She (1965)

She Who Bored Me, 7 September 2009

She is set in Palestine circa 1918. British archaeologist Holly (Peter Cushing) and his two buddies are given a map to the lost city of Kuma. After a long and arduous journey, they discover Kuma and meet a mysterious, beautiful woman known only as She Who Must Be Obeyed. She has been alive for 2,000 years, waiting for the return of her true love. She believes that Holly's pal, Leo, is her long lost love. Her plan is to have Leo jump through the flame of eternal life so that the two can be together forever.

I really thought I was going to like this one, but it's just too blankety-blank-blank dull for my liking. The movie has it's moments, but overall it's about as exciting as watching grass grow or paint dry or any other old cliché you can think of to describe something this wretchedly uninteresting. I suppose that the last act is reasonably entertaining, but the rest is a chore to sit through. Take that "exciting" trek across the desert for example. Wow – there are more thrills in watching snails race. Top-billed Ursula Andress may have been a beautiful woman, but she exhibits no screen presence and even less acting ability. I was much more impressed with the servant girl Ustane played by Rosenda Monteros. That's who Leo should have jumped through the fire with. Cushing is Cushing – always the professional and always watchable. I'll also admit that I did get a few chuckles out of the very British and very proper valet Job (Bernard Cribbins). Speaking of chuckles, what was up with Christopher Lee and his increasingly ludicrous head-wear? By the end of the film, how could you not laugh at the pineapple looking headpiece he was wearing? The film's score didn't help matters much at all. Its monotony only serves to add a sense of lethargy to She – something the movie really doesn't need. Finally, I know Hammer often did wonders with small budgets and I'm usually willing to overlook some of these budget related weaknesses, but She has some terribly atrocious looking matte paintings. My son could have done better with a box of 64 Crayolas. Overall, I much prefer the 1935 version of She with Randolph Scott. It's not perfect, but it's not as dull as this one. A 4/10 from me.

4/10