She, She Told Me That She Loved Me

I had never seen the early adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's She (1935). I probably watched the 1965 version with Ursula Andress - partly for Andress, partly because I thought a classic adventure movie would be cool. It might have been King Solomon's Mines I watched, but whichever, it wasn't great. The 1935 was cool, though.

It starts with hero Randolph Scott meeting with his father and old family friend Nigel Bruce. His father explains to him about how an ancient ancestor of theirs went on an expedition to Siberia, found the secret to immortality, and somehow died there, with only his wife and child escaping with the notebook. So Scott, who looks exactly like his ancestor, heads out with Bruce.

In Siberia, they meet an expat Englishman Lumsden Hare and his daughter Helen Mack. They are living a very native life, with Hare constantly mistreating Mack. Hare tells Scott that they won't be able to find natives to guide them further north, because it's Forbidden. But Scott has a golden statue that inspires him, so they get their bearers - and Hare takes his daughter along - she's a good looker, by the way...

They travel through cold and dangerous passes, and find their way blocked by ice - that contains an ancient body. Hare tries to get the body out for the gold medallion he is wearing. This triggers an avalanche, killing him. This is good, because he was a jerk, but also because it reveals the hidden cave entrance to the north.

After a few adventures, they meet up with She Who Must Be Obeyed, Helen Gahagan (D rep. California). She was made immortal by standing in the cold fire - and her great love was Scott's ancestor, who she kiled in a fit of jealous rage. She offers to make Scott immortal, but he'll have to dump Mack. And if he doesn't, how will they escape? Part of the fun is that Scott is pretty much, love is fine, but immortality is forever. Until human sacrifice time.

This movie looks pretty good. I saw the colorized version, but it was done by Ray Harryhausen, based on the original planned color version. The hidden city has a nice deco style, with cool costumes - Gahagen's look inspired the evil queen in Snow White a few years later. The story got moved from Africa to Siberia because racism, but I think it's probably better they were doing African natives here. 

So I enjoyed this more than whatever it was I watched last time (if I even watched it), but I might be grading on a curve. 

In conclusion, every time I think of the title She, the Monkees song She starts playing in my head. great song, too.