Customer Reviews

She [Region 2]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Hammer Studios went all out in the filming of their 1965 version of the acclaimed novel "She", by Henry Rider Haggard. While there has been disappointment with the way the source material was adapted for the screen it nevertheless makes a rousing and highly entertaining story in this film version and offered Hammer legend Peter Cushing another type of outdoor action role that he had not tackled for some time. The film benefited by a larger than usual budget which made it Hammer's most expensive film to that date. The extra expense was essential for the many scenes taking place in the sweeping desert regions mentioned in the story, many of which were photgraphed on location in Israel. Despite the changes made in the story "She", is best enjoyed on its own merits and makes great old fashioned "Boy's own" type entertainment.

Set in Palestine in 1918 "She", relates the story of three wartime buddies Maj. Horace Holly (Peter Cushing), Leo Vincy (John Richardson) and Job (Bernard Cribbons), who at the end of the war find themselves at loose ends in the Middle East with no real desire to return home to England. Encountering a beautiful and mysterious woman called Ustane (Rosenda Monteros), one evening in a nightclub Leo is lured away and then knocked out. When he comes to he discovers himself in a strange house where he encounters another beautiful woman who calls herself Ayesha (Ursula Andress). She reveals the purpose of why he was brought to her, which is that he is the reincarnation of her lost love Killikrates from two thousand years previously and that if he can find his way to her mythical city of Kuma he will not only possess her but all the riches and glory he could ever want. Seeking adventure Leo enlists the aid of his two friends and sets out with the aid of a map given to him by Ayesha to find the lost city of Kuma. Along the hazardous desert trail they encounter desert fighters who steal their water and camels and finally they are captured by the hostile Amahagger tribe who believe in human sacrifice. Just as the sacrifice of Leo is to take place since he resembles a portrait of Killikrates on a gold medal, they are rescued by the soldiers in Ayesha's army led by the mysterious high priest Billali (Christopher Lee). Led to Kuma they are finally brought into the presence of the mysterious Ayesha who it turns out has discovered the secret of eternal life by bathing in a special blue flame that keeps her young and beautiful forever. It is revealed that in a jealous rage two thousand years previously Ayesha killed her lover and has been waiting for his return ever since. Ayesha seeing that Leo has survived the test of reaching her city becomes determined to share her secret of eternal life with him so that they can rebuild the glorious civilisation that she once presided over as Queen. Despite her cruelty to those that oppose her which includes the unfortunate younger men of the Amahaggers and her servant Ustane who are thrown into a flaming pit, Leo becomes bewitched by Ayesha's beauty and promise of eternal life. As Holly and Job are preparing to leave however the remaining Amahuggers break into the city led by Haumeid (Andre Morell), who was also Ustane's father. In the fighting Billali is killed and just as Leo joins Ayesha in the sacred flame suddenly the process is reversed and Ayesha reverts to how she would look after two thousand years and dies. Leo elects to remain in the city in the hope that the blue flame will return one day so he can reverse the process which has now given him this unwanted gift of eternal life.

Visually this film is probably unequalled in the productions to come out of Hammer Studios. The stunning desert vistas, beautiful cinematography and well staged actions sequences all rank with the best Hammer work past or present. Peter Cushing has a more rogueish character to play here and as always his teaming with fellow Hammer veteran Christopher Lee is excellent with the two squaring off in one vivid scene set in a room full of mummified high priests. Ursula Andress has been critised for her limited acting ability however I feel she is perfect for the role of the mysterious, cool and cruel beauty Ayesha who never grows old. Her delivery is perfect in both the romantic and brutal scenes and rarely has an actress looked more the part of the eternal beauty than Andress does when garbed in her flowing white robe billowing in the breeze. Production on "She", was not an easy thing with troubles in Israel during filming and also the record temperatures on the desert locations proving a real trial for all cast memebers involved. The musical score used for "She", composed by James Bernard is also breathtaking and in the Ayesha scenes in particular has a lyrical haunting quality to it that heightens the romance of her pursuit of a lost love over two thousand years.

