The Mummy (Special Edition)

Wow! If you're a Universal Horror movie fan you'll need to get hold of this set. Though there's nothing here that hasn't seen the light of day before, it's an absolute case study in how to bring maximum value to a DVD release.




For the time being I'll assume that you already know what a brilliant iconic movie the original 'The Mummy' is. You'll already know that, despite its low budget, its fast turnaround in a hard working studio, that it's an incredibly atmospheric film, full of danger and mystery. You'll know that Karloff is stunning as both the entwined 'Mummy' of the title, and as the darkly mysterious Im-ho-tep or Ardeth Bey as he's known to his mates. But what you won't know is just how many top-notch extras they've managed to cram into this double-disc set.



Like many Universal Horror fans I already have the single 'Legacy' disc of this film and was mightily impressed with that. Superb transfer, really informative commentary and a nice historic documentary putting the excitement created by this movie's release into historic context. Well - the good news and the bad news is that Disc 1 in this set is a carbon copy of that. But fear not, because Disc 2 will be enough to encourage many of you to double-dip.



The release of this set coincides with re-releases of the rather overblown CGI-fests of the late 90's remakes - 'The Mummy' and 'The Mummy Returns', released just in time to coincide with the theatrical release of another installment: 'The Mummy - Tomb of the Dragon Emporer'. The relationship between these pictures and the 1932 original may be thematically obvious, though artistically the two have little to connect them. In truth, I suspect that many fans of the latter movie may not share the view that the earlier version is better, or even any good. They're just two completely different experiences - one full of somber melancholy and a dark air of misgiving, the other full of swashbuckling adventure and derring-do. And I know which I prefer.



'The Mummy' was made at a time when there was great excitement about the British Museum's exhibition that had unearthed Tutankhamen. Karl Freund, who was a well respected cinematographer in his own right, was given an opportunity to direct this as his first ever movie - and he painstaking planned the visual look of the piece. Karloff was basking in the glory of 'Frankenstein' which had been released the previous year and had been a phenomenal success. He was seen as an obvious choice for this picture, and whilst dialogue is fairly wooden throughout, Karloff's menacing presence (see what he does with those eyes) and Freund's attention to visual detail make this film crackle from the outset.



Karloff stars as an unearthed Mummy who comes back to life after being brought out of the earth. Free of his Mummy's rags (after one of the most frightening sequences of the era where we see the bandages just moving out of shot), as 'visitor' Im-ho-tep/Bey he becomes besotted with Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann), who is a reincarnation of his ancient love, Anck-es-en-Amon.
Whilst there is little narrative action (the story is very one dimensional), Karloff remains an unsettling presence throughout and Freund often indulges in lengthy shots where we see nothing but Karloff' smouldering looks, his eyes bright against their dark surrounds.It's a brilliant move, and at just 72 minutes is well worth looking at again with the excellent audio commentary from film historian, Paul Jensen. Which is a neat link into the extra features, most of which are first class.



There's a ten minute poster/still gallery, set to the film's spooky score. Disc 1 also houses a 30 minute documentary "Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition" which explores the film's historic context, telling of the huge impact the film had on the imaginations of its viewers at the time of its release.



The real gold-dust (extras) lies on the second disc with a superb feature-length documentary (Directed & Produced by Kevin Brownlow in 1998) simply entitled "Universal Horror," . It's a highly entertaining, massively informative piece, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and in my view justifies the price of this disc alone. With informative contributions from David Skal (a film historian who seems to specialize in Universal Horror), a red-nosed Ray Bradbury and many others, this is a must-see for any serious vintage horror fan.




Also included is a rather nice tribute documentary to the unsung 'creator' of the many Universal monsters that have become the iconic templates used by kids at Holloween, and by every film featuring the monsters since that time; 'He who Made Monsters. The Life and Art of Jack Pierce'. Cruelly cast aside for younger, quicker and cheaper make-up artists, Pierce passed away in near poverty and obscurity after being forced into working on cheap formulaic television shows to make a living. It's remarkable that it was he who defined the way we visualize Frankenstein, Dracula , The Wolf Man, The Mummy and The Invisible Man amongst others.



Finally, there's an eight minute documentary attempting to link the old with the new in "Unraveling the Legacy of 'The Mummy'" which is more about the 1998 movie than the 1932 one.


Overall, this set cannot fail to impress even the most cynical DVD buyer. If you love old Universal horror movies like I do then this was an evening in DVD-Heaven with not only a great transfer of a classic movie, but enough extras to completely immerse you in the context and making of the movie. Excellent!