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The Mummy (1999 film)
Overview
The Mummy is a 1999 American adventure film
written and directed by Stephen Sommers
and starring Brendan Fraser
, Rachel Weisz
, John Hannah
and Kevin J. O'Connor, with Arnold Vosloo
in the title role as the reanimated mummy
. The film features substantial dialogue in ancient Egyptian language
, spoken with the assistance of a professional Egyptologist
. It is a loose remake
of the 1932 film of the same name
which starred Boris Karloff
in the title role. Originally intended to be part of a low-budget horror series, the movie was eventually turned into a blockbuster
adventure film.
Filming began in Marrakech
, Morocco
, on May 4, 1998, and lasted seventeen weeks; the crew had to endure dehydration, sandstorms, and snakes while filming in the Sahara
.
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
written and directed by Stephen Sommers
Stephen Sommers
Stephen Sommers is an American screenwriter and film director, best known for The Mummy and its sequel, The Mummy Returns. He also directed Disney's live action version of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, the action/horror film Van Helsing, and the 2009 film G.I...
and starring Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser
Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
, Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
, John Hannah
John Hannah (actor)
John David Hannah is a Scottish actor of film and television. He has appeared in Stephen Sommers' Mummy Series, Richard Curtis' Four Weddings and a Funeral and Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow...
and Kevin J. O'Connor, with Arnold Vosloo
Arnold Vosloo
Arnold Vosloo is a South African American actor, best-known for playing Imhotep in The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as the role of the superhero Darkman in the sequel Darkman II: The Return of Durant and its 1996 sequel, Darkman III: Die Darkman Die...
in the title role as the reanimated mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
. The film features substantial dialogue in ancient Egyptian language
Egyptian language
Egyptian is the oldest known indigenous language of Egypt and a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. Written records of the Egyptian language have been dated from about 3400 BC, making it one of the oldest recorded languages known. Egyptian was spoken until the late 17th century AD in the...
, spoken with the assistance of a professional Egyptologist
Stuart Tyson Smith
Dr. Stuart Tyson Smith, Ph.D., is an Egyptologist best known for his reconstruction of the ancient Egyptian language for the films Stargate and The Mummy. He is currently a professor in the Anthropology department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his specialty is the...
. It is a loose remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the 1932 film of the same name
The Mummy (1932 film)
The Mummy is a 1932 horror film from Universal Studios directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff as a revived ancient Egyptian priest. The movie also features Zita Johann, David Manners and Edward Van Sloan...
which starred Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
in the title role. Originally intended to be part of a low-budget horror series, the movie was eventually turned into a blockbuster
Blockbuster (entertainment)
Blockbuster, as applied to film or theatre, denotes a very popular or successful production. The entertainment industry use was originally theatrical slang referring to a particularly successful play but is now used primarily by the film industry...
adventure film.
Filming began in Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, on May 4, 1998, and lasted seventeen weeks; the crew had to endure dehydration, sandstorms, and snakes while filming in the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Unanswered Questions
Quotations
This creature is the bringer of death. He will never eat, he will never sleep, and he will never stop.
(in Ancient Egyptian to Anck-su-Namun) You shall live again! I will ressurrect you!
(in Ancient Egyptian) My body is no longer his temple! (commits suicide)
(to the American, shooting on the boat) I say, bloody good show, chaps!
Do something, do something! (Rick pulls out a knife) Not that, not that!
(about the priest mummies) Damn, these guys just don't quit, do they?
I only gamble with my life, never my money.
(seeing Imhotep regenerate) We are in very serious trouble.
It is better to be the right hand of the devil than in his path. As long as I serve him, I am immune.