The Mummy (1959 film)
| The Mummy | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Terence Fisher |
| Produced by |
Michael Carreras Anthony Nelson Keys |
| Written by | Jimmy Sangster |
| Starring |
Peter Cushing Christopher Lee Yvonne Furneaux Eddie Byrne George Pastell |
| Music by | Franz Reizenstein |
| Cinematography | Jack Asher |
| Edited by | Alfred Cox James Needs |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Universal-International |
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Release date
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25 September 1959 (UK) |
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Running time
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88 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £125,000 |
| Box office | 857,243 admissions (France) |
The Mummy is a 1959 British horror film, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. It was written by Jimmy Sangster and produced by Michael Carreras and Anthony Nelson Keys for Hammer Film Productions. The film was distributed in the U.S. in 1959 on a double bill with either the Vincent Price movie The Bat or the Universal film Curse of the Undead.
Though the title suggests Universal Pictures' 1932 film of the same name, the film actually derives its plot and characters entirely from two 1940s Universal films, The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb, with the climax borrowed directly from The Mummy's Ghost. The character name Joseph Whemple, the use of a sacred scroll, and a few minor plot elements are the only connections with the 1932 version.
In Egypt in 1895, archaeologists John Banning (Cushing), his father Stephen (Felix Aylmer) and his uncle Joseph Whemple (Raymond Huntley) are searching for the tomb of Princess Ananka, the high priestess of the god Karnak. John has a broken leg and cannot accompany his father and uncle when they open the tomb (According to Cushing's diary, he had twisted his leg before the filming, so the script was adapted to let him recover.) Before they enter, an Egyptian named Mehemet Bey (George Pastell) warns them not to go in, lest they face the fatal curse against desecrators. Stephen and Joseph ignore him, and discover within the sarcophagus of Ananka. After Joseph leaves to tell John the good news, Stephen finds the Scroll of Life and reads from it. He then screams off-screen and is found in a catatonic state.
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