"She", makes very interesting viewing and as long as you dont expect a close following of the original novel is sure to entertain. Seeing the unique talents of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee together in the one film regardless of the size of their roles is always a treat but I think it is the mysterious image of Ursula Andress that will stay in viewers mind. She most definately becomes "She ...Who Must Be Obeyed", enjoy!

SHE (1965) is Hammer Film Studios biggest production ever, bringing us epic proportions on a meagre budget, but you`d never know it from the looks of it. It`s the flick that made a star of Ursula Andress (her iconic emergence from the sea in 'DR. NO' put her on the map, this one sealed the deal), who never looked more regal. John Richardson, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, all Hammer regulars and stars in their own right, provide solid support in the remaining important roles, and the story, sets, effects, cinematography and production values have never been better. This movie has been unavailable in dvd format, and kudos to Warner Brothers Archive Collection for finally allowing us the pleasure of seeing this the way it was meant to be seen - the picture and colors are superlative and even help justify the hefty pricetag that comes along with it. WARNING - It is in DVD-R format, so be advised that it WON`T play in a computer OR a dvd recorder, only players that "play only", and have no recording capabilities - kind of a drag `cause I have both and it wouldn`t play in either, but it works fine in a standard or blu-ray player. The best entry in this genre that Hammer ever screened, I`d whole-heartedly recommend it to any fan of Hammer or its stars - it won`t let you down.

I am writing this review here, re: the VHS, but I actually have the DVD which I cannot find in the Amazon store...still the movie is the movie whatever the format...and the review is simply for those who may never have seen this Hammer film.
Essentially, Ursula Andress (who is also in the fantastic epitome of the rainy Sunday afternoon stalwart...'Clash of the Titans'), is the Queen of a strange forgotten land who has lived for centuries due to a life giving fire, and who awaits the re-incarnation of the lost love she murdered centuries ago in a fit of pique, and this transpiring only then to be thwarted by the intervention of the jealous high priest (Christopher Lee). The book on which the movie is based is somewhat less Hammy (if you'll pardon the pun), but still the whole film has a certain class and if you like Hammer films, it is one of the best.
The ending is what makes it though...the special effects here are not so much sophisticated as downright terrifying and as a youth gave me awful nightmares for a while afterwards...didn't stop me wanting to see it again though as soon as I could.
Did I mention Ursula Andress is in it...OK, OK I'll wind me tongue in.

I don't know if SHE was the most expensive film Hammer ever made but it sure looks like it. Of course it's not LAWRENCE OF ARABIA or ZULU but it does try to cash in on those two films at a fraction of their cost (and length). In addition to Ursula Andress in her prime (in fact "She Who Must Be Obeyed" is the role she was born to play), we get Hammer stalwarts Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee both giving really strong performances especially Cushing who is unlike any other character I've ever seen him play in a Hammer film. John Richardson, who starred with Barbara Steele in the iconic BLACK SUNDAY back in 1960 and would be opposite Raquel Welch in ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. the following year, makes for a strong and attractive Leo Vincey. The different ending (from the book and other versions) gives the film a surprising poignancy you wouldn't expect.

H. Rider Haggard's novel of an ageless queen and a forgotten city has been filmed many times starting back in the silent era and as recently as 2001 but only this one and the 1935 RKO version have had any kind of staying power. Comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges. One is in B&W, the other color, one is set in the Arctic, this one (like the book) is set in the desert. The '35 version has tremendous art deco sets, Nigel Bruce, and the legendary Gustav von Seyfertitz. Helen Gahagan was regal as SHE but Andress is exotic and very desirable. While the settings here aren't nearly as lavish, they were influential and this version was a favorite of countless impressionable minds during the 1960s including future filmmakers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. This Warner Archive edition stops short of a full restoration but the widescreen transfer allows us to see SHE in all its glory.

Well not quite the novel "She", by Henry Rider Haggard, but a little closer than earlier versions this movie and is quit fun to watch.

