Copyright 12 July 1935 by RKO-Radio Pictures, Inc. U.S. release: 26 July 1935. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 25 July 1935 (ran one week). Australian release: 6 November 1935. 95 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Two explorers, Vincey and Holly, seek the legendary "Flame of Youth".
NOTES: RKO reported an initial loss of $180,000 on this venture (a loss that was more than recouped with a 1949 re-issue). Actually, considering the film's enormous negative cost (at least $700,000), a loss of only $180,000 is not bad sledding at all. It means that that the film earned well over a million dollars in worldwide rentals, which would certainly place it among the top fifty Hollywood money- earners of the year.
Only movie appearance of famed Broadway star, Helen Gahagan. In private life, Miss Gahagan was married to Melvyn Douglas. As Helen Douglas, she entered politics in the 1940s, serving two terms in Congress before challenging Nixon in the Senate race of 1950, a campaign in which she coined the phrase "Tricky Dicky".
Dance director Benjamin Zemach was nominated for a prestigious Hollywood award for his exuberantly bizarre choreography in the "Hall of Kings", but lost out to Dave Gould.
COMMENT: Despite a hokey story-line that does not do full justice to Rider Haggard's splendid novel, plus some rather dull – particularly in the opening scenes – "additional dialogue" (by Dudley Nichols, of all people), "She" thoroughly deserves its present cult reputation as RKO's second most impressive production of the 1930s. ("King Kong", of course, is number one). It's interesting to note the many parallels between this movie and "Lost Horizon" (released 1937, but based on a 1933 novel by James Hilton). These parallels are far too many to be put down to mere coincidence, particularly as they all represent radical changes to Haggard's narrative.
If the script is a little faulty, the acting too leaves something to be desired. Famed Broadway star, Helen Gahagan, in her only movie appearance, seems to be playing at half steam. No doubt she had been told to tone down her acting for the movies, but she goes a little too far in this direction. Nonetheless, she is charismatic enough to carry off the title role with such power and assurance. In fact, she even covers some deficiencies in Scott's performance. For some odd reason, he tends to play Vincey as a lounge lizard, rather than a man of action.
Fortunately, Nigel Bruce comes out of the film rather well. For once, he plays his role almost straight. He's still a bit harried, but by no means the cretinous, bumbling idiot of a Watson designed to contrast the vigor and personality of a Sherlock Holmes.
It is of course, the mind-boggling sets, plus the captivating special effects, the extraordinarily lavish production values and the remarkable aura of barbaric decadence, that sets the film apart and only a few years ago installed it as a favorite of the corduroy set. A splendid music score by Max Steiner and outrageously weird choreography by Zemach further add to the allure. Despite a slow, even uncertain and unpromising start, "She" is a jolting experience.
AVAILABLE on a superb Kino or Legend Films DVD in both the original black-and-white version and a brilliantly colorized – under the supervision of Ray Harryhausen – copy. As a general rule, I'm against colorization, but in this case I'm happy to make an exception.
SYNOPSIS: Two explorers, Vincey and Holly, seek the legendary "Flame of Youth".
NOTES: RKO reported an initial loss of $180,000 on this venture (a loss that was more than recouped with a 1949 re-issue). Actually, considering the film's enormous negative cost (at least $700,000), a loss of only $180,000 is not bad sledding at all. It means that that the film earned well over a million dollars in worldwide rentals, which would certainly place it among the top fifty Hollywood money- earners of the year.
Only movie appearance of famed Broadway star, Helen Gahagan. In private life, Miss Gahagan was married to Melvyn Douglas. As Helen Douglas, she entered politics in the 1940s, serving two terms in Congress before challenging Nixon in the Senate race of 1950, a campaign in which she coined the phrase "Tricky Dicky".
Dance director Benjamin Zemach was nominated for a prestigious Hollywood award for his exuberantly bizarre choreography in the "Hall of Kings", but lost out to Dave Gould.
COMMENT: Despite a hokey story-line that does not do full justice to Rider Haggard's splendid novel, plus some rather dull – particularly in the opening scenes – "additional dialogue" (by Dudley Nichols, of all people), "She" thoroughly deserves its present cult reputation as RKO's second most impressive production of the 1930s. ("King Kong", of course, is number one). It's interesting to note the many parallels between this movie and "Lost Horizon" (released 1937, but based on a 1933 novel by James Hilton). These parallels are far too many to be put down to mere coincidence, particularly as they all represent radical changes to Haggard's narrative.
If the script is a little faulty, the acting too leaves something to be desired. Famed Broadway star, Helen Gahagan, in her only movie appearance, seems to be playing at half steam. No doubt she had been told to tone down her acting for the movies, but she goes a little too far in this direction. Nonetheless, she is charismatic enough to carry off the title role with such power and assurance. In fact, she even covers some deficiencies in Scott's performance. For some odd reason, he tends to play Vincey as a lounge lizard, rather than a man of action.
Fortunately, Nigel Bruce comes out of the film rather well. For once, he plays his role almost straight. He's still a bit harried, but by no means the cretinous, bumbling idiot of a Watson designed to contrast the vigor and personality of a Sherlock Holmes.
It is of course, the mind-boggling sets, plus the captivating special effects, the extraordinarily lavish production values and the remarkable aura of barbaric decadence, that sets the film apart and only a few years ago installed it as a favorite of the corduroy set. A splendid music score by Max Steiner and outrageously weird choreography by Zemach further add to the allure. Despite a slow, even uncertain and unpromising start, "She" is a jolting experience.
AVAILABLE on a superb Kino or Legend Films DVD in both the original black-and-white version and a brilliantly colorized – under the supervision of Ray Harryhausen – copy. As a general rule, I'm against colorization, but in this case I'm happy to make an exception.