She (1935 film)
She | |
---|---|
She by H. Rider Haggard | |
Produced by | Merian C. Cooper |
Starring | Helen Gahagan Randolph Scott Helen Mack Nigel Bruce Gustav von Seyffertitz |
Cinematography | J. Roy Hunt |
Music by | Max Steiner |
Production company | |
Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 min (original theatrical release) 94 min. (1949 re-release) |
She is a 1935 American adventure film produced by Merian C. Cooper. Based on the 1887 novel of the same name by H. Rider Haggard, the screenplay draws on all the books in the series: the first aforementioned book, She and Allan, The Return of She and Wisdom's Daughter.
The ancient civilization of Kor is depicted in an Art Deco style with imaginative special effects. The setting is Arctic Siberia, rather than Africa, as in the first book. With music by Max Steiner, the film stars Helen Gahagan, Randolph Scott and Nigel Bruce.
It was hoped that She would follow Cooper's previous success,
Plot
Leo Vincey (Scott) is called from America to the family's ancestral estate in England where his dying uncle John Vincey (Samuel Hinds) and Horace Holly (Nigel Bruce) convince him that their ancestor, also named John Vincey, found the
Following the route outlined in an old journal, Leo and Holly travel through frozen wastes, as a guide named Tugmore and his daughter Tanya join them on their quest, but Tugmore perishes when he can't resist digging for gold that is frozen near a mountain privy to avalanche. They stumble upon the ancient city of Kor, where they are attacked by cannibals but are saved by She Who Must Be Obeyed and her Minister Billali.
She believes that Leo is the reincarnation of John Vincey — her lover many years ago — and vows to make him immortal like herself to rule this Shangri-La in eternal youth, as she had killed John in a fit of jealousy 500 years ago. Tanya warns Leo that nothing human can live forever. At the end, She asks Leo to step into the Flame of Life with her so that they can become immortal. Despite She trying to distract him from Tanya being used for a sacrificial ceremony, he notices and decides to run away with her. After Leo, Holly, and Tanya find the chamber with the flame on their escape attempt, She offers to step in first in the flame. Rather than renewing her youth, She ages hundreds of years, becoming a withered mummy-like creature that dies. Leo, Holly, and Tanya then safely make their escape.
Cast
- Helen Gahagan as She (Who Must Be Obeyed)
- Randolph Scott as Leo Vincey
- Nigel Bruce as Professor Horace Holly
- Helen Mack as Tanya Dugmore
- Gustav von Seyffertitz as Billali, She's mortal Governor
- Lumsden Hare as Dugmore
- Samuel S. Hinds as John Vincey, scientist
- Noble Johnson as Amahaggar Chief
Production
In July 1932, Universal Studios announced they had bought the rights to the story.[4]
In July 1934, RKO announced they would make the film the following year as one of the studio's big productions.
Athlete Jim Thorpe had a small role in the film.[9]
Gahagan's depiction of the "ageless ice goddess"[10] inspired the Evil Queen in Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).[11][12]
Reception
Writing for
Later releases
She originally had a running time of 102 minutes, but was edited to 94 minutes for its 1949 re-release to better fit on a double bill with Cooper's The Last Days of Pompeii.
She was among the films believed lost in a fire at the RKO archives,[14] but an original print was discovered in the garage of the silent film star Buster Keaton and was turned over to film distributor Raymond Rohauer for preservation.[15]
In 2006,
In 2007,
Home media
Legend Films release:[20]
- Picture Format: 1.33:1 (1080p 24fps) [AVC MPEG-4]
- Soundtrack(s): English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual Mono)
- Extras (Blu-ray):
- Things to Come (1936) in colorized and black & white versions
- Commentary by Ray Harryhausen and Mark Vaz on She
- Interviews with Ray Harryhausen [She (1080i; 4:32)] [Things to Come (1080i; 3:47)]
- Colorization Process with Ray Harryhausen [She (1080i; 8:58)] [Things to Come (1080i; 8:51)]
- Extras (DVD):
- The Most Dangerous Game(1932) in colorized and black & white versions
- Ray Harryhausen on the Importance of a Movie Score (2:31)
- James V. D'Arc, Curator of the Merian C. Cooper Papers, BYU (4:30)
- John Morgan, Composer, on Max Steiner (7:15)
See also
- She: A History of Adventure
- She (1965 film)
- She (1982 film)
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-60673-060-7
- ^ Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p85
- ISBN 0-446-69334-0.
- ProQuest 99559141.
- ProQuest 131173858.
- ProQuest 101609935.
- ProQuest 150682898.
- ISBN 978-1-4000-6276-8.
- ProQuest 181569593.
- ^ "The Wonderful World of WALT: Walt Disney and the Villain | Disney Insider". Blogs.disney.com. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Disney Villains: Queen". Disney.go.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
- ^ "D23′s Dateline Disney: 1935 (Evil Queen) « Disney D23". D23.disney.go.com. December 10, 2012. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- ISBN 0192812866.)
- ^ "Empire of the Imagination: Rediscovering She (1935) by matthew c. hoffman". Screen Deco. 2012-05-19. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
- Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
- ^ "Comic-Con 2006 :: Programming for Friday, July 21". Archived from the original on 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
- ^ DVDCompare Retrieved: 7 May 2012
- ^ Monster Kid Classic Horror Forum Retrieved: 7 May 2012
- ^ Nitrateville classic film forum Retrieved: 7 May 2012
- ^ "The Ray Harryhausen Double Feature Blu-ray".
External links
- She at IMDb
- She at AllMovie
- She at Rotten Tomatoes
- She on Escape: July 11, 1948
- She at Legend Films