Mummy

 

 

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I like those classic old horror movies, like Frankenstien, the wolfman, the invisble man,etc.But this movie( like Dracula 1931)
was absolutley boring. It had a good first scene in the start of the movie, when Karloff's mummy first comes to life, but after that he becomes a regular man and than the movie becomes a romance melodarma, not a horror movie. Their is no real suspense.
I realize that compared to horror movies today, some the older movies might seem tame, but movies like frankenstien , the wofman and their seguels haves their moments, but this one does not even about a mummy as we know it. Any body expecting to see a traditional monster will be disapointed. If I want to see a drama I will watch citizen cane.
Finally, I like Karloff, he did some great horror B movies, this was not one of them.

There are been many mummy's over the years; they change their names. Some with one arm, some with two. Some talk some do not. Some are wet, some are dry. Some use Tanna leaves some do not. They all like cute young girls.

However by far the one the version that all others are gagged by is this one.

The tomb of Im-ho-tep is found. In the tomb is a box that you can not resist opening even when you are warned by a curse. Yep it has the Scroll of Thoth. Long before Viagra this scroll can bring the dead to life. So what ever you do don't mouth the words. Oops too late. Frank Whemple (David Manners) could not read silently and you know who went for a little walk.

10 years later Ardath Bey (Boris Karloff), who could use a little moister lotion, shows the English archeologists where to dig up Im-ho-tep's girl, Princess Anckesen-Amon. Then the fun begins.

Personaly I do not think Helen Grosvenor/Princess Anckesen-Amon (Zita Johann) looks a bit Egyptian. Then again nether does Im-ho-tep.

The monsters unleashed by Universal Pictures across the screens of America in the 1930s left an indelible impression on the American psyche that will never be forgotten, and The Mummy stands among the most memorable of all those classic monster movies. Boris Karloff simply is The Mummy, defining the role for all generations to come. Don't think he's just sleepwalking around in bandages, either; no, while he may be the prototypical mummy, he is not the hunk of animated flesh that his successors all seemed to turn into. Karloff in fact gives an impressive dramatic performance in this role. The action begins in 1922, when British Egyptologists Dr. Muller (Edward Van Sloan) and Dr. Whemple (Arthur Byron) make a potentially incredible discovery underneath the sands of Egypt. They soon identify a mummy they have recovered intact as Imhotep, but they know this is no ordinary mummy because he was not embalmed, there is evidence of his having struggled within his all-encompassing bandages, and the blessings designed to protect his voyage to the afterlife were removed before he was buried. Along with Imhotep the explorers find an intriguing box, one that carries a dire message for those who would open it. While Dr. Muller tries to convince Dr. Whemple to heed the curse and leave the box unopened, their younger associate gives in to his temptation, discovers a scroll inside, and reads from it. Hereby is Imhotep brought back to life, and the mummy shuffles off into the desert.

There is no news of Imhotep for years, and Dr. Whemple returns home vowing never to return or to speak of what he knows. Ten years later, though, his son (with a little help from a mysterious Egyptian named Ardath Bey) makes a fabulous find of his own underneath the sands, the grave and mummy of the Egyptian princess Anckesen-Amon, and so the elder Egyptologist returns to Egypt. As luck would have it, the young Dr. Whemple falls in love with Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann) a half-Egyptian girl who turns out to have a strong connection to the newly discovered mummified princess who, it turns out, just so happens to have been the object of Imhotep's love and sacrifice. The mummy, completely human in appearance now, works to raise his love from the dead with the aid of the Scroll of Thoth, and it is up to young Dr. Whemple and Dr. Muller to safeguard Helen from a fate seemingly ordained millennia ago.

The most interesting thing about this movie is the fact that the mummy only appears in the traditional, caricatured apparel of rotting old bandages at the very beginning, after which point he takes the form of a man - an eccentric one with captivatingly powerful eyes and supernatural powers, but a man nonetheless. After a spooky beginning, the movie eventually takes a detour into romance and melodrama and never fully recovers its steam. While Karloff could appear quite menacing and malevolent, he is hardly the stuff nightmares are made of. I think the story is a little weak in the last stages, but this is still a five-star film based on its fame, its immense influence on the genre, and its overall quality; for a film from 1932, this print is simply amazing in both its audio and visual quality. And, though I need not say this again, Boris Karloff gives a subtle, captivating performance as Imhotep.

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4.0 out of 5 stars the ONLY mummy movie
and we only see the tradititonal 'mummy' image for about 2 minutes.
freund knew that image was a dull one (how like hollywood accountants to home in on the most boring part... Lisez davantage

Published on April 23 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars First and foremost!
Vintage it may be, with performances that at best are highly competent, at worst downright creaky. But make allowances for the fact that it's over 70 years old, and you'll have... Lisez davantage

Published on April 6 2004 by Cathryn Troise

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll really get wrapped up in this one!
The Mummy: No tongue, can't talk, but watch out for his hand! Yes, hand, cause he's only got one! And one is all he needs to provoke the women into the arms of their male... Lisez davantage

Published on Oct 24 2003 by Robert Sax

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS THE ONLY MUMMY FILM WHICH WILL LAST FOREVER! A++++++
BY FAR UNIVERSALS GREATEST HORROR FILM! THE BEST MUSICAL SCORE OF ALL THEIR MOVIES! THE MUMMY/ARDETH BAY MAKEUP THOUGH DONE IN 1932 IS STILL AMAZING TODAY! Lisez davantage

Published on July 21 2002

1.0 out of 5 stars Look Mummy, no praise!
I noticed that there isn't a single one-star review on here. Well, there's going to be one now. I really think this deserves a negative rating, like -5 stars, but since that isn't... Lisez davantage

Published on July 3 2002 by Mrs Baldwin

5.0 out of 5 stars "Come out under the stars of Egypt."
The first mummy flick is unique among classic horror movies. The Egyptian tale has the dark and moody look of Teutonic art. Lisez davantage

Published on Mar 12 2002 by Robert S. Clay Jr.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Most Subtle of Universal Studios Horror Classics
Although frequently reinterpreted, the original 1932 THE MUMMY remains the most intriguing film version of a story inspired by both 1920s archeological finds and the 1931 Bela... Lisez davantage

Published on Jan 1 2002 by Gary F. Taylor

4.0 out of 5 stars This mummy is not wrapped up for long
If you think of a being covered with bandages shuffling its feet along, then you are not thinking of the same mummy that is in this movie. Lisez davantage

Published on Dec 6 2001 by Jeffrey Leeper

5.0 out of 5 stars Only Boris Karloff could do it this well
The Mummy is outstanding particularly because it is just the sort of concept which could have easily become camp or boring. Lisez davantage

Published on Nov 1 2001 by Elizabeth G. Melillo

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Looking Mummy
This is a movie that is easy to enjoy. It starts out with a young archaeologist unable to resist the urge to peek inside a crumbling box and translate from the parchment found... Lisez davantage

Published on Oct 28 2001 by Ned

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