She (1935 film)
A 1935 adventure film about immortality in a lost Arctic world.
She is a 1935 American adventure film from producer Merian C. Cooper, adapted from H. Rider Haggard's 1887 novel. The story follows Leo Vincey, who—accompanied by his friend and a guide's daughter—journeys to a remote, mountainous region of Africa. His ancestor once claimed to have found the secret to immortality there. They stumble upon a lost civilization ruled by a woman called She Who Must Be Obeyed. The film is remembered for its Art Deco design of the ancient city of Kor, which blends Egyptian, Greek, and Mayan influences. Special effects relied on miniatures and matte paintings. Composer Max Steiner considered the score one of his finest achievements. Ruth Rose wrote the screenplay.
The plot begins when Leo Vincey is summoned from America to his family's estate in England. His dying uncle John Vincey and friend Horace Holly convince him that an ancestor, also named John Vincey, discovered immortality nearly 500 years ago in Africa. Only the ancestor's wife returned, leaving a letter describing their adventures and the Flame of Life. A painting of the ancestor bears a striking resemblance to Leo. Following the letter's route, Leo and Holly travel through remote African mountains, joined by a guide named Tugmore and his daughter Tanya. Leo and Tanya fall in love along the way. They find a corpse wearing a gold chain and a sabre-tooth tiger encased in ice, just as the letter described. Tugmore attacks the ice for the gold despite Holly's warning about avalanches. The avalanche kills Tugmore but reveals a passage through the cliffs. Inside a cave system, a primitive tribe nearly kills them before Billali and his soldiers intervene. They are taken to the ancient city of Kor, where all strangers are brought to its ruler, She Who Must Be Obeyed. She is immortal from bathing in the Flame of Life. Believing Leo is the reincarnation of her lost love John Vincey, she vows to make him immortal too. She later admits she killed John in a fit of jealousy. Tanya warns Leo that nothing human can live forever, but he is tempted. When She grows jealous again, Billali suggests Tanya replace the human sacrifice needed for Leo's immortality. During the ceremony, Leo recognizes the veiled Tanya, frees her, and the trio fight their way to the Flame of Life chamber. She and Billali arrive by a shorter path. She asks Leo to step into the Flame. To prove it is safe, she enters
- Release year
- 1935
- Director
- Merian C. Cooper and Irving Pichel (co-directed); Landon C. Holden (co-directed for visuals)
- Producer
- Merian C. Cooper
- Screenplay
- Ruth Rose (adaptation); Dudley Nichols (additional dialogue)
- Starring
- Helen Gahagan, Randolph Scott, Nigel Bruce
- Music
- Max Steiner
- Cinematography
- J. Roy Hunt
Lore & Background
The film was produced by Merian C. Cooper, who had previously found success with King Kong. Cooper originally intended to film She in color, but budget cuts by RKO forced him to shoot in black and white. The film was part of a two-picture agreement with Cooper, along with The Last Days of Pompeii; the initial agreement was for $1 million per film, but RKO later required both films to be made for a combined $1 million. Cooper stated he 'cheated a lot' on She to direct more money into Pompeii, and later called it the 'worst picture I ever made.' To reduce costs, he reused set materials, including the gates to Skull Island from King Kong, and cut a planned mammoth attack scene animated by Willis O'Brie. The film's setting remains Africa, as in the novel, and was not changed to an Arctic or temperate region; the Hays Code did not prohibit depictions of miscegenation in a historical or fantasy context, so no such change was necessary.
Reader's Guide
She (1935) is significant as an early adventure-fantasy film that attempted to follow the success of King Kong, though it was less commercially successful. At its initial release in 1935, it lost money, but was more popular in 1949 when it was billed with The Last Days of Pompeii. Contemporary reception in 1935 praised the film's spectacle but found the plot slow and uninteresting. Reviews from the end of the 20th century agreed that the sets, costumes, and special effects were impressive, but found the acting lacking. The film is also notable for being the only film appearance of Helen Gahagan, who had a long theatre career before this role and did not act in any other films afterward. The score by Max Steiner, which he considered one of his greatest works, and the innovative special effects using miniatures, matte paintings, and stereopticon plates, contribute to the film's legacy as a visually ambitious production constrained by budget limitations.
Did You Know?
- Helen Gahagan's role as She was her first movie after a long theatre career, and she did not act in any other films afterward.
- The grand palace gates in She were reused from the gates to Skull Island in King Kong.
- Max Steiner considered the score for She one of his greatest works.
- The film's location was changed from Africa to a temperate Arctic to avoid the Hays Code's prohibition on depicting miscegenation.
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