"The Mummy" is one of the better looking Hammer films, thanks to Bernard Robinson's production designs and Jack Asher's cinematography, the high point of which is the lengthy Egyptian flashback sequence. Peter Cushing plays John Banning the hero with a sense of melancholy attributable to not only his crippled leg but sadness over the tragic consequences of their treasure expedition. George Pastell's Mehemet is one of the most thoughtful and pious villains you will ever find in a horror film. As Kharis, Christopher Lee has another silent role that forces him to communication his longing for Ananka through his eyes and gestures. Lee's mummy is much more muscular and athletic than Karloff's original. No slow shuffling monster here, the scene where Kharis smashes through the sanitarium window to attack Stephen Banning is one of the best action sequences in Hammer's history. It is not surprising Lee suffering physically because of this film. "The Mummy" stands out from other Hammer films not only because the monster is different this time around, but more because it does present the black and white division between Good and Evil we come to expect in Fisher's films. After all, Kharis has suffered for ages in unspeakable torment and kills only to protect Isobel thinking she is Ananka, so there is a degree of pity involved, while we have some feelings of disgust towards the archeologists who are so dismissive of native beliefs. Clearly there is more depth here to the characters than we find in the contemporary block busters where the appeal is pure special effects.


The Mummy   February 8, 2007
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Okay... bullets don't stop him, bogs don't drown him, and running a spear through him simply causes a handful of desiccated kidney dust to pour out of the exit site and, if those blazing brown eyes are any indication, get madder than he was to begin with. How do you stop Kharis (Christopher Lee), the Mummy, who has traveled from Egypt to the peaceful countryside of England to wreak havoc (aka, kill) the three English archeologists who desecrated the tomb of his beloved, Princess Ananka. Traveling with is his keeper, Mehemet Bey (George Pastell), who conveniently carries along with him, in a mini-mummy casket, a scroll of life which, when read, brings them back from the dead.

Man, what a thankless role Lee was stuck with in this one. His mummy makeup is as stiff as a plaster cast, he doesn't even get to growl, and the only emotion he's allowed to express in this one - save for an extended flashback scene where's he's the high priest preparing the Princess for burial - is through the eyes. Of course, Kharis had a forbidden, meddlesome love for the Princess, which helped accelerate his outraged congregation turning him into Dust-for-Guts, so I guess he had it coming to him. That forbidden love was a good thing for archeologist John Banning (Peter Cushing) though, who had the great good sense to marry Princess Ananka look-alike Isobel (Yvonne Furneaux.) If guns, bogs, and spears won't stop the Mummy (why didn't anyone think about a bucket of creosote and a lit match!? Sigh.) a squealed "Stop!" from Isobel/Ananka seems fairly effective.

THE MUMMY is one of those fun Hammer House films I haven't watched for a generation or so and delight in rediscovering. Cushing it at the top of his form, and Lee makes the most of his limited opportunities to generate sympathy for the monster. The Mummy is one of the hardest of the classic monsters to warm up to. Dracula is heartless but has a cold charm and more than enough style to hold our attention. Frankenstein's Monster is a pathetic creature in battle with his creator. The Wolfman's got that wolfbane curse that was a result of an accident totally beyond his control. The Mummy defies his gods by attempting to resurrect the Princess, and spends most movies trying to reunite with her. To their credit, Hammer's Mummy also has Mehemet Bey, who preys upon the residual guilt of the English for robbing Egypt of her sacred treasures. So this Mummy has a two-track, lost love/revenge theme going. Good fun, THE MUMMY is about as family-safe film as you'll find. There's no nudity, extremely minimal gore, and there's more talk than scare. Interesting talk, too, especially the third act guilt-trip Mehemet Bey tries to lay on Banning. Solid recommendation.



WHY IS THIS CLASSIC NOT YET ON DVD?   June 21, 2001
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

THE MUMMY is hands down the greatest film Hammer ever produced, even surpassing HORROR OF DRACULA. The Egyptian sequence with its air of authenticity and dream-like horror, superb acting (especially by Peter Cushing and Lee, who marvelously conveys the stunted feelings of Karis via his eyes), memorable cinematography, intelligent dialogues, (this film has NO CAMP APPEAL! I HATE THE WORD CAMP!) exciting set pieces as the very physical Lee-mummy crashes through doors and strangle his victims, all converge to make a timeless classic. Oh yeah, this is also the best mummy movie ever made. As if there is a real competition. Ha ha.


Hammer's Version Produces Good Chills, but is a Little Slow   March 10, 2000
 5 out of 7 found this review helpful

As I wrote in my previos review for the original "Mummy," my favorite film is the 1999 version of "The Mummy." After I saw it, I quested after the original, which was great! I loved it's moody atmohsphere and fantastic performances. I loved the latest version of the story for it's humor, action, beautiful score, excellent performances, first rate visual effects and lightning pace. And it was around the time "The Mummy" was about to be released on video (September 28, 1999) that I rented the 1953 Hammer version. And I enjoyed this version quite a lot as well! One of the things that impressed me most about this film, was the musical score. It's quite epic for a somewhat clostrafobic film like this, but it still works with the shots and the story. The performance given by Peter Cushing on this movie was in my opinion one of his best. He was much more layed back, and even tough in this movie! The sets for the flash back and excavation scenes are like something out of a "Gilligan's Island," episode however - but it doesn't really effect the film overall. The plot developes a little slowly, but Christopher Lee as the mummy is truly terrifying. I mean scary! With his huge strides and quick swipes at his targets, he is a menace to be reconed with. And, he's the only mummy BEFORE Arnold Vosloo (in the 1999 version) that breaks into a sprint, adding to the terror. The only thing I really had a problem with was the films climax, which replecates the ending of "Revenge of the Creature" (the sequel to Universal's 1954 smash "The Creature from the Black Lagoon") right down to a few camera angles. Plus, at it's end Lee is killed with incredible ease. But none the less, I still liked this film very, very much. I recomend it highly to anyone who loved the original or the '99 version.


Maybe Hammer's finest hour   May 19, 2005
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

The Mummy has always been the Rodney Dangerfield of classic monsters: it doesn't matter the year or the studio, he just doesn't get any respect. But Hammer's 1959 version, starring the incomparable team of Peter Cushing (as the hero) and Christopher Lee (as the monster), might be the best treatment of the ancient Egyptian living dead on film, as well as Hammer's best film. At any rate, the best looking (and sounding) to come from the tiny English studio. Jimmy Sangster's script scrambles up themes (and even character names) from several Universal Mummy films of the 1930s and 40s, but in the process he comes up with the most literate and historically accurate treatment of theme on record. Particularly clever is the decision to make the hero, Cushing, an agile adversary with a bum leg, turning upside-down the convention from the old Universal Kharis films which presented a lame, shuffling mummy who still managed to catch up with his furiously running victims (though for the record, some have claimed that Cushing was really injured at the time of filming, and his limp merely incorporated into the story). The direction of Terence Fisher is atmospherically assured as usual without being obtrusive, but Jack Asher's photography is really something to behold: in particular, the scenes of ancient Egypt are stunningly beautiful. The supporting cast is one of Hammer's best, with Sir Felix Aylmer and Raymond Huntley joining such studio regulars as the great Michael Ripper and George Pastell, but the acting honors go without question to Christopher Lee, who excells in a role that has defeated lesser actors -- the silent, bandaged mummy -- and makes it not only frightening, but heart-wrenchingly tragic, simply through body language and his expressive eyes. If you're into mummy films, this one is a must.