The Awakening (1980)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Mike Newell

Writers:

Chris Bryant (writer)
Clive Exton (writer)
(more)

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
Christopher Fairbanks	...	Porter
Roger Kemp	...	Doctor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Albert Moses	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Mike Newell

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Chris Bryant		writer
Clive Exton		writer
Allan Scott		writer
Bram Stoker		novel "The Jewel of Seven Stars"

Produced by
Harry Benn	....	associate producer
Andrew Scheinman	....	co-producer
Martin Shafer	....	co-producer
Robert H. Solo	....	producer

Original Music by
Claude Bolling

Cinematography by
Jack Cardiff

Film Editing by
Terry Rawlings

Production Design by
Michael Stringer

Art Direction by
Lionel Couch
Salah Marei

Costume Design by
Phyllis Dalton

Makeup Department
Jan Andrews	....	hair stylist
Jeanette Freeman	....	hair stylist
George Frost	....	makeup artist
Nick Maley	....	special makeup effects

Production Management
Denis Johnson	....	production manager
Ahmed Sami	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Atef E-Taieb	....	assistant director (as Attef El Taieb)
Peter Kohn	....	second assistant director
Hugh O'Donnell	....	third assistant director
Neil Vine-Miller	....	assistant director

Art Department
Tessa Davies	....	set dresser
John Roberts	....	set designer
Adrian Start	....	chargehand painter
Terry Wells	....	property master

Sound Department
Brian Simmons	....	sound recordist
Hugh Strain	....	dubbing mixer

Special Effects by
John Stears	....	special effects

Stunts
Alan Stuart	....	stunt arranger

Camera and Electrical Department
John Cardiff	....	camera operator: second unit
Alec Mills	....	camera operator

Casting Department
David H. Kramer	....	adr voice casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Daryl Bristow	....	wardrobe master
Brenda Dabbs	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Les Healey	....	assistant editor
Shirley Shaw	....	assistant editor
Monte Hellman	....	additional editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Nancy Beach	....	orchestrator
Marcus Dods	....	conductor

Other crew
Maurice Binder	....	titles
Hunt Downs	....	unit publicist

Production Companies

• EMI Films
• Orion Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• E.M.I. Films (1980) (UK) (theatrical)
• Orion Pictures Corporation (1980) (USA) (theatrical) (as An Orion Pictures Release through Warner Bros)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1986) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Filmways Australasian Distributors (Australia) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (USA)
• Warner Home Video (video)

Other Companies

• B.C.I. Casting  casting: USA

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 Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971)

Why can't archaeologists just leave tombs alone?

Moses returns to Egypt, but not to free his people. In this case, Charlton Heston plays an egyptologist who opens the tomb of an evil queen. Sure enough, the spirit awakens with it, and possesses Heston's newborn daughter. And anyone who gets in her way is asking for it.

Obviously, a movie like this can't reach the quality of "The Shining", but it is good in a pinch. I really liked the end scene; as NRA president, couldn't he have just pulled out a rifle and dealt with it that way? But anyway, "The Awakening" will almost certainly keep you awake. As far as I'm concerned, these archaeologists need to just leave tombs alone; they deserve to experience bad things for opening them.

Also starring Susannah York, Jill Townsend, Stephanie Zimbalist, Ian McDiarmid (of the "Star Wars" movies) and Miriam Margoyles.