She (1935 film): Difference between revisions
m ISBNs (Build KC) |
Vegan4Life (talk | contribs) Added re-release editing and restoration info, with references. |
||
| Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
| distributor = [[RKO Pictures]] |
| distributor = [[RKO Pictures]] |
||
| released = {{flagicon|USA}} July 12, 1935 and a 1949 re-release |
| released = {{flagicon|USA}} July 12, 1935 and a 1949 re-release |
||
| runtime = |
| runtime = 102 min (original theatrical release) / 94 min. (1949 re-release) |
||
| country = {{USA}} |
| country = {{USA}} |
||
| language = |
| language = |
||
| Line 27: | Line 27: | ||
The title character in ''She'' served as the inspiration for the appearance of the [[Queen_(Snow_White)#Disney_version|Evil Queen]] in Walt Disney's 1937 animated ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]''.<ref>[http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/villains/queen/queen.html "Disney Villains: Queen"] Retrieved on 01-25-2011</ref> |
The title character in ''She'' served as the inspiration for the appearance of the [[Queen_(Snow_White)#Disney_version|Evil Queen]] in Walt Disney's 1937 animated ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]''.<ref>[http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/villains/queen/queen.html "Disney Villains: Queen"] Retrieved on 01-25-2011</ref> |
||
It was hoped that ''She'' would follow Cooper's previous success, ''[[King Kong (1933)|King Kong]]''. Cooper had originally intended to shoot the film in color, but budget cuts by [[RKO Pictures|RKO]] forced him to shoot the film in black and white at the last minute.<ref name="Harryhausen"/> However, the black and white film had disappointing results at the box office. It initially lost $180,000, although it later had a successful re-release.<ref name="Harryhausen">Harryhausen, Ray; Vaz, Mark. ''She'' [[DVD]], [[Legend Films]], 2006, [[audio commentary]]. ISBN 960-19-7965-9 {{Please check ISBN|reason=Check digit (9) does not correspond to calculated figure.}}</ref> |
It was hoped that ''She'' would follow Cooper's previous success, ''[[King Kong (1933)|King Kong]]''. Cooper had originally intended to shoot the film in color, but budget cuts by [[RKO Pictures|RKO]] forced him to shoot the film in black and white at the last minute.<ref name="Harryhausen"/> However, the black and white film had disappointing results at the box office. It initially lost $180,000, although it later had a successful re-release.<ref name="Harryhausen">Harryhausen, Ray; Vaz, Mark. ''She'' [[DVD]], [[Legend Films]], 2006, [[audio commentary]]. ISBN 960-19-7965-9 {{Please check ISBN|reason=Check digit (9) does not correspond to calculated figure.}}</ref> |
||
In 2006, [[Legend Films]] and [[Ray Harryhausen]] [[colorized]] the film as a tribute to Cooper. The colorized trailer for ''She'' premiered at the 2006 [[Comic-Con International|Comic-Con]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci06_prog_fri.php |title=Comic-Con 2006 :: Programming for Friday, July 21|accessdate=2007-03-07 |author= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070224092203/http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci06_prog_fri.php <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-02-24 |quote= }}</ref> |
|||
[[File:She evil queen.JPG|thumb|The title character in the costume which inspired Disney's evil queen in ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarves]]'']] |
[[File:She evil queen.JPG|thumb|The title character in the costume which inspired Disney's evil queen in ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarves]]'']] |
||
The film exists today because silent film star [[Buster Keaton]] had a copy of an original print stored in his garage, which he gave to film distributor [[Raymond Rohauer]] for preservation.<ref name="Keaton">{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/shenrharper_a09ea8.htm |title=‘She’ (NR) |accessdate=2007-03-07 |author=Harper, Marla |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=August 27, 1989 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=[[Washington Post]] |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> |
|||
