“She” is an early science fiction film about an English explorer’s search for the fountain of youth. It takes him to the Arctic region where he discovers an ancient civilization with a mysterious female leader. The drama proceeds from there, with producer Merian C. Cooper (“King King” 1933) and his two directors (Lansing C. Holden and Irving Pichel) falling down on the job and filling the movie with corny dialogue, horrible production values, bad acting, and an atrociously written screenplay by Dudley Nichols and Ruth Rose. “She” was adapted from the 1887 novel of the same name by H. Rider Haggard.
The stars of the show are Randolph Scott as explorer Leo Vincey, whose long career in Filmdom lasted from 1928-1962, and Helen Gahagan as She (Who Must Be Obeyed). In contrast to Scott, this was the only feature film appearance for Gahagan, who was primarily known as a performer in Broadway plays. She went on to serve in the U. S. House of Representatives (1945-1951) from the Los Angeles area. She ran for the U. S. Senate in 1950 and was defeated by another Californian, Rep. Richard M. Nixon, the future 37th President of the United States. Gahagan first popularized the nickname “Tricky Dick” in this race that stuck with Nixon for years. She was married to popular actor Melvyn Douglas.
Co-stars with Gahagan and Scott include Helen Mack, Nigel Bruce, Gustav von Seyferrtitz, Lumsden Hare, Samuel S. Hinds, Nobel Johnson, and Jim Thorpe in an uncredited role as the Captain of the Guard. Thorpe was an athlete who performed in the 1912 Olympics, winning two gold medals, the first Native American to accomplish this fete.
“She” performed poorly at the box office for producer Merian C. Cooper and RKO Radio Pictures. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Dance Direction. “She” is listed in “The Official Razzie Movie Guide” by John Wilson (founder of the Golden Raspberry Awards) as one of the “100 Most Enjoyable Bad Movies Ever Made.” Interesting visuals by Cooper include depicting the ancient Arctic civilization in Art Deco style. “She” was filmed in black & white, with some DVD versions partly or fully colorized.
(Interesting footnote: This title role of Helen Gahagan Douglas as “She (Who Must Be Obeyed)” was an inspiration to Walt Disney in his creation of the Evil Queen character in 1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”)
She (1935)
cinema
My Review
“She” is an early science fiction film about an English explorer’s search for the fountain of youth. It takes him to the Arctic region where he discovers an ancient civilization with a mysterious female leader. The drama proceeds from there, with producer Merian C. Cooper (“King King” 1933) and his two directors (Lansing C. Holden and Irving Pichel) falling down on the job and filling the movie with corny dialogue, horrible production values, bad acting, and an atrociously written screenplay by Dudley Nichols and Ruth Rose. “She” was adapted from the 1887 novel of the same name by H. Rider Haggard.
The stars of the show are Randolph Scott as explorer Leo Vincey, whose long career in Filmdom lasted from 1928-1962, and Helen Gahagan as She (Who Must Be Obeyed). In contrast to Scott, this was the only feature film appearance for Gahagan, who was primarily known as a performer in Broadway plays. She went on to serve in the U. S. House of Representatives (1945-1951) from the Los Angeles area. She ran for the U. S. Senate in 1950 and was defeated by another Californian, Rep. Richard M. Nixon, the future 37th President of the United States. Gahagan first popularized the nickname “Tricky Dick” in this race that stuck with Nixon for years. She was married to popular actor Melvyn Douglas.
Co-stars with Gahagan and Scott include Helen Mack, Nigel Bruce, Gustav von Seyferrtitz, Lumsden Hare, Samuel S. Hinds, Nobel Johnson, and Jim Thorpe in an uncredited role as the Captain of the Guard. Thorpe was an athlete who performed in the 1912 Olympics, winning two gold medals, the first Native American to accomplish this fete.
“She” performed poorly at the box office for producer Merian C. Cooper and RKO Radio Pictures. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Dance Direction. “She” is listed in “The Official Razzie Movie Guide” by John Wilson (founder of the Golden Raspberry Awards) as one of the “100 Most Enjoyable Bad Movies Ever Made.” Interesting visuals by Cooper include depicting the ancient Arctic civilization in Art Deco style. “She” was filmed in black & white, with some DVD versions partly or fully colorized.
(Interesting footnote: This title role of Helen Gahagan Douglas as “She (Who Must Be Obeyed)” was an inspiration to Walt Disney in his creation of the Evil Queen character in 1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”)