The Mummy (Widescreen) (1959): Amazon.ca: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Yvonne Furneaux, Eddie Byrne, Felix Aylmer, Raymond Huntley, George Pastell, Michael Ripper, George Woodbridge, Harold Goodwin, Denis Shaw, Gerald Lawson, Jack Asher, Terence Fisher, Alfred Cox, James Needs, Anthony Nelson Keys, Michael Carreras, Jimmy Sangster: DVD

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Hammer Studios' greatest nemeses, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, once again square off in this reworking of Universal's The Mummy (with elements of The Mummy's Tomb and The Mummy's Ghost thrown in for good measure). Cushing stars as archeologist John Banning, whose dig for a lost tomb results in untold treasures but leaves his father a mumbling madman and marks the rest of the company for death. Lee is Kharis, a former high priest turned gauze-wrapped guardian of the tomb, a veritable Golem sent on a mission of vengeance by Mehemet Bey (George Pastell), a disciple of the ancient Egyptian god Osiris. The scenes at the archeological dig and the flashbacks to the ancient burial are stagebound and cheap looking, but Terence Fisher is back in familiar territory when the action relocates to the misty swamps and Victorian mansions of rural England. The towering, 6-foot-3-inch-tall Lee makes the most terrifying mummy to date. He covers ground in giant strides, smashes his way into rooms with heavy Frankensteinlike swipes of his arm, and takes shotgun blasts with barely a twitch--yet he melts from rage to calm at the sight of Banning's wife, Isobel (Yvonne Furneaux), a dead ringer for his dead Queen. The film is still most famous for it's tongue-removal scene, discreetly hidden from the camera but nevertheless shiver inducing. --Sean Axmaker

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23 Reviews

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4.2 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The picture is sharp, colors better, but matted? Why?, Oct 18 2002

By

Christian Lehrer "Christian Lehrer" (Bay Point, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Mummy (Widescreen) (1959) (DVD)

Well, I compared the 2001 Warner DVD to the 1991 Warner Laserdisc. First the good news, the picture has been remastered and especially in dark shots, as in entering Princess Anankas tomb, contrasts are better and details come through with color and are not lost to darkness. Very nicely done. Now the bad news. This was not a widescreen production to begin with. The original aspect ratio was somewhere between 1:37:1 and 1:66:1, probably closer to the Academy standard. All we are getting with the "Matted" presentation here is the full picture with the top and bottom masked off to give the impression of a presentation somewhere between 1:78:1 and 1:85:1. It is very obvious because the actors hats, etc are constantly cut off. Comparing to the fullscreen also shows that nothing is being added to the sides and quite a bit of picture is lost in this presentation. The movie gets an A but this DVD gets B- for Video, B for Audio, C for extras, overall B-, could have been better. Frankly, I don't understand why Warner didn't just issue the fullscreen on the second layer or give us a single layered dual-sided disc, they cost about the same, with the standard presentation on one side and this "matted" presentation on the other, they have done this for many other releases. Thanks for reading, CAL

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Egypt vs 19th Century England!, Mar 16 2002

By

Kimi "AKATune" (Wyalusing) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mummy (Widescreen) (1959) (DVD)

In 1959 Hammer Studios tackled one more of the Universal classics and this film blends the very best of all the Universal Mummy films and makes this one of the best Mummy films, ever, in my opinion. The talented team of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee once again grace the screen with Hammer's take on this legend and what a film! Moving at a much more accelerated pace than earlier versions of this story, this film barely allows the viewer to catch it's breath before we're whisked away to a new and even more exciting scene. Everthing works in this film, the acting, the directing, the sets and the music all come together to offer the viewer a completely enjoyable film that can be watched over and over, again. No longer a lumbering and slow *creature*, this Mummy is able to move quickly and with deadly accuracy, but the eyes of the Mummy are also able to tell of the pain and loss it has withstood. Christopher Lee gives an outstanding performance as The Mummy/Kharis and the final scene in the swamp is absolutely unforgettable. Peter Cushing is always a pleasure to watch in any film and this is a very good film for his talents. The supporting cast of, Yvonne Furneaux, Eddie Byrne, Felix Aylmer, George Pastell and Hammer stalwart, Michael Ripper make this a film not to be missed by any classic horror fan. If all you've seen are the Universal Mummy films from the *Golden Age* of horror or the new Universal Mummy films, then give this film an opportunity to entertain you, chances are, if you've not seen any Hammer films, you'll be seeking more of their titles out!

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5.0 out of 5 stars A true gem of mummy/horror movies, Oct 24 2008

By

Frances L. Arsenault "lover of literature" (Nanaimo, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Mummy (Widescreen) (1959) (DVD)

As I said it before, I do love a good scare from a horror film; or just watch retro horror films. And also I do have a flare for the Ancient Egyptians; and one thing: I never knew that Christopher Lee was a horror film actor back then.

The film is about a man name Stephen Banning, who with his father and uncle, were on archaeological expedition, and had excavated the lost tomb of the long-dead,Egyptian princess Anaka. But once the princess is in the museum, a killer mummy is out to kill the Banning men - including Stephen!

I found Mr. Lee's Mummy is so very sympathetic, especially during the flashback when you see him alive. The way he says those lines, with such deep feeling in them, and the pain in his eyes every time he looks at the dead princess are truly moving...Well GAH! he had a crush on the princess. And, of course, when he sees Isabel Banning (who looks like the Princess Anaka - DUH! same actress. Well anyway, his eyes immediately soften to Isabel and he gets that longing look back in them. He's brilliant, absolutely brilliant; as is this film, a true gem of horror movies.

I do love this movie, with one notable exception: the misuse of the name 'Karnak'. Karnak is a location in Egypt, the modern name of the ancient Nesut-Towi, or variably, Ipet-Iset. It is one of the most impressive temple complexes in Egypt. Karnak is not, and never has been, the name of a god of Egypt. There are plenty of Egyptian gods to choose from; why not actually pick one of them instead of incorrectly using the name of a place? And what was the animal use for the god satute? a rat or a badger? or something? So overall, this mummy movie is very good, and has remained extremely watch-able and entertaining, even now.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Make supple the limbs
In the world of horror, the mummy sits right next to vampires and werewolves -- creepy supernatural things that can rip you to bits. Read more

Published on Feb 24 2007 by E. A Solinas

4.0 out of 5 stars Mummy's Day
This is probably the best Hammer movie ever made. The original Karloff version was too derivative of Dracula. Read more

Published on May 10 2004 by stephen spotswood