JohnHowardReid Copyright 12 July 1935 by RKO-Radio Pictures, Inc. U.S. release: 26 July 1935. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 25 July 1935 (ran one week). Australian release: 6 November 1935. 95 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Two explorers, Vincey and Holly, seek the legendary "Flame of Youth".NOTES: RKO reported an initial loss of $180,000 on this venture (a loss that was more than recouped with a 1949 re-issue). Actually, considering the film's enormous negative cost (at least $700,000), a loss of only $180,000 is not bad sledding at all. It means that that the film earned well over a million dollars in worldwide rentals, which would certainly place it among the top fifty Hollywood money- earners of the year.Only movie appearance of famed Broadway star, Helen Gahagan. In private life, Miss Gahagan was married to Melvyn Douglas. As Helen Douglas, she entered politics in the 1940s, serving two terms in Congress before challenging Nixon in the Senate race of 1950, a campaign in which she coined the phrase "Tricky Dicky".Dance director Benjamin Zemach was nominated for a prestigious Hollywood award for his exuberantly bizarre choreography in the "Hall of Kings", but lost out to Dave Gould.COMMENT: Despite a hokey story-line that does not do full justice to Rider Haggard's splendid novel, plus some rather dull – particularly in the opening scenes – "additional dialogue" (by Dudley Nichols, of all people), "She" thoroughly deserves its present cult reputation as RKO's second most impressive production of the 1930s. ("King Kong", of course, is number one). It's interesting to note the many parallels between this movie and "Lost Horizon" (released 1937, but based on a 1933 novel by James Hilton). These parallels are far too many to be put down to mere coincidence, particularly as they all represent radical changes to Haggard's narrative. If the script is a little faulty, the acting too leaves something to be desired. Famed Broadway star, Helen Gahagan, in her only movie appearance, seems to be playing at half steam. No doubt she had been told to tone down her acting for the movies, but she goes a little too far in this direction. Nonetheless, she is charismatic enough to carry off the title role with such power and assurance. In fact, she even covers some deficiencies in Scott's performance. For some odd reason, he tends to play Vincey as a lounge lizard, rather than a man of action. Fortunately, Nigel Bruce comes out of the film rather well. For once, he plays his role almost straight. He's still a bit harried, but by no means the cretinous, bumbling idiot of a Watson designed to contrast the vigor and personality of a Sherlock Holmes. It is of course, the mind-boggling sets, plus the captivating special effects, the extraordinarily lavish production values and the remarkable aura of barbaric decadence, that sets the film apart and only a few years ago installed it as a favorite of the corduroy set. A splendid music score by Max Steiner and outrageously weird choreography by Zemach further add to the allure. Despite a slow, even uncertain and unpromising start, "She" is a jolting experience. AVAILABLE on a superb Kino or Legend Films DVD in both the original black-and-white version and a brilliantly colorized – under the supervision of Ray Harryhausen – copy. As a general rule, I'm against colorization, but in this case I'm happy to make an exception.

Wuchak Released in 1935 and loosely based on H. Rider Haggard's novel, "She" stars Randolph Scott and Nigel Bruce as explorers leading an expedition to the Arctic to find a lost civilization. Helen Mack hooks up with them at some point. The journey leads to a quasi-immortal queen of some sort with Julius Adler playing her high priest. The hulking Noble Johnson is on hand as the Amahaggar chief. I saw the original B&W version, but there's also a colorized version, which I'd rather see since I find B&W to be a flat presentation for cinema and a lavish adventure pic like this deserves color. With the exception of the directors, the production team is the same as 1933's "King Kong" with Merian C. Cooper producing, Ruth Rose scripting (along with Dudley Nichols' added dialogue) and scored by Max Steiner. Speaking of the latter, the music is outstanding, particularly for such an old flick. You can tell that the adventurous adult tone, the sets and the music were a big influence on Gene Roddenberry's original Star Trek. In regards to "King Kong," this is sort of the feminine flip side to that hallmark adventure fantasy. The architectural sets were influenced by cubism, expressionism, and art deco. The tribal dance sequence in the third act is a highlight, combined with the excellent score for an entrancing experience, as potent as anything by Igor Stravinsky.An aged yet youthful-appearing queen thinks that she has found her Shangri La, but something unexpected is in store. The flame of life can only last so long before it dies out due to ill-character of the power mad, vain, jealous and possessive queen. She's living in a fool's paradise and is as tragic as she is blessed. Her arrogance, acquired over hundreds of years of unchallenged rule, makes her view others' lives as paltry and transient. Vanity gets a real spanking with some remarkable F/X for the era. In the book, Ayesha was more stunningly imperious and not just a pasty control freak. She, by the way, is played by Helen Gahagan, a stage actress and opera singer who only made this single film before going into politics and championing migrant workers in California as a Democrat before the party became the Demoncraps. She had a not-so-secret affair with Lyndon B. Johnson on Capitol Hill and coined Nixon's nickname "Tricky Dick." While she's actually rather plain-looking, she has an impressive mane and a powerful presence; She could be the prototype for the wicked queen in "Snow White" or the evil Maleficent.The African setting of the book was obviously changed to the arctic so as not to compete with the popular Weissmuller Tarzan series that just released the hit "Tarzan and His Mate" the year before. There was also a great fascination with the arctic at the time dating back to the early 19th Century. They certainly did a good job with the studio-bound sets, giving the illusion of the arctic, except that you can't see the characters' breath.If you have a taste for 1930's adventure epics like King Kong, Gunga Din (1939), and King Solomon's Mines (1937), you will probably appreciate "She." The Hammer version from 1965 isn't as lavish or compelling, despite the quality cast with Ursula Andress in the titular role; it's also straddled with a lousy score. The film runs 101 minutes (original) and 95 minutes (reissue) and was shot entirely at Prudential Studios, Los Angeles, California. DIRECTORS: Lansing C. Holden & Irving Pichel.GRADE: B

Nuck Chorris Watched again this film after many many years and frankly it was better not to. Besides the magnificent, bizarre sets, there's very little memorable in this movie. Everything feels really dated. It's a pity because there are elements in the story which great potential for a good film. I missed more craziness. It looked like the film didn't dare to go all the way with its intentions and stayed half-way through story and tone-wise. Take another film made that same year, "Mad Love", with Peter Lorre. That's a film that wasn't afraid of ridiculousness. And it still works. The acting in "She" is bad, the dialogue is pedestrian and the story is contrived and clichéd. Watch other Merian C. Cooper productions instead, like "King Kong" or "The Most Dangerous Game".

gavin6942 Leo Vincey (Randolph Scott), told by his dying uncle (Samuel S. Hinds) of a lost land visited 500 years ago by his ancestor, heads out with family friend Horace Holly (Nigel Bruce) to try to discover the land and its secret of immortality, said to be contained within a mystic fire.The film was produced by Merian C. Cooper, who had previously made "King Kong". Apparently, this film initially lost $108,000 and only made up the difference upon its re-release in 1949. Not a bad film, I am unclear why the audience was not as receptive the first time around.Eventually, the film had two remakes: one with Peter Cushing and another set in a strange post-apocalyptic world with werewolves. But there is nothing wrong with the original, and we must thank Buster Keaton for getting it preserved and Kino for presenting it to the world yet again.