Three men back from the war, Maj. Horace Holly (Peter Cushing), Job (Bernard Cribbins), and Leo Vincey (John Richardson) are just aching for adventure. While having a good time in the local bar in Palestine, Leo is vamped by a beautiful exotic girl Ustane (Rosenda Monteros.) He gets abducted and is confronted by a mysterious and mesmerizing timeless beauty Ayesha (Ursula Andress). She gives him a ring and a map and she says "find me." His friend sees the ring and the map and says treasure. So they are off in the desert. They will soon find more than they expected, and so shall we.

The story does not quite follow the book but the adventure is still there.

Though it is not exactly a film classic, the movie has a great feel to it -- and rather transports you to the city of Kuma. I found all the actors wonderful, especially Ursula Andress. Anyone who loves ancient Egypt, stories about the re-incarnation of lost loves, and a slightly twisted ending will love this.

Hammer's 1965 version of She can't match Merian C. Cooper's 1935 version for spectacle but it's still rather more handsomely mounted than you'd expect from the studio: location shooting, numerous sets and more extras than usual even if these descendants of Ancient Egyptians seem to have an army consisting of Roman legionaries. The most commercially successful adaptation of `the famous novel by H. Rider Haggard' (as the credits bill it), even inspiring a dreary sequel, The Vengeance of She, it's also surprisingly good, with rather more substance than you might expect.

Played partially as an old-fashioned adventure with far more action than any other version, the story is updated to post-WW1 Palestine, its explorers (Peter Cushing, John Richardson and mild comic relief Bernard Cribbins) now reimagined as demobbed soldiers uprooted by the war. "She who waits" is introduced into the picture surprisingly early and long before they reach her domain - here it is Ayesha herself who urges Leo to make the hazardous journey to prove that he is the reincarnation of her lost love. The second half makes more of the battle for Leo's soul, with more of an argument made against the temptations of eternal youth than in other versions, and the film goes to much darker places than its predecessors: this time Leo is lost long before the blue flame appears, and the end remarkably bleak. Being Hammer it also ups the sadism, not only in a mass execution of chained slaves but in the manner in which one character is `returned' to their family.

With Haggard's novel touching on the worship of beauty and youth above character or even basic humanity (She is so in thrall to her image of a lover that she blames herself for his infidelity) it's actually rather fitting that both leads are dubbed: Ursula Andress because of her thick accent - but then, no-one ever cast her for her voice - and John Richardson because, well, with his zombie-like vocal delivery that made him the Clive Owen of his day, acting never was his forte as long as he had the looks to get away with not having to. It's left to the bearded Peter Cushing's Holly to provide the weight of authority and make the case for growing old gracefully, which he does with effortless professionalism, while Christopher Lee's ambitious high priest Bilali is a far more interesting and less blindly devoted character here, adding another layer of moral decay to the crumbling kingdom. The production design makes a virtue of its relative economy, Kumar past its prime and on the edge of rebellion, the lost city itself long crumbled and the kingdom retreated into the very mountains, though the fact that the sets are smaller than they look and shot with long lenses to look larger is occasionally given away by distortion in some of the panning shots thanks to the still far from perfected Scope lenses. The special effects, though not always photo-realistic, are rather good in their old-fashioned way while James Bernard's score features a particularly memorable desert trek theme. All in all, one of Hammer's finer hours, and still highly enjoyable.

Warner/Canal Plus' Region 2 PAL DVD boasts no extras but an acceptable widescreen 2.35:1 transfer, though the title sequence looks somewhat faded.

Great Movie good to see a screen Godess before Botox and fillers. This is a great adventure for all the family.

Good male characters and good sets and costumes.

I fondly remembered "She" from 1965 when it first came out. Of course I was all of 11 years old then and thought it one of the best movies I ever saw! But after viewing it again this month, I now know why some say the memory is much better than reality. But don't let that stop you from watching it... (although it would be a better rental than purchase. Better yet, I'll sell you my copy for $10 plus shipping!)

This is another great movie by Hammer. It stars the beautiful Ursula Andress along with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. They all do a great job with the storyline. All are at the peak of their acting abilities and look great. It is an adventure story full of mystery and imagination. I am so glad it is out on dvd and the transfer looks fantastic. Pick it up!