The Mummy

When a team of British Museum explorers discover the tomb of an Egyptian princess, they also discover the mummy of her forbidden lover "Imhotep" (Boris Karloff) and a secret scroll that has the power, when read aloud, to restore the dead to life. It's on reading that document in the crypt that the mummy is restored to life and escaping for the moment, he determines to return and rescue his princess at all costs so he can restore her too. As it happens, ten years later, a young woman "Helen" (Zita Johann) whose father is a British administrator, is in Cairo - and she is the spitting image of the dead princess. Might she even be a reincarnation? Well "Imhotep" certainly reckons so and she is to be the body selected for the soul of his reincarnated love. It's quite interesting in that this mummy lives in plain sight. There are no bandage wrappings to trail behind him, there is no lurching statically - Karloff's depiction is far more human; and I felt far more menacing. His personification here has a calculating menace to it that I thought worked quite effectively as the story heads to it's actually rather sad denouement. The supporting cast - including the rather sterile Johann - are competent enough at providing a template for our mummy to plunder and though maybe there is just a little too much dialogue - perhaps an overcompensation from silent films - it's still one of my favourite iterations of this compelling and mysterious story.

Put it back. Bury it where you found it. You have read the curse. You dare defy it? The Mummy is directed by Karl Freund and written by Nina Wilcox Putnam, Richard Schayer and John L. Balderston. It stars Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Arthur Byron, Edward Van Sloan, and Bramwell Fletcher. Music is by James Dietrich and cinematography by Charles J. Stumar. The first of Universal's Mummy films follows the story of Imhotep (Karloff), who after being awaken from his tomb by expedition workers, believes his lover has been reincarnated in the body of a modern woman. It's undeniably slow moving, it's stagy, and away from Karloff the acting and dialogue is just about reaching average qualities. Yet there's a haunting quality to the pic, with a number of genuinely eerie sequences. The shadowed photography helps greatly for funereal atmospherics, while it's somewhat refreshing to find a film of this type not resorting to shock tactics to get your attention. An important film in a lot of ways and well worth a look for those interested in the history of Horror Film. 7/10

After watching Frankenstein and Dracula, this one is far above them. "Is it interesting?" This one kept my interest for quite a while, though the editing was a major flaw. 2 out of 3. "Is it memorable?" If I think of classic monster movies, I will think of this one. Especially the story. 2 out of 3. "Is it entertaining?" That is the biggest problem. We have a great bad guy with a recognizable motivation, but out protagonists bumble along. The characters aren't evenly represented. I knew who was going to win or lose and stopped caring why. Just was waiting to find out how. 1 out of 3 Start with 1, 1+2+2+1=6 It might be a while but would watch again. Would also mention it to others, but let them judge how good it was. It's not for everyone.