Now, the German way-back machine is probably one of the more loaded way-back machines there is. I'm not a history guy, but it's hard not to watch something like this and wonder what kind of effects World War I had on filmmaking (and creative minds in general) at the time. The Eyes of the Mummy doesn't explicitly deal with any sort of politics (other than the fact that rich people have really good lives), although it's hard not to see some of the xenophobia that was present at the time.
Our tale starts with a wealthy aristocrat named Wendland (Harry Liedtke), who is on a vacation to Egypt. He comes across a beautiful Egyptian woman named Ma (Pola Negri) alone in the desert and is instantly smitten. She runs away from him, but he insists on tracking her down. The next day in town, he offers big money to any guide that is willing to take him to her. However, the guides are hesitant to do so, because everyone that goes there comes back cursed! Anyways, money talks and eventually Wendland is taken to the cursed temple where Ma lives.
Or rather, where Ma is held. She is under the spell of Radu, an Arab (how he is billed in the credits), played by Emil Jannings. It's unclear what sort of powers he holds over her, as she was clearly free in the desert just the day prior. But in a flashback, we see Radu, an Arab kidnapping her and... she's just his, I guess? Anyways, Wendland rescues Ma from the temple and takes her back to Germany with him, where the two are married. Radu is nearly dead from his fight with Wendland, but is found laying in the desert by Prince Hoenfels, another wealthy vacationing German. Radu pledges allegiance to him for saving his life and travels back to Germany with him as a servant. Little does anyone know that Prince Hoenfels and Wendland (and now his new wife) run in the same social circle... what will happen when they cross paths with a revenge-crazed Radu, an Arab?
Now, this is probably one of the least "horror" entries I've had to date. But Amazon called it horror, so I'll roll with it. The title is definitely misleading though. You may notice no "Mummy" tag in the labels, as there isn't a single mummy to be found anywhere in the film. There are, however, eyes:
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| Legitimately the scariest thing in the film. |
There is *something* of a curse. Either Radu, an Arab, was a mummy and had cursed Ma. Or the temple was cursed. Or Ma is cursed. I guess they figure, where there is a curse, there is a mummy.
Overall, there is nothing terribly impressive about the film. The sets are all pretty standard (although the temple looks more aged and authentic than anything we saw in the Karloff's The Mummy) and there are no big set pieces or anything like that. It's a straightforward tale of love and revenge, pretty simply told.
There is a bit of xenophobia and cringe-inducing un-PC-ness - as you can probably tell by the names of the actors above, there is definitely some people playing different races. It's kind of funny seeing a Polish woman, under a German director, interpreting an exotic Egyptian dance (I wasn't sold on its authenticity), but Radu, an Arab is probably the most offensive. Jannings plays the part under black-face. That's the 1910s for you, I guess, but it's still tough to see sometimes.
The people that restored the film did a really nice job. The image isn't pristine, but really nothing from 1918 ever is. It's lovingly restored and any blemishes do not distract from the film. The new music is interesting - if you told me I'd wouldn't be annoyed with slight variations on the same eastern-sounding theme for over an hour (just over an hour - it's a short movie) I wouldn't believe you. But somehow it becomes almost hypnotic. It's played on what sounds like just one piano, and I actually found myself looking forward to what little changes I'd hear in the next scene.
Overall, there isn't really a lot to recommend - like I said, you're either cool with these silent films or not. If you are, it's maybe worth a watch. It's short, quaint, and is a good reminder of how far we've come (both cinematically and politically). If you're not into silent films, please don't start here. For general audiences, though:
I would not recommend this film.
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