The Awakening (1980)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Mike Newell

Writers:

Chris Bryant (writer)
Clive Exton (writer)

Release Date:

October 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

They thought they had buried her forever!

Plot:

An archeologist discovers his daughter is possessed by the spirit of an Egyptian queen. To save mankind he must destroy her.

Plot Keywords:

Tomb | Egypt | Fall From Window | Fragments Of Glass | Curse

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Matthew Corbeck
Susannah York	...	Jane Turner
Jill Townsend	...	Anne Corbeck
Stephanie Zimbalist	...	Margaret Corbeck
Patrick Drury	...	Paul Whittier
Bruce Myers	...	Dr. Khalid
Nadim Sawalha	...	Dr. El Sadek
Ian McDiarmid	...	Dr. Richter
Ahmed Osman	...	Yussef
Miriam Margolyes	...	Dr. Kadira
Michael Mellinger	...	Hamid
Leonard Maguire	...	John Matthews
Ishia Bennison	...	Nurse
Madhav Sharma	...	Doctor
Michael Halphie	...	Doctor

Also Known As:

The Wakening (UK)

Runtime:

105 min | Australia:101 min | USA:101 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #25893) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Cairo, Egypt

Company:

EMI Films

Goofs:

Continuity: The shard of glass that stabs Jane in the neck. Before the shard falls from the panel, the pointy end is facing downwards. However, when it stabs Jane, the pointy end is facing upwards.

Movie Connections:

Version of Legend of the Mummy (1997)

A real beauty

the story is as old as egyptomania, a dead queen, a curse, apocalyptic threats. so, that's nothing new, the plot is not surprising at all. though there truly are some thrilling moments the final is not spectacular. it doesn't offer a lot for minds papered by action in these days. after "the mummy" (from egyptological and aesthetic point of view a catastrophe) most of the people are to fastidious to recognize the value of this even-tempered and atmospheric composition. but what a beauty it is! photography and music are brilliant and project the fascination for the beauty of Egyptian art and culture, the desert and all its colours. To call the work of the actors a "bad" is downright unreasonable. The fact, that most of the actors are stage-proofed is not just noticeable, but essential for the style and charmism of the movie. it doesn't need shock-effects or blood-fountains. maybe it needn't to be called a horror movie either. it's just a sad but truly beautiful short-story about a man's blind love for a place and an idea.