Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Die Augen der Mumie Ma" or "The Eyes of the Mummy" is a German movie that runs approximately for an hour. It was made in 1918, so not too long anymore until its 100th anniversary. looking at the year when this was made, it is obvious that this is a black-and-white silent film and it is an early career effort by Ernst Lubitsch, a long time before his breakthrough in Hollywood and Oscar nominations. The cast includes actually a couple famous names, especially Pola Negri and Emil Jannings, who were great stars back in the day. And the most interesting aspect is probably the film's multiculturalism as it play in Egypt (and England) for the most part, not a surprise either if you look at the title. There is a touch of horror in here, a genre in which Germany was very prolific and successful back in the day, but it is certainly not the only genre. Supernatural aspects made this probably something fairly interesting to audiences back in the day. Unfortunately, I cannot say the plot or acting kept me too interested here, so this one is really only worth watching if you are a much bigger silent film enthusiast than myself. Otherwise, you should skip it.

Paul Curtis As a piece of movie entertainment, Eyes of the Mummy is dated and unremarkable seen through current standards. There are a few nicely nightmarish moments (especially a scene when Ma sees Radu in the mirror while nobody else seems to notice) but overall, this is no Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.On the other hand, fans of cartoonist/writer Edward Gorey will be richly rewarded by a film that appears to have been designed and directed by the illustrator of "The Gilded Bat" and "The Blue Aspic." The effect is uncanny and curiously involving. It's not just the melodramatic subject matter...every detail has the Gorey touch. One almost imagines the hand-drawn texture lines. Any Gorey fan will find Eyes of the Mummy to be well worth the time spent.

arneblaze The more silent Lubitsch I see the more I think he's was a lousy silent director who managed to succeed only because he found his niche in sound and comedy. His ANNA BOLEYN, SUMURUN and EYES OF THE MUMMY are just plain awful. This is a very poor film technically and even the great Jannings is wasted as the villain. Negri is effective but overacts badly. Her dance is just plain silly. Only for dyed in the wool fans of the director and the two stars.

Rich-99 This 1918 film directed by the great Ernst Lubitsch is alleged to be the first mummy horror film although there is a claim of a lost 1905 film. The only problem is that except for the title there is no mummy! The plot, well here goes. An art student in Egypt goes to an Egyptian tomb to find Ma who may possibly be Pola Negri. I say possibly because the player of the lead character is NOT identified in the credits. Ma is being held as a slave by an Arab (beautifully over acted by Emil Jannings) who is beaten up by the student who then liberates Ma and takes her back to Germany. The Arab nearly dies in the desert but is rescued by a German prince to whom he swears to serve for life. He, the Arab, is then also taken to Germany. Ma in the meantime wows them with a hootchie kootchie dance at a party and gets a theatrical contract to perform on stage. The exotic dance is a hoot. Meanwhile Ma's former Arab master comes across her and in a fit of revenge kills her. The end and all in 30 minutes and no mummy. The overacting in terms of gestures common to silent films of the period is quite present. Jannings, in semi black face, is quite effective as the villain. His repertoire of sinister facial expressions is quite large. All in all the film is an historical curiosity that I am sure Lubitsch and Negri tried to forget when they became more well known.