The Mummy
The sands will rise. The heavens will part. The power will be unleashed.
The Mummy (1999)
Production
Budget
$80 000 000
Revenue
$415 933 406
Director
Scenario
Composer
Producer
Actors
Brendan Fraser
Rick O'Connell
Rachel Weisz
Evelyn Carnahan
John Hannah
Jonathan Carnahan
Arnold Vosloo
Imhotep
Patricia Velásquez
Anck-Su-Namun
Oded Fehr
Ardeth Bay
Kevin J. O'Connor
Beni Gabor
Jonathan Hyde
Allen Chamberlain
Short description
In 1920s Egypt, an adventurer named Rick O'Connell crosses paths with a librarian, Evelyn Carnahan, and her brother Jonathan, who are searching for a lost city in the desert. Rick knows where its ruins lie, and the trio sets out for Hamunaptra, the fabled City of the Dead, where treasure and ancient knowledge are said to be buried. What they find instead is a tomb holding the remains of Imhotep, a high priest condemned thousands of years earlier for a forbidden love. When the seal on his resting place is broken, the priest rises again, and the group must find a way to stop the force they have unleashed before it spreads beyond the ruins.
The film was directed by Stephen Sommers, who also wrote the screenplay, following his earlier work on The Adventures of Huck Finn, The Jungle Book and Deep Rising. Brendan Fraser plays Rick, with Rachel Weisz as Evelyn, John Hannah as Jonathan and Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep. Sean Daniel and James Jacks produced.
Released in April 1999, the film cost about 80 million dollars and took in roughly 416 million dollars worldwide, a strong return. It holds a 7.1 rating on IMDb from nearly half a million votes and a 7 on TMDB from over ten thousand. Critics gave it 6.5 out of 10 across 106 reviews, a moderate score close to the audience ratings. Sommers returned to the story with The Mummy Returns in 2001.
What's left behind the scenes
- Scenes featuring Rachel Weisz covered in rats and locusts were filmed using real animals and insects, not computer graphics, as is often the case in such situations.
- The nightgown Evelyn was wearing during the attack on the ship became transparent when wet and was subsequently digitally altered with computer graphics during post-production.
- The voice-over at the beginning of the film was originally intended to belong to Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), but director Stephen Sommers later realized that the ancient Egyptian priest could not speak English and gave this honor to Ardeth Bay (Oded Fehr).
- The studio's next choice was Joe Dante, who insisted on increasing the budget and wanted to cast Daniel Day-Lewis as the mummy monster. His version of the plot was set in modern times, focusing on reincarnation and a central love story. However, at that time, Universal Pictures was only willing to spend $15 million and rejected the director's proposed interpretation of the film. Mick Harris was then confirmed as director, but soon left the project, and Wes Craven, who received an invitation, turned it down. Only in 1997 did director Stephen Sommers offer producer James Jacks his vision of the film, which received full support and understanding from the studio management, which had changed shortly before due to several major failures. The idea of a film in the style of Indiana Jones and the classic adventure genre 'Jason and the Argonauts,' with the mummy as the main antagonist, so appealed to the studio that it agreed to increase the costs from $15 to $80 million.
- Initially, the film was supposed to begin, like the 1932 film, with a black-and-white Universal Studios logo that dissolves into the shimmering sun of the desert.
- The first plans to create a film, a loose remake of the 1932 film starring Boris Karloff, appeared with producer James Jacks as early as 1992. At that time, Universal Pictures gave the green light to the project on the condition that the budget did not exceed $10 million, hoping to get a low-budget horror franchise. Clive Barker was invited to direct, but after several meetings with studio executives, both sides temporarily lost interest in the film. George Romero was considered as the next candidate, but his style was deemed too frightening for a wide audience by the producer and the studio.
- At the 14th minute of the film, when Evelyn is balancing on the stairs, you can notice that the actress Rachel Weisz is replaced by a stunt double.
