Alla 39ª eclisse

I stumbled upon the 1980 movie "The Awakening" here in 2021. Oddly enough, then I don't think I've actually ever seen the movie before. So of course I found the time to sit down to watch it.

And I must say that writers Allan Scott, Chris Bryant and Clive Exton definitely were on to something there, and "The Awakening" is actually one of the more suspenseful and interesting of mummy curses movie that I have seen. Sure, there weren't actually walking mummies in the movie, but the atmosphere that permeated the movie was just brilliant, and it really worked well in favor of the movie.

"The Awakening" does have a good ensemble of actors and actresses on the cast list, with the likes of Charlton Heston and Susannah York. And it was a treat to see a young Ian McDiarmid in the movie as well.

While "The Awakening" is labeled as a horror movie, you shouldn't sit down to watch it with the hopes of watching an ordinary horror movie, because then you'll be sorely disappointed. No, "The Awakening" was more of a supernatural thriller than it was a horror movie, I think.

I thoroughly enjoyed this 1980 movie from director Mike Newell, and it turned out to be far more entertaining than I had initially anticipated for a mummy movie from 1980.

If you haven't already seen "The Awakening", and if you enjoy movies that have a mummy and Egyptian theme, then "The Awakening" is definitely well worth the time.

My rating of "The Awakening" lands on a six out of ten stars.

The Awakening is directed by Mike Newell and collectively adapted to screenplay by Clive Exton, Chris Bryant and Allan Scott from the Bram Stoker novel The Jewel of Seven Stars. It stars Charlton Heston, Susannah York, Jill Townsend and Stephanie Zimbalist. Music is by Claude Bolling and cinematography by Jack Cardiff.

Heston plays archaeologist Matthew Corbeck, who after discovering the tomb of disgraced Egyptian Queen Kara discovers his daughter is possessed by Kara's spirit and to save mankind he may have to destroy her.

It's honourably serious, a willing attempt to make an intelligent end of the world type picture with flecks of troubling family dynamics. The production value is top draw, every effort has been made to make it look great, with lavish photography (nice to see a film of this type actually be filmed in Egypt), skillfully crafted set designs and an evocative score that drifts across the sands with distinction. Hell, even the casting of Heston at a time when his star had considerably faded, still gave the production some weight. If only it wasn't so immeasurably dull and distant!

The makers, obviously tugging on the coat tails of The Omen and Mummy movies previously, never develop the edgy themes bubbling away just below the narrative's surface. It's often feels like a big compromise was put forward by an executive, a request that they must ensure deaths are the draw card and to hell with the possibility of making a substantial brain tickler. Or it could just be that there were too many writers in the mix?! So what we essentially get is a laboriously paced movie going through the motions until the next death scene arrives, and then it's back to some slow brooding again.

The cast are solid, the ending suitably downbeat, and if you like Omen type deaths then there are a couple here worth your time, but you may need plenty of energizer drinks to keep you awake first. 4/10

The Awakening is a film about an archaeologist that finds the tomb of a nameless Egyptian queen named Kara. Charlton Heston plays Dr. Corbeck, a man consumed with finding evidence to support this legendary status of Kara. A man who puts work ahead of family, even during the birth of his own daughter. Heston finds the tomb in the very long introductory flashback of 18 years ago beginning the film. He finds it under somewhat strange circumstances. A man is killed attempting to stop his dig mysteriously. Whilst all this is going on, Heston's estranged wife is bearing his daughter after waking from a coma. Now, I am not really sure what the significance of all these events are, but I found the first part of this film in particular very engrossing. The next three fourths is what really lost me and some logical credibility as Heston meets his sultry 18 year-old daughter, they discuss how Queen Kara had killed her father and everyone that touched his hand because he killed her lover and made her partake of his own bed, and then takes her(Heston's daughter) to Egypt. While in Egypt, Stephanie Zimbalist goes under some strange transformation as if she is becoming Kara and we go from there. This film has some beautiful location shots in Egypt, and I found the information, whether real or imaginary, about the queen, mummification, canopic jars(jars used for organs), etc... quite fascinating. The acting is pretty good. I thought Heston did a fine job. Zimbalist is good as well. The biggest problem is the writing. After you watch the film, you really are not sure what happened. I still don't know. The film is also a bit slow in the first half, but there are(for those who really enjoy it) some very gruesome deaths too. I cannot wholeheartedly recommend the film, but if you enjoy the mysteries of Egypt or mummy movies in particular...I would give it a look see. What could it hurt?

Charlton Heston plays archeologist Matthew Corbeck, who is obsessed with finding the tomb of Princess Kara. When Heston does find the tomb, he attacks the tomb with a sledgehammer; the blows coincide with the labor pains of his wife Anne (Jill Townsend). Her baby is stillborn, but starts breathing when Matthew takes the lid off the sarcophagus in Kara's tomb. The film follows a well-worn path from here.

Heston is as good a choice as anyone to play a man obsessed. Zimbalist plays dual roles as well as possible.

The unsolvable problem is the script the film's stuck with. It makes the fatal mistake of assuming audience members have never seen a horror movie before, and treats each cliche like a brand new idea. The characters' lines announce their impending deaths, one of which is stolen from 1976's "The Omen". You don't need to have seen more than one or two horror movies to guess what's going to happen. There is a subplot involving father and daughter being inordinately fond of each other (Otto disapproves of the word) that, according to the storyline, mirrors the relationship Kara and her father had back in ancient Egypt.

The unusually good score is by Claude Bolling. The cinematography is by Jack Cardiff. The script is blamed on four screenwriters. There are some horselaughs to be found, but they are outnumbered by the cliches the film enshrines. The music, photography, and tension built up over the last 20 minutes make this a tolerable time passer. Not as bad as I'd thought/hoped.

Matthew Corbeck (Charlton Heston) is a veteran Egyptologist who discovers the tomb of Queen Kara. As fate would have it, her spirit leaves the tomb at the moment he enters it, and possesses his newborn daughter. 18 years later, the headstrong daughter (Stephanie Zimbalist) determines to reunite with her father in Egypt. She becomes concerned over her blackouts, and fears the worst. And the somber Matthew believes that in order to stop the evil queen, he will have to kill his girl in a ritual sacrifice.

It does sound like a good plot, doesn't it? It's based on the novel "The Jewel of the Seven Stars" by Bram Stoker of "Dracula" fame, which was previously filmed by Hammer as "Blood from the Mummy's Tomb". The Hammer version is more entertaining than this plodding effort, however. Director Mike Newell treats the material as straight drama for the most part, with thrilling and creepy moments few and far between. In his hands, the story just isn't as interesting or compelling as one might like it to be. Still, some genre fans may appreciate it for taking a more adult, restrained approach than a traditional one. Major assets include an excellent score by Claude Bolling and cinematography by the great Jack Cardiff.

Heston does a good job, as could be expected. He's actually rather low key in the leading role. Susannah York, as his associate Jane, and Jill Townsend, as his wife Anne, are fine. Zimbalist, unfortunately, just doesn't come off that well. There are some strong actors in the cast, though: Nadim Sawalha, Ian McDiarmid, Miriam Margolyes.

On location shooting in Egypt, and the resulting atmosphere of the settings, help to make this passable if never really exciting. It only picks up a little during its last third.

Five out of 10.