FILM 2239: THE MUMMY (1999)
FILM 2239: THE MUMMY (1999)
TRIVIA: In one scene, Beni is shown with a sackful of gold which he is trying to load onto a camel, and Beni pulls the camel by the reins but the camel doesn't budge; the camels all, for some reason, hated Kevin J. O'Connor.
An Egyptologist was brought in to phonetically render what Ancient Egyptian might have sounded like for the dialogue.
The Medjai were originally supposed to be tattooed from head to toe, but Stephen Sommers vetoed it because he thought Oded Fehr was "too good-looking" to be covered up.
In 2004, Universal Studios theme parks (Hollywood and Orlando) opened their "Revenge of the Mummy" rides based on both this movie and The Mummy Returns (2001). The rides became so popular, the lines would stretch into the main park with riders waiting for hours in the hot California or Florida sun. To alleviate the stress of waiting, when the lines would move, fans of the movie would wearily chant "Im-ho-tep. Im-ho-tep. Im-ho-tep." as the hypnotized townspeople do halfway through the movie.
With the exception of a loin cloth, a few pieces of jewelry, and pasties, Patricia Velasquez's costume consists entirely of body paint, which took four hours to apply.
Brendan Fraser nearly died during a scene where his character is hanged. Rachel Weiszremembered, "He [Fraser] stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated."
The white nightgown Evelyn wore when the ship was attacked became transparent when it got wet and had to be digitally painted white during post production so the film could keep its PG-13 rating.
Leonardo DiCaprio was rumored to have been offered the role of Rick O'Connell. It's believed DiCaprio was said to have loved the script and wanted to be in the film, however, he had already agreed to star in The Beach (2000). It's also been said that DiCaprio asked if The Beach could be delayed so he could film The Mummy, but producers refused. However, filming of The Beach was delayed anyway.
For the television broadcast version of the film, a small bikini was painted onto Anck-su-namun's body.
Rick tells Evelyn that his military garrison reached Hamunaptra in 1923 by marching across Libya. The name Libya is historically inaccurate. In 1923 (and in 1926 when Rick talks to Evelyn), that territory was known as Italian North Africa. The Italian government would not give it the name "Libya" until 1934.
Joe Dante's version would have cast Daniel Day-Lewis as the mummy. This version (co-written by John Sayles) was set in contemporary times and focused on reincarnation with elements of a love story. It came close to being made with some elements, like the flesh-eating scarabs, making it to the final product. However, at that point, the studio wanted a film with a budget of $15 million and rejected Dante's version.
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