It's been 100 years since King Tut's tomb was opened, kicking off a frenzy of Egyptomania. Our Ceilidhann explains how this directly led to The Mummy, from its classic roots to its Dark Universe nadir
On February 16, 1923, a group of explorers led by Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter broke the seal on the entrance to the long-lost tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. Their discovery, which included some of the most well-preserved artifacts of the era, inspired a worldwide fascination with ancient Egypt. King Tut became a star, inspiring merchandise, books, vaguely racist fancy dress parties and a classic Steve Martin song.
The inspiration would come partly from bastardized Egyptian mythology, an Arthur Conan Doyle short story and the lingering fear over the supposed Curse of Tut that had besieged those who opened his tomb. Five months after it was discovered, Lord Carnarvon died of pneumonia. The curse was a press invention, and only eight of the people present in the tomb died within a dozen years of its opening.
The end result, an awkward mish-mash of tones and styles, didn’t win over viewers. Everyone clocked the Dark Universe as a wannabe Marvel without any of the charm or real ambition. Crucially,just wasn’t very fun. Soon, plans for the entire franchise were quietly scrapped and Universal let Blumhouse play around with the projects for cheaper, more horror-oriented payoffs. Since then, the mummy has lain dormant, and it doesn’t seem to be a priority for the studio.
Egypt is a backdrop for exotic shenanigans which must be put in their place by the foreigner good guys. The racist stereotypes are tough to stomach, and are somehow more glaring in the ’99 remake than the ’32 original. As noted in thereview of the Sommers film, “the locals are all smelly, venal, lecherous, cowardly, boil-ridden, murderous or ugly here—which were unacceptable in the dignified” original.
Indonesia Berita Terbaru, Indonesia Berita utama
Similar News:Anda juga dapat membaca berita serupa dengan ini yang kami kumpulkan dari sumber berita lain.
A new hotel in a century-old downtown Cleveland building could be on the wayLong-discussed ideas to convert the century-old Baker Building on East Sixth Street in downtown Cleveland into a new hotel could be close to moving forward.
Baca lebih lajut »
Michael King ‘100 percent’ healthy, expects to be ready for Yankees’ openerThe last time Michael King was on a major league mound, last July, he walked off with a broken elbow.
Baca lebih lajut »
RSVLTS Celebrates 100 Years of Disney with New Button-Down CollectionHit clothing company RSVLTS has now joined the growing celebration of Disney's 100 Years of Wonder Celebration with new apparel collection
Baca lebih lajut »
Earthquake becomes Turkey's deadliest in 100 yearsTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the country's death toll from the massive earthquake and aftershocks had reached 35,418, AP reported.
Baca lebih lajut »
100 years of climate change in the trailer for Apple’s ExtrapolationsThe hits keep coming trailer for Apple’s extremely star-studded climate change drama Extrapolations
Baca lebih lajut »
Divine Nine: How Black fraternities and sororities have made an impact for more than 100 yearsMore than 100 years after being created to support the academic enrichment of Black collegiate students, Greek organizations that are part of the Divine Nine continue making an impact on campuses nationwide.
Baca lebih lajut »