Week Thirteen: The Mummy (1932)

Director: Karl Freund

Producer: Carl Laemmle, Jr.

Writers: John L. Balderston (screenplay), Nina Wilcox Putnam and Richard Schayer (story)

Cinematography: Charles J. Stumer

Music: James Dietrich

Studio: Universal

Starring: Boris Karloff (Ardath Bey/Imhotep/The Mummy), Zita Johann (Helen Grosvenor/Princess Ankh-es-en-Amon), David Manners (Frank Whemple), Arthur Byron (Sir Joseph Whemple), Edward Van Sloan (Dr. Muller), Noble Johnson (The Nubian), Bram Fletcher (Ralph Norton)

Before You Watch the Movie
(First make sure you have read the introduction to this series)

In the 1930s Universal Pictures wasn’t the major powerhouse it is known as today, in overall production and profit it ranked below the “Big 5” studios (MGM, Warner’s, RKO, Paramount, and 20^th Century Fox) falling in with Columbia and United Artists to form the “Little 3,” which in turn were a step above what was known as the Poverty Row studios which produced even lower budget films. The studio had been making films since 1912 but by the early thirties Universal was starving for a hit and starring down the barrel of bankruptcy. Then, a miracle saved the studio: two massive box office success came from the unlikely source. Horror films. Dracula and Frankenstein, both released in 1931, saved the studio and gave them a new direction, Universal became the horror movie studio, an identity they are still trying to incorporate today. These films established forever the screen archetypes of Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster, including creating key parts of their mythos that are considered canon today. A year later a third film was added to this triumvirate, giving Universal their three most iconic monsters.

Unlike its two predecessors, The Mummy doesn’t rely as much on shocking attacks and horrifying makeup, instead, it successfully creates a moody dread and at times is more atmospheric fantasy than it is horror. Moreover, it is a wonderfully designed and shot film. In 1922 the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered by Howard Carter, leading to a craze of Egyptian architecture, fashion, and jewelry in the Art Deco style. Not to mention the famous "Curse of Tutankhamun." The Mummy takes that aesthetic and turns it into a oneiristic fantasy, photographed in high-contrast, expressionistic lighting.

The result is a unique and beautiful film that looks unlike any other horror film made at this time, very different from the Gothic style of Dracula and Frankenstein. German emigre director Karl Freund was one of UFA’s top cinematographers during the twenties, filming highly expressionistic horror film The Golem (1920), as well as Metropolis (1927) for Fritz Lang, and The Last Laugh (1924) for F.W. Murnau, developing the “unchained camera” for the latter film, an invention that allowed for unprecedented freedom of movement for the camera. The Mummy was Freund’s debut as a director and the influence of both famous directors is apparent in the composition of the frame.

 

The "Venetian blind effect," which would become a common visual trope in film noir a decade later. 

Freund includes a Langian doorway framing...

...and flashlight scene similar to Metropolis, on which Freund served as cinematographer.

A super close-up transitions to a Murnau-like double exposure.

Dracula and Frankenstein also introduced Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, respectively, to the genre that they are best known for. Karloff in particular, despite acting in films since 1918, broke out as the definitive horror movie star, a title he kept for over three decades. Karloff excelled at playing intelligent, intimidating bad guys but could also infuse some humanity at times if need be, such as his heartbreaking performance as Frankenstein’s Monster. Most importantly, he retained his ability to act despite being overloaded with his monster makeup. Often Karloff needed only his expressive eyes to do all the acting, as is the case with the Mummy when wrapped up. Monster movies don’t earn characters best acting awards but many of Karloff’s performances, even in the campiest of movies, have a much higher degree of difficulty than a normal dramatic role. This is a stigma that still exists today, though the focus has shifted more to performance-capture acting, the 21st-century version of monster makeup.

You can rent The Mummy from Amazon

After You Watch the Movie (Spoilers Below)

From its opening moments in 1921 Egypt, The Mummy works overtime to create its atmosphere. Shots of desolate Egyptian ruins and cuts to the shadow-drenched expedition headquarters, a room filled with artifacts and oh yeah a mummy lying in a casket in the corner. The examination of the mummy and box found with is a classic example of how mysterious and mystic sounding words and phrases can immediately enthrall an audience, even if they have no idea what anyone is really saying. The scene is full of sensational references to being buried alive, unbroken seals, the “Scroll of Toth,” and to when “Isis raised Osiris from the dead.” The inscription on the box reads “Death, eternal punishment for anyone who opens this casket, in the name of Amon-Ra, the King of the Gods.” And Dr. Muller invites his friend to “come out under the stars of Egypt.” All this is meant to build a feeling of unease and fascination in the audience and does so with remarkable effectiveness. 

