She | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Lansing C. Holden Irving Pichel |
Produced by | Merian C. Cooper |
Screenplay by |
Dudley Nichols Ruth Rose |
Based on |
She by H. Rider Haggard |
Starring |
Helen Gahagan Randolph Scott Helen Mack Nigel Bruce Gustav von Seyffertitz |
Music by | Max Steiner |
Cinematography | J. Roy Hunt |
Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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102 min (original theatrical release) 94 min. (1949 re-release) |
She is a 1935 American 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.
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. 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. The film is listed in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of the The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made.
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.