The Mummy (1959)

In the 1890s a team of British archaeologists discover the untouched tomb of Princess Ananka but accidentally bring the mummified body of her High Priest back to life. Three years later ... See full summary »

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writer:

Jimmy Sangster

Stars:

Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Yvonne Furneaux

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Cushing	...	John Banning
Christopher Lee	...	Kharis, the Mummy
Yvonne Furneaux	...	Isobel / Ananka
Eddie Byrne	...	Inspector Mulrooney
Felix Aylmer	...	Stephen Banning
Raymond Huntley	...	Joseph Whemple
George Pastell	...	Mehemet Bey
Michael Ripper	...	Poacher
George Woodbridge	...	Police Constable
Harold Goodwin	...	Pat
Denis Shaw	...	Mike
Gerald Lawson	...	Irish Customer
Willoughby Gray	...	Dr. Reilly
John Stuart	...	Coroner
David Browning	...	Police Sergeant

Storyline

In the 1890s a team of British archaeologists discover the untouched tomb of Princess Ananka but accidentally bring the mummified body of her High Priest back to life. Three years later back in England a follower of the same Egyptian religion unleashes the mummy to exact grisly revenge on the despoilers of the sacred past.

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Plot Keywords:

princess | tomb | mummy | high priest | archaeologist | 

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Taglines:

Torn from the tomb to terrify the world!

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Múmia

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christopher Lee's mummy walk isn't entirely acting. Besides the injuries to his back and shoulder noted above, he also injured his knees and shins while doing scenes in the studio-tank "swamp" - he couldn't see where the various pipes and fittings under the swampy water were.

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Goofs

Princess Ananka's mummy's death mask has closed eyes. In reality, the eyes of an ancient Egyptian mummy mask are wide open because the Egyptians wanted their dead to be able to see and hear in the afterlife.

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Quotes

John Banning: Seems I've spent the better part of my life amongst the dead

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Connections

Referenced in Andy Richter Controls the Universe: Charity Begins in Cellblock D (2003)

User Reviews

A must see for horror fans

Far superior to the Brendan Fraser version, which relies too heavily on sterile computerized special FX. Comparing it to the classic 1932 Boris Karloff version, as so many people are doing, I feel is unfair. Karloff is not seen much in bandaged form choking people, but instead, in the Ardeth Bay persona. The Hammer Mummy has a lot more in common with the four Mummy movies Universal made in the 40's, (bandaged mummy chokes people out, the high priest out for revenge, etc.), and while those movies are fun, they don't compare to this one. Simply put, Tom Tyler and Lon Chaney, Jr. are not given the chance to pantomime with as much emotion as Christopher Lee, (kind of ironic when you consider the latter's father was the king of pantomime). Through all of the muddy bandages, there are still glimpses of human expression in Lee's eyes.

Beautiful color and well paced, I highly recommend this movie..............