A conventional horror movie would take the 1921 scenes and position the characters in the foreground with the Mummy in the background, the monster would come awake and approach the characters unaware, visible only to the audience, before attacking. What The Mummy does is far less direct, barely showing the monster and instead only hinting at the horror of the monster and power of the curse which causes Norton to go insane.

A standard horror film would have the Mummy come alive and attack in this scene...

...but The Mummy opts for a more subtle approach.

The Mummy offers to both its characters and the audience the irresistible draw of the unknown. It takes, and twists, liberally from different aspects of ancient Egyptian culture and makes up anything else that is needed. Hollywood isn’t interested in real history, it wants the legends and stories that get people interested. At its heart, The Mummy is fantasy veering into horror.

The Mummy veers heavily into expressionistic fantasy as well as horror.

The Mummy also taps into other aspects of the mystic, such as reincarnation and ancient gods that still have power, all subjects that easily capture the imagination as mysterious and titillating in a forbidden type of way. At the heart of the film is a theme that we see often recur in literature and eventually film as well, that of eternal love that transcends death. Imhotep may be the bad guy, but he is also a tragic romantic figure who risked eternal imprisonment in the slim hope that he might be reunited with the one he loved. Both of Karloff’s performances as Frankenstein’s monster and Imhotep are that of multi-dimensional characters far beyond the simple cape-swirling evil of Dracula.

The Mummy is a tragic love story that crosses countless centuries.

One of the most repeated rules of filmmaking is show, don’t tell. Though The Mummy does its fair share of telling, it does the bulk of its atmospheric heavy lifting through cinematography, set design, makeup, and costumes.

Though Universal would be rejuvenated by their series of horror movies, the thirties golden age of the genre wouldn’t last past the mid-thirties. A litany of mediocre releases and uninspired sequels brought to an end audience’s fascination with the horror. The biggest blow to horror films during the thirties came when the Production Code became heavily enforced in 1934. With violence, terror, and pervasive subtext severally censored, it was hard for horror films to be effective anymore. It is films like The Mummy, more so than Frankenstein or Dracula that held the blueprint for how horror films could succeed despite censorship. The Mummy shows how horror and tension could be created through the purposeful use of atmospheric cinematography, music, story and setting while showing just enough to get the imaginations of audiences working but without resorting to full-blown violence or gore. It wouldn’t be until a decade after The Mummy’s release, but eventually a crafty producer and technically brilliant director would unlock the key to horror once again.

See Also

Frankenstein (1931) dir. James Whale

Still the gold standard for Universal horror and Frankenstein films, Karloff gives a remarkable performance and James Whale creates a vivid, dark world for his characters to inhabit.

The Island of Lost Souls (1932) dir. Erle C. Kenton

Based on The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells, this film wasn’t released by Universal but is still one of the best horror films of the decade. The scenes of vivisection and mutilation are truly disturbing even today. Also features Bela Lugosi as the “Sayer of the Law.”

Freaks (1932) dir. Tod Browning

Less famous than Browning’s Dracula but a better film overall. No monsters in this one but instead the film is set in a circus freakshow and stars real-life “freaks.” Even more unsettling than these characters is the way they are treated by the “normal” people in the circus. You can watch it on YouTube

The Black Cat (1934) dir. Edgar G. Ulmer

By far the weirdest Universal horror film, directed by auteur Ulmer and starring both Karloff and Lugosi, this film features necrophilia, occult human sacrifice, and vengeful flaying. One of the most unique and creative films of the thirties.

Bride of Frankenstein (1935) dir. James Whale

Karloff returns as Frankenstein’s monster and is joined by Elsa Lancaster in her iconic performance of the Bride. A strange and campy yet completely brilliant film. Different from other of the Universal monster films that cannot be missed.

Let me know what you think either here or on Twitter @bottlesofsmoke