The Mummy | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Karl Freund |
Produced by | Carl Laemmle, Jr. |
Screenplay by | John L. Balderston |
Story by | |
Starring | |
Music by | James Dietrich |
Cinematography | Charles Stumar |
Edited by | Milton Carruth |
Distributed by | Universal Studios |
Release date
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Running time
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73 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $196,000 |
The Mummy is a 1932 American Pre-Code horror film directed by Karl Freund. The screenplay by John L. Balderston was from a story by Nina Wilcox Putnam and Richard Schayer. Released by Universal Studios, the film stars Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Edward Van Sloan and Arthur Byron. The film is about an ancient Egyptian mummy named Imhotep who is discovered by a team of archeologists and inadvertently brought back to life through a magic scroll. Disguised as a modern Egyptian, the mummy searches for his lost love, whom he believes has been reincarnated into a modern girl.
In 1921 an archaeological expedition in 1921, led by Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron) finds the mummy of ancient Egyptian priest called Imhotep (Boris Karloff). When an inspection of the mummy by Whemple's friend Dr. Muller (Edward Van Sloan) reveals that the viscera were not removed, Muller deduces that Imhotep was buried alive for sacrilege. Imhotep had been mummified alive for attempting to resurrect his forbidden lover, the princess Ankh-es-en-amon. Despite Muller's warning, Sir Joseph's assistant Ralph Norton (Bramwell Fletcher) reads aloud an ancient life-giving scroll – the Scroll of Thoth. Imhotep escapes from the archaeologists, taking the Scroll of Thoth, and prowls Cairo seeking the modern reincarnation of Ankh-es-en-amon.