She sets lofty goals that can’t be reached

Between the years of 1886 and 1887, H. Rider Haggard’s serialized novel “She: A History of Adventure” was published in The Graphic magazine. The story tells the tale of a group of adventurers who discover the existence of the lost ancient city of Kor, which predates the Egyptians, and its ruler Ayesha, or She-who-must-be-obeyed. Ayesha takes interest in one of the group, Leo, because he resembles her lost love Kallikrates, whom she murdered in a jealous rage 2000 years earlier. But Ayesha sees that Leo may be in love with another woman, Ustane, who helped lead Leo and his friends to Kor. Ayesha convinces Leo that he is Kallikrates and can have eternal life if he bathes in the immortal fire, but things go horribly wrong when she tries to prove to him that what she says is true.

The story captured the imagination of filmmakers from the medium’s infancy with cinematic versions produced in 1911, 1916, 1917, 1925 and 1935 before Hammer Films produced their own lavish version in 1965 with new “it girl” Ursula Andress, coming off of her overnight fame from Dr. No, as Ayesha (the story was filmed once again in 1982 with Sandahl Bergman). Also in the cast were Hammer stalwarts Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. The film was shopped to Universal and turned down at least twice before financing was secured from MGM at three times the usual Hammer budget. No expense was spared, and it really does show on screen.

She remains remarkably faithful to the source material, save for the relationships between Maj. Holly (Cushing) and Leo (John Richardson) and some minor plot points that must have been changed to not make the film a complete downer (Ustane is murdered by Ayesha in the book, in the film Ustane is nearly sacrficed until Leo intervenes). Unfortunately, for all the film’s splendor, location shooting and pretty spectacular special effects (well, except for that immortal flame), the film feels about as long as Leo, Holly and Job’s (Bernard Cribbens) journey through the desert to Kor. It really just drags, only livening up with a very well choreographed tribal sacrificial dance, the execution of some of those same tribe members, and a huge fight between the surviving tribe and Ayesha’s army.

Andress is simply stunningly beautiful and “foreign” enough to be extremely well-cast, bringing enough mystery to the character while seeing why it is nearly impossible for Leo to refuse her advances. (One could argue that Raquel Welch could have been another excellent choice but she may have been too American – and of course, she wasn’t really a star yet but went on to make One Million Years B.C. for Hammer in 1966.) However, as much as she claims to love her lost Kallikrates, she still comes off as a bit cold and aloof. Rosenda Monteros is much more warm and loving to Leo, but as pretty as she is she can’t compete with Ayesha’s beauty. Richardson makes for a rugged hero, and it’s always great fun to see Cushing and Lee together.

The Warner Archive Collection has recently issued a new Manufacture On Demand DVD of She, presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and mono audio. The film elements have not been restored or remastered for this DVD release, showing only a few instances of wear (a scratch or two are visible) and an occasionally soft image, while remaining very faithful to its original color scheme. It’s still a very respectable presentation considering the age of the elements, and Hammer completists will want to add this to their collections (there are no special features included, and chapter marks at 10 minute intervals). One wonders, however, how much better the film could look cleaned up and given a nice high def transfer. As it is, it’s a compelling detour from Hammer’s monster films and holds some interest for the spectacle and the actors if not for the storytelling.

This review was based on a retail copy of the DVD provided to CliqueClack by the Warner Archive Collection. The DVD is available directly from the Warner Archive store or through the Amazon link below.