THE
MUMMY (1959)Director: Terence Fisher
Warner Home Video
THE
MUMMY (1959)Hammer Films' third big monster pairing of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee was an inevitable remake of the 1932 Karloff MUMMY, but Jimmy Sangster's script also uses themes from some of the Universal sequels (namely THE MUMMY'S HAND and THE MUMMY'S TOMB). Having already proficiently dealt with the Frankenstein and Dracula legends, director Terence Fisher again delivers a lively, gothic masterpiece that completes the trio of classics that put Hammer on the map and continue to lure audiences to this day.
Cushing plays John Banning, laid up with a broken leg on the site of an archaeological dig in Egypt. Cushing has to remain in his tent while his father Stephen Banning (Felix Aylmer) and companion Joseph Whemple (Raymond Huntley) finally discover the entrance to the lost tomb of Princess Ananka. Prior to violating the sacred burial place, a local priest named Mehemet Bey (George Pastell) warns them against doing so. Not buying into local superstition, they enter the tomb and the elder Banner unwisely reads aloud the ancient scroll, bringing back to life the 4000-year-old mummy Kharis (Christopher Lee). Being the only witness to the reincarnation, he loses his mind in the process.
Three years later, Cushing's father is in an asylum in England. Finally regaining enough control to speak, he warns his son that the mummy is very much alive, but his words are taken as the ramblings of a crazy person. Transported to England by Mehemet Bey, the mummy is indeed alive and out for retribution, starting with a nightly visit to old man Banner's padded cell, bursting in and viscously killing him. Huntley is the next to be attacked, with Cushing being present to witness Kharis in action. He manages to shoot him twice with no effect other than to blow a couple of large holes in the walking corpse. When the mummy later comes back to claim Cushing's life, he's distracted by the image of his wife Isobel (Yvonne Furneaux) who is a dead ringer for his beloved Ananka. When Kharis is unleashed for the last time, he sets off with her in his arms, pursued by Cushing and the armed police.
The best asset to THE MUMMY is the superb acting job by Lee in the titular role. Roy Ashton's still-impressive make-up only allowed for openings where the eyes are, so the actor basically has to play the part through expressive glances, as well as his more than adequate towering and flexible physique. Lee's mummy is a supernatural creature of great empathy as witnessed with his eternal love for Ananka, and at the same time he's an unstoppable, unflinching killing machine (Lee reportedly took a beating, smashing through windows and doors repeatedly, as well as being adorned with explosives to simulate bullet shots!).
With Fisher's unique direction, the striking cinematography of Jack Asher, the stirring music of Franz Reizenstein, and Bernard Robinson's sets--recreating agent Egypt and 19th century England to great effect--the production soars high above the minuscule Hammer budget and THE MUMMY remains impressive to this day. Cushing is terrific as always, and even had a hand behind the scenes, suggesting his unforgettable harpooning of the mummy--another timeless effect. In smaller roles, Yvonne Furneaux (REPULSION) is beautiful and charming as Isobel/Ananka, George Pastell (who reworked the character in CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB) is perfect as the fanatical priest, Michael Ripper is a comical drunk and George Woodbridge is a plump police constable.
Without much fanfare--or similar library titles to go with it--Warner Home Video has released Hammer's THE MUMMY on DVD. It's anamorphic and letterboxed at 1:85.1. This new digital transfer sufficiently reproduces the Technicolor of the original prints, but at times the fleshtones lean towards an orange/brown tint. Although blacks are solid and the colors are distinct for the most part, the overall hues are warm rather than cool as they are in the grainy trailer (presented as an extra on the disc). The anamorphic enhancement definitely gives more depth to the picture, and darker scenes (such as the Mummy's climatic descent into the swamp) now maintain more vivid detail then they did on the film's now obsolete video and laserdisc treatments. The source print is in near-perfect condition, bestowing a cleaner picture than we could ever hope for on this title. Although the packing declares "matted" in reference to the letterboxing, the composition looks correct, allowing more room on the sides while trimming dead space on the top and bottom of the screen. The mono sound is flawless for a 40+ year old film.
Besides the aforementioned trailer, the only extra is a tacky, single screen cast and credit page that will have you thinking "tell me something I don't know." Although it's rewarding to finally have this classic of horror cinema on DVD, it's incredibly frustrating at the same time. If released by Anchor Bay--providers of the amazing fan-catered "Hammer Collection"--THE MUMMY DVD would've been a more grand affair, and you could've banked on participation by Lee himself, along with a couple of other Hammer films out on DVD at the same time. But Warner's main purpose was to cash in on Universal's THE MUMMY RETURNS, released on DVD the same exact day. Warner has little or no regard for the horror fan and their shameful "maybe" attitude towards releasing CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN and HORROR OF DRACULA is disgusting. Warner will not license their Hammer films to Anchor Bay, and they'd rather the titles sit on the shelf than to release them on their own. With more than half a dozen Hammer titles in their library, it's a problem that must be resolved! (George R. Reis)