The Vengeance of She
| The Vengeance of She | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Cliff Owen |
| Produced by | Aida Young |
| Written by | Peter O'Donnell |
| Based on | characters created by H. Rider Haggard |
| Starring |
John Richardson Edward Judd |
| Music by | Mario Nascimbene |
| Cinematography | Wolf Suschitzky |
| Edited by | James Needs |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by |
Warner-Pathe (UK) 20th Century Fox (USA) |
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Release date
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14 April 1968 (UK) 1 May 1968 (USA) |
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Running time
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101 mins |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £350,000 |
| Box office | $113,300 (US) |
The Vengeance of She is a 1968 British fantasy film directed by Cliff Owen and starring John Richardson, Olga Schoberová (credited as Olinka Berova), Edward Judd and Colin Blakely. It bears little in common with the novel Ayesha: The Return of She by H. Rider Haggard. It was made by Hammer Films as a loose sequel to the 1965 hit film She.
A beautiful young European girl, Carol, is drawn through mental telepathy to the ancient lost city of Kuma, there to become the reincarnation of its lost former ruler, Ayesha, and consort of her predecessor's lover, Kallikrates. In return, Men-Hari, a member of the Magi, the ancient Chaldean race of wise men, will also be allowed to enter the sacred flame and become immortal, which will expand his already formidable mental powers to the point where he will be able to take over the entire world. To achieve this, however, he must bring Carol to Kallikrates before the sacred flame is ignited during a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical alignment. Men-Hari therefore uses his powers ruthlessly to compel Carol to come to Kuma.
Men-Hari is opposed by his father, Za-Tor, longtime leader of the Magi, and by Dr. Phillip Smith, a psychiatrist, who meets and falls in love with Carol during her journey. In the course of their travels, Carol and Phillip are separated. Kassim, a local mystic, attempts to break Men-Hari's control over Carol, but Men-Hari learns of this. Partly at Kallikrates' bidding, Men-Hari wrests the leadership of the Magi away from Za-Tor, and leads the rest of the Magi in a forbidden occult ritual to overpower and destroy Kassim. Shortly thereafter, Carol and Phillip are re-united, and they continue their journey to Kuma.
Upon their arrival, Carol is welcomed, but Phillip, whom Men-Hari rightly perceives as a threat to his evil scheme, is imprisoned. Za-Tor comes to Phillip and discusses the situation with him, and comes to realize the danger in Men-Hari's plot. He agrees to do whatever he can to help Phillip and then departs. Sharna, one of Kallikrates' servant girls, and who is in love with Kallikrates, helps Phillip to escape, while Za-Tor speaks to his assistant in an effort to incite a rebellion against Men-Hari. The plot succeeds to some extent, and Phillip arrives at Kallikrates' chambers just as the sacred flame is ignited. Before Carol can walk through the flame, however, Phillip desperately calls out to Carol, even as he is seized by Kallikrates' guards. Phillip's cries succeed in breaking Men-Hari's control over Carol, and at that moment Za-Tor confronts Men-Hari, explaining his plot to Kallikrates. Realizing that Za-Tor is telling the truth, Kallikrates orders that Carol and Phillip both be released. He also bars Men-Hari from entering the sacred flame, and denounces him as the power-mad traitor that he is.
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