La Source de feu

Story of a young man Leo Vincey who after hearing of his dying uncle tell the fantastic story of his ancestor 500 years ago, who found a lost kingdom and a pillar of eternal flame which resided with in, decides to go to the frozen north (in the original Haggard novel, it was East Africa), with his uncle's lab parter Horace Holly, a gold hungry guide, and the guide's daughter Tonya. When the guide is killed in an avalanche, it opens an entrance to the lost kingdom of Kor, where in resides the flame and it's keeper and kingdom ruler, Queen Hash-a-Mo-Tep, or She Who Must Be Obeyed. SHE believes Vincey to be her former lover of 500 years ago, who is also Vincey's ancestor. SHE later then tries to make sure that Vincey stay in the kingdom with her alone for eternity, even if it means the death of Tonya, whom Leo is really in love with. Very good picture with decent performances by the entire cast, but the acting couldn't overcome the melodramatic script, especially in Scott's case. Very good set design and art decoration by Polglase with the art-deco style of the 30's. Obviously not the equal of Cooper's prior masterpiece King Kong, but still a very well done piece and much better than the Andress version. Rating- 7.

H. Rider Haggard's SHE was one of a number of late Victorian fantasy/romance novels I read when I was in high school back in the late 1960s. I ran across stills from a 1935 production of the story in a book about KING KONG which I'd purchased for my mother in 1976 (KONG was one of her favorite movies). The stills were included because SHE was produced by the same creative team who had made KONG. For many years it was thought that SHE had been lost in a vault fire, before being re-discovered by a film collector and preservationist in Buster Keaton's garage. A staple of late night TV during the 1960s and 1970s, I never managed to see SHE until it surfaced in the early 1990s on VHS and then debuted on DVD in 1999. Both formats were issued by Kino International (now Kino Lorber).

There is much of KING KONG in this production including the use of redecorated sets (the giant doors that Kong breaks), a screenplay by Ruth Rose complete with choice, campy dialogue, and a throbbing Max Steiner score (some of it also recycled from KONG). This movie marks the culmination of producer Merian C. Cooper's forays into the exotic which began with his two remarkable silent documentaries GRASS (1925) and CHANG (1927) and progressed through THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932) and KONG (1933). This time however, he was without his usual partner, director Ernest B. Schoedsack who was working on THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII at that time. It was also Cooper's most expensive production to date and a box office failure although the film was quite successful when re-released along with POMPEII in 1949.

The title role (originally envisioned for Greta Garbo) was enacted by Helen Gahagen, a Broadway actress, who brings a regal bearing to "She Who Must Be Obeyed" with her sonorous voice and solid presence, but she lacked the screen charisma Garbo would have brought. The initial failure of SHE effectively ended Gahagen's Hollywood career. Years later she would enter politics and oppose Richard Nixon in California but that's another story. As the hero, Randolph Scott is...Randolph Scott. Handsome and heroic. A pre-Doctor Watson Nigel Bruce is at his best as Holly, and as Tanya, RKO contract player Helen Mack acts in her best on-screen role. Silent film actor Gustav von Seyfertitz gives a rare speaking performance as the High Priest. Samuel S. Hinds, James Stewart's dad in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, plays a small but important part as Leo Vincey's uncle in the film's prologue.

Having re-watched the movie for the first time in many years, my wife, who watched with me, pointed out similarities to Boris Karloff's 1932 film THE MUMMY. Both deal with ancient protagonists who await and encounter the reincarnations of their loved ones. There are scenes showing long-ago memories reflected in pools and, most telling of all, the title characters have similar names. Karloff's mummy is Im-Ho-Tep while Galagher's She is Hash-A-No-Tep which is not her name in the book (it's Ayeesha). Both movies are leisurely paced but SHE is 30 minutes longer than MUMMY and had the advantage of a bigger budget, (although less than half of what was originally promised for production). SHE contains some extraordinary set pieces such as the avalanche, the capture by the cave people, and the temple ceremony. The film, in turn, also influenced Walt Disney who patterned the look of the Wicked Queen in SNOW WHITE after SHE.

In 2007 Kino issued this Deluxe 2 disc edition with SHE as originally shown in movie theaters. In addition to the original black & white version, included is a colorized version supervised by Ray Harryhausen. Cooper had intended to shoot the movie in the then brand new Three Strip Technicolor process but had to discard that idea once RKO decided to cut the film's budget. Ray died in 2013 so he didn't have today's latest digital technology which could better approximate a true Technicolor appearance, but I believe he'd still have preferred his muted color approach which resembles 19th century illustrations. Both the B&W and colorized versions are on Disc 1 with commentary by Harryhausen while Disc 2 has several interviews and other special features. An absolute must see, if only for the incredible Art Deco sets...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

This is an uneven movie, with an uneven script and uneven acting (Randolph Scott is particularly unconvincing too much of the time), but its strengths are remarkable.

She's music and sets are astonishingly good. Steiner's score is aptly suited to the twists and turns of the action, and at times it even sounds as though there's a theremin playing, although it's probably just a violin at the high end of its range. (Note/wuestion: why doesn't the spellchecker for a film website not recognize the word "theremin"? Surely that instrument has been used to notable effect in many movies.)

