She (1965 film)

She

Directed by Robert Day
Produced by Michael Carreras
Screenplay by David T. Chantler
Based on She: A History of Adventure
1886-1887 novel
by H. Rider Haggard
Starring Ursula Andress
Peter Cushing
Bernard Cribbins
John Richardson
Rosenda Monteros
Christopher Lee
Music by James Bernard
Cinematography Harry Waxman
Edited by James Needs
Eric Boyd-Perkins
Production
company
Distributed by Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (US)
Release dates
 18 April 1965 (UK)
9 June 1965 (US)
Running time
 106 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Budget £323,778[1]
Box office $1,700,000 (US/ Canada rentals)[2]
284,961 admissions (France)
1,346,650 admissions (Spain)[3]

She is a 1965 Metrocolor film made by Hammer Film Productions in CinemaScope, based on the novel by H. Rider Haggard. It was directed by Robert Day and stars Ursula Andress, Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, John Richardson, Rosenda Monteros and Christopher Lee. The film was an international success and led to a 1968 sequel, The Vengeance of She, with Olinka Berova in the title role.

Plot

After receiving honorable discharges from the British Army in 1918 Palestine, Professor Holly (Peter Cushing), young Leo Vincey (John Richardson) and their orderly Job (Bernard Cribbins) embark on an expedition into a previously unexplored region of north-east Africa. They discover the lost city of Kuma after Leo receives a mysterious map revealing the city's whereabouts.

This lost realm is ruled by Ayesha (Ursula Andress), who is also known as "She-Who-Waits" and "She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed." Ayesha is an immortal queen and high priestess who believes Leo is the reincarnation of her former lover, the priest Kallikrates (whom she killed when she found him in an intimate embrace with another woman about two thousand years before). Ayesha tries to convince Leo to walk into a bonfire after it has turned blue, which happens once certain astronomical conditions have occurred. It will only remain in this condition for a short period and only happens on certain rare occasions. By entering the fire, Leo himself will become immortal.

As this is occurring, Ayesha's army is attacked by her enslaved tribesmen, the Amahagger. Although Ayesha had oppressed the Amahagger for 2,000 years, the uprising was triggered by the queen, in a fit of jealousy, executing Ustane (Rosenda Monteros), an Amahagger woman who had developed a relationship with Leo.

Ustane's father Haumeid (André Morell) who, like his daughter, had befriended Leo, Holly and Job, is outraged at his daughter's execution and incites the Amahagger into the uprising. Ayesha's army is overwhelmed during the fierce battle against the poorly equipped, yet numerous Amahagger.

Whilst the uprising is occurring, Leo battles Bilali (Christopher Lee), Ayesha's fanatical priest, who wants immortality for himself, believing it is his due after his years of selfless service. After battling Leo and finally gaining the upper hand, Bilali, giving Leo up for dead, attempts to enter the blue flames himself and become immortal, but he is killed by Ayesha before he can enter the fire.

Ayesha takes Leo's hand and leads him into the fire. Upon entering, Leo becomes immortal, but Ayesha's second exposure to the fire destroys her immortality and she dies almost instantly as the centuries catch up with her and she ages millennia in a few seconds. The film ends with a despondent Leo stating that he doesn't care when the fire will next burn blue but it will find him waiting for it.

Cast

Production

The re-filming of the H. Rider Haggard novel – which had been filmed previously in 1908, 1911, 1916, 1917, 1925 and 1935[4] – was the idea of Kenneth Hyman of Seven Arts Productions, who had a long-running relationship with Hammer Film Productions. Anthony Hinds commissioned a script from John Temple-Smith, and the lead role was assigned to Ursula Andress – known at that time for her role in the James Bond film Dr. No[5] – who signed a two picture deal with Seven Arts as a guarantee for her husband John Derek. She would thus become the first Hammer film to be built around a female star.[5]

Hammer pitched the project to Universal, who turned it down. Hinds then arranged for Berkley Mather to write a script, but the project was turned down again by Universal, and then by Joseph E. Levine and American International Pictures. Hinds passed it over to Michael Carreras who got David T. Chantler to rewrite the script again. Carreras succeeded in getting the film financed through MGM,[1] with triple the usual budget for a Hammer Film.[5]

Principal photography commenced in southern Israel's Negev Desert on 24 August 1964, with scenes also shot at MGM's Elstree Studios in London when Hammer's Bray Studios proved to be too small for the project.[5] It was the most expensive film Hammer had made up until that time,[1] but upon release it was a hit both in North America and in Europe.[5]

Although the studio was pleased with the look of Ursula Andress in the film – as lit by Harry Waxman and costumed by Carl Toms and Roy Ashton – they found her Swiss German accent to be offputting, and had her entire part re-dubbed by actress Nikki van der Zyl, who maintained a slight accent so as not to throw the film's audience, who would be familiar with the way Andress spoke from seeing her in Dr. No.[5]

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Bruce G. Hallenbeck, British Cult Cinema: Hammer Fantasy and Sci-Fi, Hemlock Books 2011 pp. 146–157
  2. ↑ Anticipated rentals accruing distributors in North America. See "Top Grossers of 1965", Variety, 5 January 1966 p 36
  3. ↑ Box office performance of Peter Cushing films in Europe at Box Office Story
  4. ↑ "H. Rider Haggard" on IMDB.com
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Doll, Susan. "She (1965)" on TCM.com


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