SHE

 

There's a lot of good to be said about Hammer Studios 1965 production of SHE. Filmed in CinemaScope, with exteriors lensed in Israel, the film is handsomely mounted and extremely ambitious for a studio known for it's lower budgeted Gothic horror films. 

Chief among the good things about SHE is the star of the film, the top billed Ursula Andress. Andress, one of the great screen beauties of the '60s, became a cinematic icon due to her appearance in the first James Bond film, DR. NO (1962). By the time Andress made SHE, she was a major international film star and Hammer knew they had a good thing with her as Ayesha ("She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed") in the lead. 

The supporting cast includes Hammer stalwarts Peter Cushing (as one of the heroes) and Christopher Lee as the villain. John Richardson, sporting a blond dye job and spray on tan, is Leo Vincey, the man who appears to be the reincarnation of Ayesha's long lost love, Kallikrates. Richardson co-starred with another '60s sex symbol, Raquel Welch, in ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. (1966). 

The bulk of the action takes place in the lost city of Kuma, somewhere in Africa. Allegedly founded by a tribe of Egyptian outcasts, Kuma displays a diverse culture, seemingly made up of equal parts Roman and Egyptian influences, with few women to be seen. The Kumans have enslaved the native tribe, the Amahagger, but the oppressed people revolt in the action packed third act. 

Veteran director Robert Day orchestrates all of the action well enough but the film suffers from a tediously paced second act that's heavy on expository dialogue and the burgeoning romance between Ayesha and Leo (Andress and Richardson share little if any real onscreen chemistry). While native girl Ustane (Rosenda Monteros) truly loves Leo for himself, not for whom he may have been centuries before, but the plucky girl meets an unfortunate end. 

Director Day made several genre films in his career including THE HAUNTED STRANGLER (1958), CORRIDORS OF BLOOD (1958), FIRST MAN INTO SPACE (1959), TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT (1960), TARZAN'S THREE CHALLENGES (1963), TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD (1966) and TARZAN AND THE GREAT RIVER (1967). 

Based on the classic adventure novel by H. Rider Haggard, first published in 1887, SHE was previously filmed in 1935. Produced by Merian (KING KONG) C. Cooper, the film stars Randolph Scott as Leo and Helen Gahagan as Ayesha. Some aficionados prefer this version of the material with it's pulp adventure atmosphere. 

SHE proved to be the box office success that Hammer hoped it would be and a sequel, THE VENGEANCE OF SHE was released in 1968 with Olinka Berova in the title role. 

Counting only the good on location cinematography by Harry Waxman, impressive sets, nice matte work and decent for the time special effects, SHE is enjoyable film. But with the always solid Cushing and Lee in the cast and the incandescent beauty of Ursula Andress, SHE becomes a touchstone '60s genre film that falls just short of greatness.