An archaeologist is far more interested in his work than in his marriage. The problem is compounded by the fact that he feels attracted to his pretty assistant, who shares his passion for Egyptology. Consequently his wife has to give birth without his support. Meanwhile Daddy is out discovering the intact tomb of a female ruler. In later years, his sense of priorities will come back to haunt him...
"The awakening" is a very loose adaptation of a Gothic novel by Bram Stoker. This is usually the point where I look nastily over my glasses and say things like "If you don't like somebody's work why bother with it ?" or "If you think you're a better author than X, go ahead and write a book of your own". However, Stoker's novel had serious structural problems. Moreover, it hasn't aged all that well. Consequently one can forgive the various makers of the movie for taking an adventurous approach to the source material.
To the students who were given "The jewel of seven stars" as an assignment and who hoped to take a shortcut by watching "The awakening" : beware, you might be headed for a "nil points" of Eurosong Contest proportions...
The movie, watched as a creative work with its own qualities, is a rather enjoyable horror movie about an ancient Egyptian queen who refuses to remain dead and who tries to return as a living woman in this our modern era. (One wonders if this would be such a great idea, what with climate change, the atom bomb and Tuna Melt Croissants.) It's not the most frightening thing ever, but it does do its best to spin an entertainingly creepy yarn with a number of fine scare moments. Much of the movie was filmed in Egypt itself and one gets a strong sense of the fascinating power and allure of ancient Egyptian civilization. Many of the props too are mesmerizing.
In a way "The awakening" can also be read as a grim satirical warning about the dangers of preferring one's career over one's family. In the movie, the archaeologist protagonist leaves his wife during a critical moment, which leads to an enduring rift. Eighteen years later he finds himself facing a hostile ex-wife and an estranged daughter who's morphing into an unlovely riddle. And instead of dying of old age in his bed, comforted by sobbing children and grandchildren, he ends up an utter failure, betrayed even by his own great knowledge.
Comes with a beautiful, romantic musical score.
"The awakening" is a very loose adaptation of a Gothic novel by Bram Stoker. This is usually the point where I look nastily over my glasses and say things like "If you don't like somebody's work why bother with it ?" or "If you think you're a better author than X, go ahead and write a book of your own". However, Stoker's novel had serious structural problems. Moreover, it hasn't aged all that well. Consequently one can forgive the various makers of the movie for taking an adventurous approach to the source material.
To the students who were given "The jewel of seven stars" as an assignment and who hoped to take a shortcut by watching "The awakening" : beware, you might be headed for a "nil points" of Eurosong Contest proportions...
The movie, watched as a creative work with its own qualities, is a rather enjoyable horror movie about an ancient Egyptian queen who refuses to remain dead and who tries to return as a living woman in this our modern era. (One wonders if this would be such a great idea, what with climate change, the atom bomb and Tuna Melt Croissants.) It's not the most frightening thing ever, but it does do its best to spin an entertainingly creepy yarn with a number of fine scare moments. Much of the movie was filmed in Egypt itself and one gets a strong sense of the fascinating power and allure of ancient Egyptian civilization. Many of the props too are mesmerizing.
In a way "The awakening" can also be read as a grim satirical warning about the dangers of preferring one's career over one's family. In the movie, the archaeologist protagonist leaves his wife during a critical moment, which leads to an enduring rift. Eighteen years later he finds himself facing a hostile ex-wife and an estranged daughter who's morphing into an unlovely riddle. And instead of dying of old age in his bed, comforted by sobbing children and grandchildren, he ends up an utter failure, betrayed even by his own great knowledge.
Comes with a beautiful, romantic musical score.