|
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| Nombre del producto | Precio | |
|---|---|---|
 | Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection vol.2 |
| Produktname | Preis | |
|---|---|---|
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 | Die Mumie (OmU) |
| Nom du produit | Prix | |
|---|---|---|
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| The Mummy (1932) + Bonus Disc (2 Blu-Ray) [Edizione: Regno Unito] [Import] |
| Product name | Price | |
|---|---|---|
 | Classic Monsters Spotlight Collection (The Mummy (1932) / The Wolf Man / The Invisible Man / Phantom of the Opera (1943)) (Universal's 100th Anniversary Edition) | |
 | The Mummy (1932) - 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (Bilingual) |