She (1935)

reviewed by
Brian Koller


She (1935)

Victorian-era British writer H. Rider Haggard wrote two adventure books that have been adapted to films ever since. These stories are "King Solomon's Mines" and "She". While the former is probably more famous, the latter has seen the most film versions.

During the silent era alone, six versions were produced. The first is an 1899 short from France. Versions followed in 1908, 1911, 1916, and 1917. The first feature adaptation came in 1925. Much later, Ursula Andress starred in a 1965 adaptation, which along with a 1985 version got dreadful reviews.

Probably the best telling of She is the Merian C. Cooper production from 1935. Fresh from his success with King Kong, Cooper lavished She with impressive, expensive sets, an enormous cast of extras in costumes, and elaborate choreography.

As was the case for King Kong, the production values make the film good despite a campy, almost laughable script. Although She lacks the lurid thrills of King Kong, the script is a little better, and the cast is much better.

The story begins with John Vincey (Samuel S. Hinds) suffering from radium poisoning. A scientist, he has spent his life trying to develop an element that brings eternal life. His assistant is Holly (Nigel Bruce). Now dying, Vincey sends for his dashing son, Leo (Randolph Scott). He implores him to travel to a remote, frozen wasteland in China, where this element may exist.

Leo goes, taking the unflappable, know-it-all Holly with him. Along the way, they encounter a beautiful, orphaned young woman named Tanya (Helen Mack). The three stumble upon a hidden, underground palace, where She (Helen Gahagan) rules ruthlessly as a queen. Billali (Gustav von Seyffertitz) is her devoted second in command.

She is an ageless woman who is many centuries old. She once bathed in a strange, unique flame, which gave her eternal youth. She takes an immediate liking to Leo. But Leo already (and predictably) has something going with Tanya, making She murderously jealous.

She is very entertaining. The sets and choreography are first rate. The hokey, dramatic script and direction provides much unintentional comic relief. Somehow, this adds to the film's quality. While Gahagan is a bit hammy, Mack, Bruce and von Seyffertitz are very good.

She marks the only film appearance of stage actress Helen Gahagan, in the starring role. Gahagan would later marry actor Melyvn Douglas, and eventually was elected to several terms in the U.S. Congress. She ran for the U.S. Senate, but was defeated in 1948 by future president Richard Nixon. Nixon called her "The Pink Lady" during the campaign, because she was supposedly soft on communism. (73/100)

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