La Déesse de feu

Hammer are famous for making horror movies (obviously), and 'She' is often considered amongst Hammer's horror offerings. I beg to differ from that notion, as although it certainly has horror elements: this is most definitely an adventure movie. Still, the delirious Hammer style is definitely still there and this movie succeeds in conforming to the camp ideals that Hammer became famous for (and that I love them for!). This is also one of many (though not enough!) movies to feature the immense talents of both of Hammer's super-heavyweights; Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and both deliver to their regular high standard. The plot follows three men who travel to a lost city in search of riches that have been promised to them upon their arrival. However, the city is ruled by the powerful 'She who must be obeyed' (Ursula Andress) and she believes one of the men to be her reincarnated love, so sets about making him conform to her way of thinking...

The film exudes a sense of sleaze, in spite of not being essentially sleazy. This has come about due to the central theme of the woman being the dominant party, and as the woman in question is played by the domineering Ursula Andress, that sense is exuded quite plainly. Also joining in the fun aside from Cushing, Lee and Andress is Hammer favourite André Morell, who completes a rather fine cast. The low budget is more than obvious on a number of occasions, mostly through the cheap looking sets, and it seems as if the producers have been a little over ambitious. It doesn't matter, though, as the low budget adds to the charm and appeal of the movie, which ensures that the movie is even more fun for the viewer. The moral to the story has some credibility too, and the ending actually succeeds in being fairly powerful. On the whole, 'She' isn't a prime example of how great the adventure genre can be; but it's a solid film, and fans of low budget kitsch will find something to like.

This Hammer production is a fantasy-adventure film. After a brief encounter with a beautiful mysterious woman, a group of adventurers set off to find a lost city in remote Palestine in which she claims to rule. It turns out that she is an immortal being, and one of the party is a reincarnation of her long-lost love. The men subsequently find the lost city and encounter at first-hand She Who Must Be Obeyed…

Despite the presence of a number of Hammer regulars, this is essentially an Ursula Andress vehicle. She was just off the back of her iconic sea-emerging moment from Dr No and was clearly hot property at this time. Not the most gifted or charismatic actress, Andress is never-the-less a very beautiful woman, and therefore looks the part in this role. She is kitted out with an array of fabulous flowing gowns and ornamental head-dresses. And seeing as she is very much the main selling point of the film, it's important to note that she is certainly very aesthetically pleasing. The story itself is very much by-the-numbers, and not especially interesting but is merely a means to an end. Namely an excuse to introduce Ursula in regal attire in fantasy surroundings. These sets are limited by the budget of course, but like all Hammer films it still looks pretty good all things considered. Unlike most Hammer films, though, there is also some on-location photography too, with scenes shot in the desert in the Middle East. This indicates quite clearly that the famous old studio invested a bit more into this production than most, and clearly this was not misplaced seeing as She was one of their biggest commercial successes. Despite this, it isn't in the final analysis an example of the best of their output. It's a little lacking in excitement for too much of the time. Having said this, it does have a rather good ending that is both creepy and surprising. And not only that, it does have both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee at its disposal which can never be a bad thing quite honestly. So with this in mind and also taking into account that we have a gorgeous ice queen in the lead role, She is a film that has some good things going for it.

H. Rider Haggard's "She" is a book that transcends its original intent. It's a great African adventure yarn, to be sure... but Haggard out-did his usual fare in this case, hitting a particularly resonant chord with his vivid archetypal image of the Eternal Female.

This particular film rendition similarly out-does the usual Hammer horror fare. The story is faithfully adapted from the book, with only the sort of changes that are inevitably needed to squeeze hundreds of pages of text onto less than two hours of celluloid. With no special effects or CGI to distract, Haggard's original plot remains the chief attraction, and what a great Saturday-afternoon adventure it is! Lost cities in Africa... a mysterious queen... the secret of immortality... these elements have been combined many times, but rarely any better than they are here.

Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are solid actors, and give two otherwise conventional roles a delightful extra spin. But the real surprise is Ursula Andress, who seems to have been perfectly directed: she avoids stretching her limited talents, and concentrates on looking regal and mysterious. The costume design helps; I'm not a big fan of Ms Andress' charms, but I find the image of her in that golden-feathered headdress quite unforgettable.

A word also about the music. The four-note fanfare that announces the arrival in the hidden land is absolutely perfect. No lost-civilization film should be made without it.

I keep hoping that some director equipped with both budget and talent one day delivers the screen version that "She" really deserves. But until then, this one will do very nicely.

I'm not sure why everyone dislikes this film. It not only looks absolutely fantastic for a Hammer film, but also features some fantastic performances by some some of Hammer's best actors(and some who aren't Hammer actors). Some of the amazing performances come from the always excellent Peter Cushing, the(finally)newly knighted Christopher Lee, the great Bernard Cribbins and in her first(and last) Hammer film, the gorgeous Ursula Andress as SHE herself. This film is also wonderfully directed by another one-off Hammer director, Robert Day. However this film does have some low points as well. Some of the plot threads are a little silly and some of the later scenes are very repetitive. By no means the best Hammer film, but no where near the worst.

One really shouldn't need to say more about this movie than that it contains the gorgeous Ursula Andress in her most imperious role, plus the incredibly lovely Rosenda Monteiros. =) But if one must, one will say that this is a classic adventure of innocence, devoted to the concept of faithful and undying true love and the ancient dominion of the Divine Female over all. Completely knocked me over when I was 14 and hasn't lost anything since. I just love it.