She (1935)

Wonderful Movie

Nice effects though.

i must have seen a different film!!

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

I chose to watch the colourized version of this 1935, fantasy-adventure story. I was mainly interested in watching "She" because it was produced by Merian Cooper who, 3 years earlier, had dazzled and terrified movie-audiences everywhere with that all-mighty, movie classic, King Kong.Unfortunately, "She" was a pretty tame and, yes, mediocre follow-up to the likes of King Kong, where only on but a few occasions did it ever come close to living up to its anticipated potential.By its general appearance (due to some very outlandish, over-sized, art deco sets), "She" actually reminded me a lot of the Flash Gordon Serial which was popular movie-fare during this same time-line in movie-making history.All-in-all - I neither loved "She", nor did I loath it. It was OK, at best. And, yes, it was certainly worth at least one view.

Randolph Scott plays an American adventurer who, with Nigel Bruce as his sidekick, travels to the foreboding frozen wasteland above the Arctic Circle in search of a mythical flame. There he encounters She, queen of an unknown land who seems to defy time.This film , based upon a novel, is straight from the fantasy/sci-fi world of Edgar Allan Poe and Edgar Rice Burroughs. The story is a simple one. While watching this film, I saw visual references to King Kong (1933)and Tarzan The Ape Man (1932). Helen Mack, who plays the love interest, was in Son of Kong (1933). Certainly there are parts of this film that may have inspired other films that followed: The Wizard of Oz, Journey to the Center of the Earth, or The Time Machine. I loved the scenery and the special effects. Some sets looked like a cross between a Maxfield Parrish painting and a Flash Gordon set.Some of the pageantry and dance sequences were reminiscent of Busby Berkeley's work, which was probably an influence.Some have criticized this film due to its failure to remain true to the original novel. The film should be judged on its own merits. As to why the setting was changed from Africa to the Arctic, I surmise that the Tarzan series of films might have seemed heavy competition for any film about Africa at the time. There was also a great fascination with the Arctic dating back to the early 19th century. They certainly did a magnificent job with the glacial scenery. Though the film gets a little wordy and slow near the end, the visual imagery is a treat throughout. This film is well worth viewing.

If you've read Haggard's novel it's hard to like this movie version of "She" with much enthusiasm. The movie venue is a polar wasteland, not Africa. Ayesha (She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed) has somewhat mysteriously been alive for only 500 years or so, not for 2,000 years after first stepping into the Flame of Life. Many of Haggard's plot details are casually bowdlerized in this film, and the film characters are cardboard cutout versions of those in the book. Ayesha is a somewhat pallid control freak, not stunningly imperious. Leo Vincey is a mawkish, comic-book style hero who's turned on by the hot queen, not a sensitive, heroic figure who is overwhelmed by Ayesha's irresistible beauty and power. Horace Holly is just a Hollywood supporting actor, with none of the moral power of Haggard's Holly. And finally, the girl ("Tanya" in the film, "Ustane" in the book) is a dime-novel sweetie in the film, naturally she's in love with Leo -- in the movie she stands up for her man with an outthrust chin once or twice, in the book she faces down the dreaded Ayesha and dies for her loyalty to Leo. Mostly the movie is disappointing because the director and the writers abandoned any effort to capture the spell-binding mystery of Ayesha's immortality, and the book's pulsing action and sensual seduction of Leo. For my taste there's just too much 1930s cinematography here: almost every word of dialog is a speech, the scene cuts are clumsy and abrupt, it's much too dark, there's way too much relentless, breathlessly beseeching conversation, too much striding, too much of "take two steps away then stop turn and look back" kind of stuff. Ayesha declares "my kingdom is of the imagination" both in the film and in the book. Too bad you need too much imagination to make the film worth watching. Read more on my blog: Barley Literate by Rick

This once seemingly lost, or at least taken out of circulation, film is now back in a magnificent Kino colorized version with restored footage and sound, all of which will surely bring new fans to this unusual film.The story has been filmed at least six times, with the Kino DVD showing excepts from the (poor) 1911 and (better) 1925 silent versions. The 1966 version may have had the best looking 'She', a regal Ursula Andress, but this one has great art deco sets (now even more amazing in color); bizarre Busby Berkeley like dance sequences (nominated for a 1935 Oscar, no less!); a stirring Max Steiner score; the cute as a button Helen Mack--also seen in the weak 'Son of Kong' (1933); and Nigel Bruce in a major role playing it straight. Helen Gahagan plays 'She' in a passionate, mannered way with almost Shakespearian dialogue. Unfortunately she is poorly off set by a dull Randolph Scott as Leo, making her 500 year old love for him seem a little unconvincing. Much better would have been RKO star Joel McCrea who had a more handsome profile, physique, energy and acting skill. McCrea does an outstanding job in 'The Silver Horde' (1930), 'Bird of Paradise' (1932), and 'The Most Dangerous Game' (1932). Why he wasn't in this one is a mystery, and a detriment to the film.The only other really weak spot is that though they were in the Frozen North, you never see cold breath coming from the characters' mouths. Contrast this with the impressive 'Lost Horizon' (1937) or 'The Thing' (1982), where when it's cold, you can see their breath!Other notes: The evil queen's purple costume in 'Snow White' (1938) is an exact copy of one of She's royal 'gowns' complete with spiked tiara! We also see the the Skull Island Kong Gate from 'King Kong' (1933).High points: The final sequences beginning with 'The Hall of The Kings' elevate the quality of the film tremendously. The colorization really is the best here. Helen Gahagan gets several strong scenes about the burden of immortality. The love triangle focus of the film actually works because of Ruth Rose's dialog and the acting skills of both Helens.Watching it in black and white (also included on the Kino DVD) gives the story a more nightmarish quality and is also recommended. For both, I give them a 7.