Customer Reviews

Mummy

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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 of a movie and run it to death). this movie is psycholgical, brooding and perverse.
the sexual undertones permeate throughout the film and all here are in top form. a fine example of classic hollywood horror at it's near best.

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 simply the best horror film EVER. What could prove more horrifying than when Imhotep's mummy, propped in its coffin, catches the light which glints off its eye, slowly opening after 3,500 years in the grave? Or Imhotep's first appearance, as Ardath Bey, to the archaeologists, filling the doorway with subtle malevolence? Or his final moments when, struck down by ancient goddess and protector of women, Isis, he collapses rattlingly into a pile of bones? Boris Karloff is riveting in every frame as the mummy redivivus and actress Zita Johann is radiant as the tormented reincarnation of Princess Ankh-es-en-amon, putting modern day actresses to shame with her blend of exotic beauty, sensuality and dignity. It's the granddaddy of all 'mummy' genre pictures, and quite simply the best!

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 companions. Sweet! My, but he is a "handsome" specimen. Seriously, this 70 year old movie still comes off as fresh as the day it was born. And this fella's perty darn fresh himself! Ladies, men, doesn't matter, he's not picky. A real creeper. He's a slow mover, but get him now before he gets away! AAAAA+

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! THIS WAS MAKE-UP ARTIST JACK PIERCES GREATEST CREATION! BORIS KARLOFF GIVES HIS GREATEST AND MOST NUANCED PERFOMANCE! THIS MOVIE HAS AMAZING EGYPTIAN SET DESIGN BEAUTIFULLY RENDERED! THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE MOST ATMOSPHERIC AND DREAM-LIKE FILM MADE IN ANY GENRE! THIS MOVIE IS MORE OF A CREEPY GOTHIC ROMANCE THAN A SHEER HORROR FILM. NEVERTHELESS THE OPENING SCENE IN WHICH KARLOFFS MUMMY IS BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE IS TERRIFYING! THIS IS THE CLOSEST A FILM AS EVER COME TO POETRY! THE DVD IS EXCELLENT WITH A PRISTINE PICTURE TRANSFER! AND GREAT MENU ARTWORK! NOT TO MENTION LOTS OF GREAT EXTRAS! WATCH THIS FILM ALONE IN THE DARK AFTER MIDNIGHT FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT! ALL OTHER MUMMY MOVIES ARE FORGETTABLE B MOVIE TRASH IN COMPARISON!

The first mummy flick is unique among classic horror movies. The Egyptian tale has the dark and moody look of Teutonic art. True to his cinematographer background, director Karl Freund emphasizes presentation over shock value. Instead of nail-biting suspense, terror slowly develops. Unlike subsequent mummies who shuffled around covered in moldy Ace bandages, Im-ho-tep (Boris Karloff) only briefly appears in this attire. After his terrifying resurrection scene, Karloff sheds the bandages, and poses as Ardath Bey, an expert in ancient Egypt. His skin is parchment dry, and his eyes glow with supernatural intensity. He is evil incarnate. Executed 3700 years ago for vile sacrilege, he rises from the dead after the desecration of the sacred ruins. Im-ho-tep seeks to contact the spirit of his forbidden love, Princess Akes-se-namun (sp.?). He finds a woman (Zita Talbot) in modern day Egypt, and believes she is the reincarnated princess. Im-ho-tep has mesmerizing power. He bends the Nubian servant (the stony faced Noble Johnson) into a willing slave. The ancient blood prevails. Im-ho-tep beckons and the princess can only submit. Edward Van Sloan plays the academic type that understands Im-ho-tep's motives and methods. Those who profaned the sacred tomb meet a grim end. Together, Karloff and Freund make this film a classic. The comic-book level Mummy action adventure flicks of recent vintage suffer in comparison to the genuine article. ;-)

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 Lugosi DRACULA: when an over-eager archeologist reads an incantation from an ancient scroll, he unexpectedly reanimates a mysterious mummy--who then seeks reunion with the princess for whom he died thousands of years earlier and ultimately finds his ancient love reincarnated in modern-day Egypt.

Less a typical horror film than a gothic romance with an Egyptian setting, THE MUMMY has few special effects of any kind and relies primarily upon atmosphere for impact--and this it has in abundance: although leisurely told, the film possesses a darkly romantic, dreamlike quality that lingers in mind long after the film is over. With one or two exceptions, the cast plays with remarkable restraint, with Boris Karloff as the resurrected mummy and Zita Johann (a uniquely beautifully actress) standouts in the film. The sets are quite remarkable, and the scenes in which Karloff permits his reincarnated lover to relive the ancient past are particularly effective.

Kids raised on wham-bam action and special effects films will probably find the original THE MUMMY slow and uninteresting, but the film's high quality and disquieting atmosphere will command the respect of both fans of 1930s horror film and the more discerning viewer. Of all the 1930s Universal Studio horror films, THE MUMMY is the most subtle--and the one to which I personally return most often.

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. That image is more Lon Chaney, but here, Boris Karloff is the ancient priest, Im-Ho-Tep, who has come to bring his beloved princess back to life. He is only wrapped up in this movie briefly, and you do not see him move in the bandages.

An archeological dig for the British Museum has unearthed his grave and has found the mysterious Scroll of Thoth. This scroll has the power of bringing the dead back to life. After reading it, a young scientist brings him back to life. The mummy takes the scroll and leaves.

Years later, a local man shows a different archeological expedition where to find the tomb of an ancient princess. He follows the remains from the tomb into the museum and tries to raise the princess. The bulk of the movie concerns his attempt to reunite himself with the princess.

Is the movie scary? There is some good make-up on Karloff to make him look very old. His power is either in his eyes or his ring. Neither power is explained in the movie. Through a lighting effect, you will know when he is using mesmerism to attain his diabolical goals.

Even though this does not have the stereotypical mummy, it is a good movie. I would recommend it for horror fans. This movie was filmed after "Frankenstein."