Monday, 1 June 2015

Al-Mummia (The Mummy/The Night of Counting the Years) (1969)


☆ ☆ ☆ ☆


Al-Mummia (The Mummy/The Night of Counting the Years) (1969) – C. A. Salam

Hypnotic and eerie but true tale from Egypt detailing how a remote tribe was caught plundering a hidden mountain tomb where dozens of mummies (including those of important pharaohs) had been secured 3000 years ago after their official tombs in the Valley of the Kings had been desecrated. Taking place in the late 1880’s, the film also contains an apparent conflict between the city people and the mountain people, the modern versus the traditional culture. However, all is not what it seems, as the young people of the mountain tribe show that they have more respect for their ancestors than do their elders who have been beset by greed, aided by a malevolent antiquities dealer.  The day is won by those who wish to preserve and safeguard the past. The actual landscapes and relics of Egypt and some spooky electronic music give this a quality of dreamlike otherworldliness. 

  

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