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Al-Mummia (1969)
"An Upper-Egyptian clan robs a cache of mummies and sells the artifacts on the illicit antiquities black market. After a conflict within the clan, one of its members goes to the police, helping the Antiquities Service find the cache."
This film was cursed! I started watching it on Memorial day night when a huge freakish wind storm came up out of nowhere and the lights blinked, then...off goes the power and all was dark. For two days we were without power as the outside air filled with smoke from nearby fires. All very scary as the fires were so close! Then after the power came back on, I started watching my video file of the movie only this time the sub titles ran out at the 45 minute mark. Not being able to understand Egyptian I tried the next night to watch it on Youtube on my TV. Did I mention my TV doesn't like Youtube?...After watching about 15 minutes the stream ended with an error....OK, so I just now managed to watch the end of Al-Mummia on my computer. I hate watching movies on my computer and so never usually do it.
With all that said, I think this is a very cool movie as it's something I've never heard of before and it's very meditative. It reminded me of a Tarkovsky movie in the way the camera lingered and took it's time on the beauty of emptiness that made up the Egyptian desert. The score too reminded me of something from Tarkovsky. A very effective score!
I love history and already knew abut this remarkable find of a cache of mummies stashed in a mountain cave...I seen a documentary on it before. But I didn't know there was so much turmoil between the mountain people and the city people over the find of the mummies. For me it was hard not to view the mountain people as the antagonist as smashing a Pharaonic mummy is sacrilege!
I really wish this had a Criterion restoration as I think it's beautiful filmed and effective in it's seductive simpleness and the quality of the Youtube video was lacking.
Al-Mummia (1969)
Al-mummia (original title)
Director: Chadi Abdel Salam
Writer: Chadi Abdel Salam
Cast: Ahmed Marei, Ahmad Hegazi, Nadia Lutfi
Language: Egyptian
Director: Chadi Abdel Salam
Writer: Chadi Abdel Salam
Cast: Ahmed Marei, Ahmad Hegazi, Nadia Lutfi
Language: Egyptian
"An Upper-Egyptian clan robs a cache of mummies and sells the artifacts on the illicit antiquities black market. After a conflict within the clan, one of its members goes to the police, helping the Antiquities Service find the cache."
With all that said, I think this is a very cool movie as it's something I've never heard of before and it's very meditative. It reminded me of a Tarkovsky movie in the way the camera lingered and took it's time on the beauty of emptiness that made up the Egyptian desert. The score too reminded me of something from Tarkovsky. A very effective score!
I love history and already knew abut this remarkable find of a cache of mummies stashed in a mountain cave...I seen a documentary on it before. But I didn't know there was so much turmoil between the mountain people and the city people over the find of the mummies. For me it was hard not to view the mountain people as the antagonist as smashing a Pharaonic mummy is sacrilege!
I really wish this had a Criterion restoration as I think it's beautiful filmed and effective in it's seductive simpleness and the quality of the Youtube video was lacking.