- Filming of the abandoned city of Hamunaptra took place on a separate set built in the crater of an extinct volcano near Erfoud. Later, another extensive set was constructed in the pavilions of British Shepperton Studios, where scenes in the underground passages and galleries of Hamunaptra were filmed.
- With the exception of a loincloth and a few pieces of jewelry, Patricia Velasquez's (Anck-su-namun) costume consisted entirely of body paint, which took 14 hours to apply.
- The scenes taking place in the prison were entirely filmed in a residential complex in Marrakech.
- The scenes in the Port of Giza were filmed on a set 183 meters long, built in the British Chatham Dockyards. It featured a steam locomotive, three port cranes, an open two-horse carriage, four horse-drawn carriages, donkeys, mules, rows of an eastern bazaar with merchants in Arab clothing, and a room for 300 extras.
- The role in the film (the prison warden who makes a deal with Evelyn) marked the film debut of British actor and comedian Omid Djalili, born in Iran.
- When the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun was discovered on November 4, 1922, the excavation was led by George Herbert, the Earl of Carnarvon, with his daughter, Lady Evelyn Carnarvon, also participating. Initially, the film's main character was intended to be the daughter of the cursed Lord Carnarvon, Evelyn, but later her surname was changed to Carnahan, and the only reference to this storyline became Evelyn's words to Rick that her father was a 'very famous explorer'.
- When Imhotep pushes Rick towards Jonathan and the other Americans on the 74th minute of the film, you can notice that stunt doubles replace all the actors in this scene.
- During the scene where the crowd summoned by Imhotep chants a recitation in ancient Egyptian, extras began replacing the phrase they were given with “Ohwhatanarseyouare” – a vulgar remark in English – during rehearsals. The same thing happened on the final take and made it into the final version of the film, completely unnoticed by the crew.
- In reality, Imhotep was a famous architect who designed the construction of the first Egyptian pyramids, including the pyramid of Djoser around 2600 BC. The talent of the ancient architect was so great that he was later spoken of as a man descended from the gods. His name translates to 'he who comes in peace'.
- The Cairo fort was named Fort Bridon. In the film 'The Jungle Book' (1994), also directed by Stephen Sommers, one of the characters was Colonel Bridon (played by Sam Neill).
- When Benny translates Imhotep's words, he makes a mistake with one word, saying 'forever,' and Evelyn corrects him with the phrase 'for all eternity, you idiot!'. A similar mistake in deciphering hieroglyphs by Dr. Daniel Jackson occurs in the film 'Stargate' (1994).
- Tom Cruise was offered the lead role, but he declined. He subsequently landed the lead role in the action film 'The Mummy' (2017).
- Filming period: May 5 – August 29, 1998. Work began in the Moroccan city of Marrakech, then filming moved to the Sahara Desert, near the small town of Erfoud.
- The character of Ardeth Bay (the leader of the Medjai) was originally scripted to die at the end of the film, but director Stephen Sommers insisted that his fate be changed.
- In the film, Ardeth Bay is the leader of the Medjai tribe, tasked with protecting humanity from Imhotep. However, in the 1932 film, Ardeth Bay is the second incarnation of the mummy Imhotep (Boris Karloff) as he attempts to pass himself off as a modern Egyptian.
- At the 39th minute of the film, Rick and Benny on camels overtake riders galloping on horses, however, camels are actually slower than horses.
- When the American adventurers are engaged in a shootout at the 33rd minute of the film, you can notice that they have earplugs inserted in their ears.
- During the filming of the scene where his character is hanged, Brendan Fraser lost consciousness and nearly lost his life because the rope around his neck was tightened too much.
- At the 72nd minute of the film, when Rick is sitting at the bar and talking to Burns, you can notice the hand of a crew member in the left part of the screen.
- A scholar-Egyptologist was specially invited to participate in the filming to demonstrate the correct pronunciation of individual ancient Egyptian words and entire phrases to the actors.
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