''She'' was considered a [[lost film]] for many years until an original print, stored in silent film star [[Buster Keaton]]'s garage, was turned over to film distributor [[Raymond Rohauer]] for preservation.<ref name="Keaton">{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/shenrharper_a09ea8.htm |title=‘She’ (NR) |accessdate=2007-03-07 |author=Harper, Marla |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=August 27, 1989 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=[[Washington Post]] |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> |
|||
''She'' originally had a running time of 102 minutes, but on its 1949 re-release, was edited down to 94 minutes, to better fit on a double bill with ''[[The Last Days of Pompeii (1935 film)|The Last Days of Pompeii]]''. |
|||
The 8 minutes of missing scenes, taken from a slightly lower quality 16mm print,<ref>[http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/15753 Monster Kid Classic Horror Forum] Retrieved: 7 May 2012</ref><ref>[http://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10538 Nitrateville classic film forum] Retrieved: 7 May 2012</ref> were finally reinstated in 2007 by [[Kino International (company)|Kino]] Video.<ref>[http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=12779 DVDCompare] Retrieved: 7 May 2012</ref> |
|||
==Characters and story== |
==Characters and story== |
||
| Line 39: | Line 44: | ||
Following the route outlined in an old diary, Leo and Holly travel through frozen wastes, as a guide named Tugmore and his daughter, Tonya ([[Helen Mack]]) join them on their quest. They stumble upon the ancient city of Kor, where they are attacked by cannibals but are saved by She Who Must Be Obeyed ([[Helen Gahagan]]) and her Minister Billali ([[Gustav von Seyffertitz]]). |
Following the route outlined in an old diary, Leo and Holly travel through frozen wastes, as a guide named Tugmore and his daughter, Tonya ([[Helen Mack]]) join them on their quest. They stumble upon the ancient city of Kor, where they are attacked by cannibals but are saved by She Who Must Be Obeyed ([[Helen Gahagan]]) and her Minister Billali ([[Gustav von Seyffertitz]]). |
||
She believes that Leo is the reincarnation of her lover, John Vincey and vows to make him immortal like herself to rule this [[shangri-la]] in eternal youth. Tonya warns Leo that nothing human can live forever. At the end, She asks Leo to step into the Flame of Life with her, so that they can become immortal. When Leo hesitates, She offers to step in first. Rather than renewing her youth, She ages hundreds of years, becomes a withered mummy-like creature and dies. Leo |
She believes that Leo is the reincarnation of her lover, John Vincey and vows to make him immortal like herself to rule this [[shangri-la]] in eternal youth. Tonya warns Leo that nothing human can live forever. At the end, She asks Leo to step into the Flame of Life with her, so that they can become immortal. When Leo hesitates, She offers to step in first. Rather than renewing her youth, She ages hundreds of years, becomes a withered mummy-like creature and dies. Leo, Holly and Tonya then safely make their escape. |
||
==Differences from the novel== |
==Differences from the novel== |
||
Revision as of 20:50, 7 May 2012
| She | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lansing C. Holden Irving Pichel |
| Written by | Book author: H. Rider Haggard Screenwriter: Dudley Nichols Ruth Rose |
| Produced by | Merian C. Cooper |
| Starring | Helen Gahagan Randolph Scott Helen Mack Nigel Bruce Gustav von Seyffertitz |
| Cinematography | J. Roy Hunt |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Distributed by | RKO Pictures |
Release dates |  July 12, 1935 and a 1949 re-release |
Running time | 102 min (original theatrical release) / 94 min. (1949 re-release) |
| Country |  United States |
She is a 1935 film produced by Merian C. Cooper. Based on H. Rider Haggard's novel of the same name, the screenplay combines elements from all the books in the series: She, She and Allan, Ayesha: The Return of She and Wisdom's Daughter. The film reached a new generation of moviegoers with a 1949 re-release.
The ancient civilization of Kor is depicted in an Art Deco style with imaginative special effects. The setting is Arctic Siberia, rather than in Africa, as in the first book. The third book is set in the Himalayas. With music by Max Steiner, the film stars Helen Gahagan, Randolph Scott and Nigel Bruce.
