The Awakening

I DON'T know how many times the movies have had to teach this valuable lesson: don't go rummaging in the tombs of malevolent dictators who would just as soon stay dead. These people have a way of coming back and making trouble. Nevertheless, ''The Awakening'' is a spooky, skilfully made horror film about archeologists who uncover the inscription ''Do Not Approach the Nameless One Lest Your Soul Be Withered'' and still keep on digging. There are withered souls before the adventure is over, and yours may be among them. ''The Awakening'' will give you a good scare.It can't be said that a film that casts Charlton Heston in the role of an Englishman has gotten off on the right foot. But ''The Awakening'' is eerie enough to take the humor right out of lines like ''Fungus! Aerobic action! Viral Contamination!,'' which Mr. Heston delivers in his capacity as Matthew Corbeck, a British Egyptologist. Mr. Heston struggles hard perfecting his accent, though American audiences might find him miscast even if he sounded like Winston Churchill. (He doesn't.) In any case, Mr. Heston does well enough so that it's possible to forget he is Mr. Heston.As the movie begins, Corbeck is at work uncovering the tomb of Queen Kara, a project with which he has become obsessed. He and his kittenish assistant, played by Susannah York, have been ignoring his pregnant wife, played by Jill Townsend. And the wife goes into premature labor just as the reluctant Kara is coaxed out of her grave.The movie's director, Mike Newell, intersperses tomb-opening footage with shots of Corbeck's wife doubling over in agony, and each blow to the door of the tomb is accompanied by a loud, terrifying noise that seems to strike directly at the pregnant wife. Mr. Newell's tactic, here and throughout the movie, is to develop the horror indirectly, by suggestion and association, leaving most of it to the viewer's imagination. Sometimes ''The Awakening'' intimates a danger that never materializes, and sometimes it doesn't quite make sense. But for the most part the movie pays off.''The Awakening,'' which opens today at the Gemini, the Cinerama and other theaters, is based upon Bram Stoker's novel ''The Jewel of Seven Stars,'' a novel that, like Mr. Stoker's ''Dracula,'' involves a father's efforts to save his daughter from a supernatural figure determined to possess her. In this case, 18 years after the discovery of the tomb, Corbeck must make sure his daughter Margaret, played by Stephanie Zimbalist, is not taken over by Kara's spirit. It seems that Kara seduced and destroyed her own father. If you're one smidgen smarter than the principals, you may realize Corbeck would be wise to stay out of Margaret's way.Mr. Newell's direction of ''The Awakening'' recalls the first portion of ''The Exorcist,'' with its emphasis on finding scientific proof for events that are unexplainable, and its cool, reasonably classy method of keeping the audience mystified and nervous. To his credit, Mr. Newell keeps a tight rein on the scariest effects, saving them for just the right moments and building to an ending that, in view of the way such movies almost inevitably end, is a surprise. The movie has a slow middle, but by the last moments it has more than rallied.Much of the action has an Egyptian setting, and the scenery, not surprisingly, is beautiful. The actors are convincingly frightened and baffled. Miss Zimbalist's increasing creepiness is more a matter of makeup than of attitude, but she fares nicely in lighter, funnier scenes. Near the end of the story, when it's clear something about her is amiss, she visits the obligatory psychiatrist, declaring ''I don't feel like me anymore.'' Bah, he tells her. We all feel that way sometimes. Well, she certainly shows him a thing or two!Egypt UndergroundTHE AWAKENING, directed by Mike Newell; screenplay by Allan Scott, Chris Bryant and Clive Exton; based on the ''The Jewel of Seven Stars'' by Bram Stoker; director of photography, Jack Cardiff; film editor, Terry Rawlings; music by Claude Bolling; produced by Robert Solo; released by Orion Pictures. At the Gemini Twin, R.K.O. 86th Street and Cinerama theaters. Running time: 100 minutes. This film is rated R.Matthew Corbeck .......................Charlton HestonJane Turner .............................Susannah York

I wanted to re-see The Awakening to compare it to the Bram Stoker novel it was based on (The Jewel of Seven Stars). The basic premise (an egyptologist looking for a queen with supernatural powers and the effect it has on him and his daughter.) Charlton Heston and Stephanie Zimbalist star. I did see some interesting clues that made no sense unless you knew about the novel. I did enjoy the story however and recommend it for what it is: A spooky Ancient Egypt story exotic enough to make the movie sorta creepy. The sets are nice enough and the acting pretty good. Susannah York and Jill Townsend are there as well. Don't forget to look for Mariam Margolyes and Ian McDiarmid in small roles.