The "natural" sets (ice cliffs, snowy plains, and spooky caverns) are dramatic and artful, and the architectural sets, influenced by cubism, expressionism, and art deco, are among the finest pieces of design in the history of film. The abstract costumes of the inhabitants of She's kingdom (desighed by Aline Bernstein) are also breathtaking in their stylishness and imaginativeness. The lighting and cinematography is also noteworthy, and the special effects are very good for their time.

This may sound like I'm dwelling on peripheral issues, but when the score, art direction, and camera-work are this inventive, they turn an OK film into a wonderful one. Few movies have ever been such delights to the eye and ear.

If the 1935 SHE reminds you vaguely of the 1933 KING KONG do not be too surprised: both films were produced by Meriam C. Cooper, who endowed them with similar visual styles--and who tweaked the 1887 novel by H. Rider Haggard to create a similar story line as well. Starring Broadway actress (and later two term Democratic congresswoman from California) Helen Gahagan in her only film role as The Eternal One, SHE did not, however, meet with the same financial success. It lost a tremendous amount of money for RKO, was withdrawn, and for many years was thought to be completely lost.

Although the film alters the Haggard novel in a great many ways, it retains the basic elements. Lured by a family legend, Leo Vincey (Randolph Scott) braves the frozen European north with family friend Horace Holly (Nigel Bruce, best known for his appearances in the Sherlock Holmes series) and innocent Tanya Dugmore (Helen Mack, popular 1930s ingenue.) When an avalanche exposes a cavern, the three find that the Vincey family legend is not quite so fanciful after all.

Most particularly, they find themselves at the mercy of She Who Must Be Obeyed, a woman who recalls talk of Jesus Christ in the Jerusalem market place, a woman two thousand years old who preserves her life by bathing in a radioactive flame that vents from the volcanic floor of her hidden kingdom. She (known here as Queen Hash-A-Mo-Tep) has been waiting for the reincarnation of her long-dead love, and Leo is his spitting image.

The acting styles are stiff even by 1935 standards and although Miss Gahagan is attractive in a 1930s way she lacks the stunning beauty attributed to She by the Haggard novel--but the great draw of the film was never intended to be great acting: like KING KONG, it is an action-adventure film with knockout sets (a few of them actually lifted from KING KONG), memorable special effects, and remarkable cinematographic set pieces. Even as it borrowed from earlier films such as the 1932 Boris Karloff THE MUMMY, it would also influence later films in turn; it is hard, for example, to imagine the 1937 Ronald Coleman LOST HORIZON without it, and even the look of the evil queen in Disney's 1938 SNOW WHITE is said to have been inspired by Gahagan's look and performance.

The film has been released in several editions to the home market, and fans may be tempted by less expensive editions. A word to the wise: Don't. The film shows its age and there is no significant bonus material, but the Kino Video release (be it on VHS or DVD) offers what is probably the best print short of a digital restoration. Recommended for fans of 1930s fantasy cinema.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This once seemingly lost, or at least taken out of circulation, film is now back in a magnificent Kino colorized version with restored footage and sound, all of which will surely bring new fans to this unusual film.

The story has been filmed at least six times, with the Kino DVD showing excepts from the (poor) 1911 and (better) 1925 silent versions. The 1966 version may have had the best looking 'She', a regal Ursula Andress, but this one has great art deco sets (now even more amazing in color); bizarre Busby Berkeley like dance sequences (nominated for a 1935 Oscar, no less!); a stirring Max Steiner score; the cute as a button Helen Mack--also seen in the weak 'Son of Kong' (1933); and Nigel Bruce in a major role playing it straight.

Helen Gahagan plays 'She' in a passionate, mannered way with almost Shakespearian dialogue. Unfortunately she is poorly off set by a dull Randolph Scott as Leo, making her 500 year old love for him seem a little unconvincing.

Much better would have been RKO star Joel McCrea who had a more handsome profile, physique, energy and acting skill. McCrea does an outstanding job in 'The Silver Horde' (1930), 'Bird of Paradise' (1932), and 'The Most Dangerous Game' (1932). Why he wasn't in this one is a mystery, and a detriment to the film.

The only other really weak spot is that though they were in the Frozen North, you never see cold breath coming from the characters' mouths. Contrast this with the impressive 'Lost Horizon' (1937) or 'The Thing' (1982), where when it's cold, you can see their breath!

Other notes: The evil queen's purple costume in 'Snow White' (1938) is an exact copy of one of She's royal 'gowns' complete with spiked tiara! We also see the the Skull Island Kong Gate from 'King Kong' (1933).

High points: The final sequences beginning with 'The Hall of The Kings' elevate the quality of the film tremendously. The colorization really is the best here. Helen Gahagan gets several strong scenes about the burden of immortality. The love triangle focus of the film actually works because of Ruth Rose's dialog and the acting skills of both Helens.

Watching it in black and white (also included on the Kino DVD) gives the story a more nightmarish quality and is also recommended. For both, I give them a 7.