The title character in She served as the inspiration for the appearance of the Evil Queen in Walt Disney's 1937 animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[1]
It was hoped that She would follow Cooper's previous success, King Kong. Cooper had originally intended to shoot the film in color, but budget cuts by RKO forced him to shoot the film in black and white at the last minute.[2] However, the black and white film had disappointing results at the box office. It initially lost $180,000, although it later had a successful re-release.[2]
In 2006, Legend Films and Ray Harryhausen colorized the film as a tribute to Cooper. The colorized trailer for She premiered at the 2006 Comic-Con.[3]
She was considered a lost film for many years until an original print, stored in silent film star Buster Keaton's garage, was turned over to film distributor Raymond Rohauer for preservation.[4]
She originally had a running time of 102 minutes, but on its 1949 re-release, was edited down to 94 minutes, to better fit on a double bill with The Last Days of Pompeii.
The 8 minutes of missing scenes, taken from a slightly lower quality 16mm print,[5][6] were finally reinstated in 2007 by Kino Video.[7]
Characters and story
Leo Vincey (Randolph Scott) is called from America to the family's ancestral estate in England where his dying uncle John Vincey (Samuel S. Hinds) and Horace Holly (Nigel Bruce) convince him that their ancestor, also named John Vincey (also played by Scott) found the fountain of youth 500 years ago.
Following the route outlined in an old diary, Leo and Holly travel through frozen wastes, as a guide named Tugmore and his daughter, Tonya (Helen Mack) join them on their quest. They stumble upon the ancient city of Kor, where they are attacked by cannibals but are saved by She Who Must Be Obeyed (Helen Gahagan) and her Minister Billali (Gustav von Seyffertitz).
She believes that Leo is the reincarnation of her lover, John Vincey and vows to make him immortal like herself to rule this shangri-la in eternal youth. Tonya warns Leo that nothing human can live forever. At the end, She asks Leo to step into the Flame of Life with her, so that they can become immortal. When Leo hesitates, She offers to step in first. Rather than renewing her youth, She ages hundreds of years, becomes a withered mummy-like creature and dies. Leo, Holly and Tonya then safely make their escape.
Differences from the novel
The film version conflates characters, events and locations from all three books:
- The location of Ayesha's realm is a free adaptation from the second novel. In the film, it is located in the extreme north of the Russian Arctic, whereas in Ayesha her mountain kingdom is somewhere in the Himalayas to the north of Tibet.
- In the books, Ayesha is so beautiful that she must be veiled at all times. The film skirts this (although Ayesha is veiled in her first on-screen appearance), and it does not mention all of the supernatural powers the books ascribe to her.
- The film does not mention any of the Egyptian, African, or Arabian back story from the books.
- The character of Tonya does not appear in any of the books; rather, she is a composite of the other rivals for Leo's affections: the Armahagger maiden Ustane from She, the Khania Atene from Ayesha and, Inez, the daughter of the trader Robertson, from She and Allan. In the books, Ayesha directly claims that Atene is the reincarnation of her ancient Egyptian rival, the Princess Amenertas. The fate of Tonya and the ending are different from the books.
Cast
- Helen Gahagan as She (Who Must Be Obeyed)
- Randolph Scott as John Vincey and Leo Vincey
- Nigel Bruce as Professor Horace Holly
- Helen Mack as Tanya Dugmore
- Gustav von Seyffertitz as Prime Minister Billali, She's mortal Governor
See also
References
- ^ "Disney Villains: Queen" Retrieved on 01-25-2011
- ^ a b Harryhausen, Ray; Vaz, Mark. She DVD, Legend Films, 2006, audio commentary. ISBN 960-19-7965-9
- ^ "Comic-Con 2006 :: Programming for Friday, July 21". Archived from the original on 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|month=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ Harper, Marla (August 27, 1989). "'She' (NR)". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|month=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ Monster Kid Classic Horror Forum Retrieved: 7 May 2012
- ^ Nitrateville classic film forum Retrieved: 7 May 2012
- ^ DVDCompare Retrieved: 7 May 2012
External links