Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie''s plot.
She (1935)
Directed by Lansing C. Holden & Irving Pichel
Adaptation by Ruth Rose
Tagline: "From H. Rider Haggard's weird, wondrous story of the beautiful woman who bathed in flame and lived 500 years .. at last to find her first love at this very hour!"
In 1935, Merian C. Cooper, today best known as the creator of the most famous movie ape of them all, King Kong, envisioned his last two films for RKO -- epics -- The Last Days of Pompeii and She, with $1 million budgets and Technicolor film. RKO, however, cut his budget, only allowing $1 million for both films, not for each. Both were shot in black and white and lost money. Neither film became a success until both were issued together as a double bill.
Now, legendary animator/filmmaker and Cooper fan and friend Ray Harryhausen (who first became interested in stop-motion animation through Cooper's King Kong), has teamed with Legend Films to colorize She using the latest technology. With Harryhausen's color design (which was partially based on promotional writings about the film which mentioned certain colors), he and Legend hope to bring this classic adventure story to a new generation of viewers. She was based on the novel by H. Rider Haggard, which had previously been filmed in 1908, 1911, 1916, 1917 and 1925.
John Vincey awaits a visit from his nephew Leo (Randolph Scott). With him is friend Horace Holly (Nigel Bruce). John has spent his life seeking a radiation source in the form of a flame that is believed to be able to bestow immortality. The flame was found years earlier in the frozen North by an ancestor who was murdered for his troubles.
When John passes away upon finishing his tale, Leo vows to pursue the mystery with Holly accompanying him. They are led by a guide, Dugmore, who mistakenly believes that the men are seeking gold. Dugmore's daughter, Tanya (Helen Mack) is also eager to come along.
As the small party nears the unknown land of treasure and immortality, they find the frozen remains of a sabretooth tiger and the body of a man who isn't quite prehistoric. Dugmore sees a glint of gold and starts attacking the frozen block with a pickax, setting off an avalanche that kills him and opens up a cave to a mysterious world.
In the lost land of Kor, Leo, Holly and Tanya meet the city's cruel and tyrannical queen, the immortal Queen Hash-A-Mo-Tep, "She Who Must Be Obeyed" (Helen Gahagan), who believes that Leo is the reincarnation of John whom she loved and has been waiting for years for him to return to her.
While Merian C. Cooper was unhappy with the final product -- in the DVD's extras, Cooper is quoted as saying that She was the worst film he had ever made -- the film is an excellent example of the adventure and fantasy genres. The effect of the film is even more apparent in its new colorized version.
The expensive set designs and especially the film's special effects are quite stunning and impressive, even after 72 years. The acting is excellent. Max Steiner's score is excellent and sometimes even outdoes King Kong's score. She is an exciting feature that must be seen by any fan of the genres.
Legend Films' DVD edition presents the film in both its original black ad white form and in the new colorized version. Also on the disc, Ray Harryhausen and the Legend Films crew discusses the colorization process in informative interview segments. Harryhausen and Merian C. Cooper expert Mark Vaz also appear in an informative audio commentary track discussing not only the colorization, but also the history behind the film.
There is also seven-minute segment of scenes cut from the film presented in black and white, a trailer created by Legend Films for the colorized version of the film, and colorized trailers for other Legend releases, including Things to Come, which Ray Harryhausen also worked on.
I highly recommend this edition of She to any classic film fan. Please make sure, however, that you do not purchase an inferior edition of the film. This edition, which surpasses previous releases of the film, should read "First Time In Color" at the bottom, "Ray Harryhausen Presents Merian C. Cooper's Classic Tale of Adventure" at the top, and "From The Creator Of KING KONG" in the center, directly under the image of She Who Must Be Obeyed. The DVD is also available directly from the Legend Films website.
Randolph Scott, whom Cooper borrowed from Paramount, plays Leo Vincey, an explorer searching for the "flame of life," a radioactive element hidden in ...More at Barnes and Noble
"She" is an all-powerful woman who has been given the Flame of Eternal life and who dwells in an Arctic snow palace in this early special-effects adve...More at Family Video
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.