Director: Stephen Sommers
Screenplay: Stephen Sommers
Director of Photography: Adrian Biddle
Rick O'Connell: Brendan Fraser
Evelyn: Rachel Weisz
Jonathan: John Hannah
Beni: Kevin J O'Connor
Imhotep: Arnold Vosloo
Egyptologist: Jonathan Hyde |
A new take on a very old story is about to hit a screen near you. The leading role has been played by the likes of Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. The great Ernst Lubitsch is alleged to have directed the first film on this subject in 1918, although there is a claim of a lost 1905 film. Even Abbot and Costello got into the act.
The story of the Egyptian high priest Imhotep who is mummified alive for daring to love the Pharaoh's mistress, has been told and re-told, usually as horror, sometimes as comedy. Whatever its genre the curse of the mummy has haunted our screens since the earliest days of film. The latest version is no doubt the most expensive to date, with extravagant sets and costumes and the power of computer generation to make the special effects even more effective.
The end result is a big sprawling film that invites comparison with "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Set in Egypt in the 1920s "The Mummy" tells the story of a young museum librarian who sets out into the desert in search for Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead. She is not after treasure, instead she's hoping to find the fabled book of the dead. Her guide is a handsome, wise-cracking adventurer, and her no-hoper brother comes along for the ride, and to act as the comic relief. But they are not alone. They keep crossing paths with a rag tag band of Americans, who look for all the world like refugees from the Wild West and who are as ready with their guns as any western hero. Their goal is the treasure. And there is the band of black robed desert dwellers whose duty it is to protect the city of the dead from intruders who may awaken the Mummy who is destined to wreak havoc on the world.
Not surprisingly greed ensures that the mummy is set free and the goodies have to destroy the superhuman high priest before he destroys them and their world.
"The Mummy", 1999 version, is a mix of adventure, comedy, horror and romance. The script is full of snappy one liners such as when Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) is questioning Rick (Brendan Fraser) about his knowledge of Hamunaptra: "I've been to Hamunaptra." "You swear?" "Every damn day".
Evelyn is suitably beautiful and is even allowed to be knowledgeable - she is a specialist in egyptology. Rick is suitably swashbuckling, and her brother Jonathan (John Hannah) is a comedian with a love for whisky.
The filmmakers are clearly having fun and are well aware of the cliches they are playing with - the actors frequently throw a knowing aside to the audience. And the special effects are good, but then we've come to expect this of films today.
"The Mummy" is the sort of film you will tend to enjoy at the time, and may even have fun talking about afterwards - trying to catch up with all the one-liners and the filmic cross references. You won't feel cheated of your ticket price, but I doubt that "The Mummy" will unseat Indiana Jones from his throne.
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