I remember seeing this movie on cable the summer I was 10 years old. I must have watched it every day it was on that summer, until I had pretty much memorized the entire movie. Made in 1980, it's a modern retelling of Bram Stoker's short story "The Jewel of the Seven Stars." It was my first "mummy" movie, and by far, it is the best. Not very well known here in the States (which is a shame), I found a VHS copy years ago and I played it until the tape wore out. I had to wait years for the DVD to be released in the US, and thank God it finally has! It tells the story of an Egyptologist (Charlton Heston) on a dig to find the tomb of an ancient queen who was so evil, her name and image had been struck from the ancient record. He and his faithful assistant (Susannah York) toil away in the sand (real Egyptian sand...this was all filmed on location), while back at camp his unhappy, jealous, and seven-month pregnant wife sits and stews over her husband's relationship with his assistant. While out on a dig one day, they stumble across a tomb. At the exact moment the tomb is opened, back at camp the wife goes into premature labor. Can you see where this is going yet? The baby is stillborn, but just when the lid of the sarcophagus is lifted, back at the hospital in Cairo the baby lets out a wail. It's alive! Not to give too much more away, we fast-forward 18 years. The baby is now Stephanie Zimbalist. The Egyptologist is back in England remarried to his assistant. The mother is bitter and alone (except for the company of her daughter) in New York. There has been very little contact over the years between daughter and father, but daughter starts to feel like she wants to know her father more, so she leaves the comfort (?) of mom and heads to England. I can't give away anymore except to say it DOES NOT END WELL. The action of the story, that is. Not the story itself. The movie, as I said before, is the best of the genre. SO far ahead of those ridiculous Brendan Fraser fiascoes and really, so far ahead of the Universal mummy movies as well (and I LOVE those). If you're one of the people who like the "new" mummy movies with that dingaling Fraser, do yourself a favor and buy this REAL mummy movie. It is, again, THE BEST.

Not sure why this is so darned expensive! £28 currenrtly, but it has always been a favourite of mine and it has the needed subtitles. Excellent picture, colour and sound. Extras as listed here on the Amazon site, not seen by me. Why do I like this film? Splendid Egyptian locations, and a real air of tension at the site. A bonkers plot. Three of my favourite ladies, 2 of whom I had serious adult crushes on - Jill Townsend from "Cimarron Strip" and even better - Stephanie Zimbalist in "Remington Steele". Suzannah York wears some very short shorts, but also a variety of odd wigs, and is, sadly, in a rather poor role with which she can do very little. Plenty of surprises and shocks, though nothing too explicit, even a hint of incest. Heston sweats a lot and takes his shirt off almost as often as Kirk Douglass in his films. Bram Stoker's plot is not really used much except for the title. A lot of people don't seem to like the film much, but I love it, and the BluRay is excellent, but perhaps wait until the price comes down???

Excellent film méconnu !!!!!Même en VO !!!!, un vrai plaisir !!!!!

Desde pequeña me encantó esta película y creo que ha sido injustamente olvidada. Basada a grandes rasgos en una novela de Bram Stoker "La joya de las siete estrellas ", que trata de un arqueólogo, Heston, que descubre la tumba de una reina egipcia maldita, cuando al mismo tiempo, nace su hija en otro lugar del mundo. El terror no es gore, sino lleno de sombras y susurros. Vale la pena, sin lugar a dudas

Poco da dire se non che questo film sia uno dei migliori sull'argomento Egitto.Ottime le interpretazioni dei protagonisti, unico neo è la qualità audio video che, nonostante il supporto digitale, non può prescindere dall'età della pellicola da cui è nato.

It’s what I asked and ordered for... Quality is good!!