She (1935)

Directors:

Lansing C. Holden
Irving Pichel

Writers:

H. Rider Haggard (novel)
Ruth Rose (adaptation)

Release Date:

12 July 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Romance

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!

Plot:

Leo Vincey, told by his dying uncle of a lost land visited 500 years ago by his ancestor, heads out...

Plot Keywords:

Dying Words | Mutant | Remake | Immortality | Lost Race

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Helen Gahagan	...	She
Randolph Scott	...	Leo Vincey
Helen Mack	...	Tanya Dugmore
Nigel Bruce	...	Horace Holly

Runtime:

USA:101 min (original version) | USA:95 min (reissue)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #985)

Filming Locations:

Prudential Studios - 5300 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Helen Gahagan, a Broadway actress and sometime opera singer, was cast in the title role after an extensive talent search. Although the film made her famous, her screen presence was so negligible that it proved to be her only starring role.

Quotes:

She, Queen Hash-A-Mo-Tep of Kor: I am she . . . she, who must be obeyed!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949)

Spend A Few Eternal Moments With She Who Must Be Obeyed

Far to the north of Siberia's Arctic Circle lies the hidden fertile kingdom of the female known only as SHE. Ruling by terror her empire of the imagination, She is the protectress of a great secret - The Flame of Eternal Life. Having bathed in it, she is the recipient of everlasting youth & beauty, but her heartache is unending as well, having lost her one true love 500 years ago. Then, one day, a tiny group of explorers stumbles within her grasp...

This is an excellent fantasy film, based on the novel by Sir H. Rider Haggard, and in the grand tradition of his KING SOLOMON'S MINES. The film boasts action, adventure, fine special effects & sets and the thought provoking enigma of interminable, undying desire.

Helen Gahagan, in her only film, is striking in her portrayal of She, a woman as tragic as she is blessed - to whom others' paltry, transient lives mean nothing. Randolph Scott, as the direct descendent & physical embodiment of She's long dead lover, is good in a role that calls for lots of energy. Nigel Bruce is very fine, as usual, this time playing the scholarly friend accompanying Scott on the search for The Flame. Helen Mack is well-cast as the young lady who finds herself caught up in the adventure.

Movie mavens will recognize Samuel S. Hinds as Scott's obsessed, dying uncle; Lumsden Hare as an unsavory Arctic trader; and Gustav von Seyffertitz as She's major-domo. Also in the uncredited cast are silent film star Noble Johnson in another of his chameleon roles, this time as the chief of the cave savages; and Olympic champion Jim Thorpe as She's Captain of the Guard - his attempt at Hollywood stardom only led to parts like this.

Special mention should be made of Max Steiner's throbbing score, which, like his KING KONG masterpiece, beautifully punctuates the action.