The Mummy (1999 film)
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| - | '''Egyptomania''' is a concept that describes the [[Western world|Western]] fascination with [[Ancient Egypt|ancient Egyptian culture and history]]. Although this fascination goes back to a time immediately following the [[Pharaoh|pharaonic]] period, "Egyptomania" specifically refers to the renewed interest in Egypt during the [[nineteenth century]] as a result of [[Napoleon]]'s "Egyptian Campaign" (1798-1801) and, in particular, as a result of the extensive scientific study of [[Ancient Egypt]]ian remains and culture inspired by this campaign. | ||
| - | ==Culture== | ||
| - | Since the early nineteenth century, the fascination with [[ancient Egypt]] seems to have affected every field of American culture. Some of the most important areas of culture influenced by Egyptomania are literature, architecture, art, film, politics and religion. There were two important waves of Egyptomania in the nineteenth century, especially in arts and design, which were both caused by publications about Egypt that became very popular: [[Dominique Vivant|Dominique Vivant, Baron de Denon]], ''Voyage dans la Basse et la Haute Egypt'' (1802), and the Institute of Egypt's ''[[Description de l'Egypte (1809)]]''. Because of these publications, people became more and more interested in Egyptian culture and everything related to it. Ancient Egyptian images and representations were integrated into a wide variety of cultural sectors. They influenced the fine arts not just in the US but throughout the western world. Examples of this are the pyramid of glass and steel in front of the [[Louvre]]{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}} or [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]]'s famous [[Aida]]. [[File:Rowlandson-modern-antiques-Egyptomania-1806.jpg|thumb|left|175px|British caricature (1806)]]But Egyptian images and symbols also served for more trivial purposes, such as dessert services, furniture, decoration, commercial [[kitsch]] or even [[advertising]]. There were parties and public events that had Egypt as a motto, where people wore special costumes. In general, people were fascinated by everything that had the label Egypt attached to it. And even today, this kind of fascination for Egypt and all things Egyptian still exists. Many different exhibitions about Egyptian culture in museums all over the world demonstrate people's continued interest in it. | ||
| - | Fascinated by Egyptian culture, American literature, visual art and architecture absorbed what was becoming general knowledge about ancient Egyptian culture, making use of this knowledge in the contemporary debate about national identity, race, and slavery. Certain characteristic elements of Egyptian culture became particularly symbolically charged. The [[mummy]], for example, represented the fascination of the Americans with the living dead, reanimation, revenge and anxiety about race. The figure of [[Cleopatra]], [[Egyptian hieroglyph|hieroglyphic writing]] and deciphering, and the pyramid as maze and tomb are other examples of how ancient Egypt has been productive in the West, and specifically in the United States since the nineteenth century. Well-known literary works that make use of these symbolic references to Egypt include "[[Some Words With a Mummy]]" by [[Edgar Allan Poe|E. A. Poe]], "[[Lost In A Pyramid Or The Mummy’s curse]]" by [[Louisa May Alcott]] or ''[[The Marble Faun]]'' by [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]. The impact of ancient Egyptian culture in architecture is called the [[Egyptian Revival]], an important expression of [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassicism]] in the United States. Well-known Egyptian images, forms and symbols were integrated in the contemporary style. This influence can best be seen in the architecture of cemeteries and prisons. | + | '''''The Mummy''''' is a 1999 American [[adventure film]] written and directed by [[Stephen Sommers]] and starring [[Brendan Fraser]], [[Rachel Weisz]], [[John Hannah (actor)|John Hannah]] and [[Kevin J. O'Connor (actor)|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 [[Stuart Tyson Smith|Egyptologist]]. It is a loose [[remake]] of [[The Mummy (1932 film)|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 (entertainment)|blockbuster]] adventure film. |
| - | <!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[File:The mummy.jpg|thumb|120px|left|Promotional poster for the 1999 film ''[[The Mummy (1999 film)|The Mummy]]''.]] --> | + | |
| - | Other examples of this influence are the Gold Pyramid House in Illinois or the famous [[Obelisk]] ([[Washington Monument]]) in Washington DC. Movies such as ''[[The Mummy (1999 film)|The Mummy]]'' (1999) (itself a remake of a [[The Mummy (1932 film)|1932 Boris Karloff film]]) and its sequels demonstrate that ancient Egypt and the discovery of its secrets is still a powerful point of reference for contemporary western cultures. Important scholarly texts about this phenomenon in American culture include Scott Trafton’s ''Egypt Land'' (2004) and M. J. Schueller’s ''U.S. Orientalism'' (1998). | + | 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]]. The visual effects were provided by [[Industrial Light & Magic]], who blended film and [[computer-generated imagery]] to create the titular Mummy. [[Jerry Goldsmith]] provided the orchestral score. |
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| + | ''The Mummy'' opened on May 7, 1999, and grossed $43 million in 3,210 theaters; the movie went on to gross $416 million worldwide. Reception to the film was mixed, with reviewers alternatively praising or complaining about the [[special effect]]s, the slapstick nature of the story and characters, and the stereotyped villains. The box-office success led to a [[2001 in film|2001]] sequel, ''[[The Mummy Returns]]'', as well as ''[[The Mummy: The Animated Series]]'', and the [[spin-off]] film ''[[The Scorpion King]]''. Seven years later, the third installment, ''[[The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor]]'', opened on August 1, [[2008 in film|2008]]. [[Universal Studios]] also opened a [[roller coaster]], ''[[Revenge of the Mummy (Universal Studios Florida)|Revenge of the Mummy]]'', in 2004. [[Novelization]]s of the movie and its sequels were written by [[Max Allan Collins]]. | ||
| - | It is important to point out that this impact of ancient Egyptian culture and its characteristic features is a result of cultural projection, and its re-creations and interpretations of Egypt say more about the anxieties and desires of Western cultures engaged in a colonialism that benefited them economically and symbolically than about the ancient culture itself. As such, Egyptomania is an integral part of a process of cultural appropriation that [[Edward Said]] has called "[[Orientalism]]" (in his [[Orientalism (book)|seminal study under the same title]]). | ||
| - | == See also == | ||
| - | *[[Egyptian Theatre]] | ||
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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. The visual effects were provided by Industrial Light & Magic, who blended film and computer-generated imagery to create the titular Mummy. Jerry Goldsmith provided the orchestral score.
The Mummy opened on May 7, 1999, and grossed $43 million in 3,210 theaters; the movie went on to gross $416 million worldwide. Reception to the film was mixed, with reviewers alternatively praising or complaining about the special effects, the slapstick nature of the story and characters, and the stereotyped villains. The box-office success led to a 2001 sequel, The Mummy Returns, as well as The Mummy: The Animated Series, and the spin-off film The Scorpion King. Seven years later, the third installment, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, opened on August 1, 2008. Universal Studios also opened a roller coaster, Revenge of the Mummy, in 2004. Novelizations of the movie and its sequels were written by Max Allan Collins.
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