She (1965, UK)
In director Robert Day's adaptation (the 4th one) of
the 1887 H. Rider Haggard adventure novel of the same name by Hammer
Films, this fantasy adventure was a box-office hit, due to the portrayal of the starring role by sexy Swedish actress Ursula
Andress (dubbed by actress Monica (Nikki) Van Der Syl).
The
"She" of the film's title referred to an immortal Egyptian
queen and cruel high priestess. The film's tagline was:
"SHE who must be obeyed! ...SHE who must be
loved! ...SHE who must be possessed!"
It
inspired a mostly-unrelated sequel: The Vengeance of She (1968,
UK).
- at the end of World War I, the title character
- known as Ayesha ("She-Who-Waits") (Ursula Andress) lived
in the mountain city of Kuma in E. Africa
Second Entrance - on the Throne
First Entrance
of Ayesha - With Leo Vincey (John Richardson)
- the film featured double entrances of Ayesha:
- (1) she first appeared
dressed in a slinky white sheath to young and handsome
Leo Vincey (John Richardson) in a Jerusalem house where she offered
him a map and ring; with her seductiveness, she tempted him
to come to her after journeying across the desert and through
the mountains of the moon to her fortress city
- (2) and then secondly, she was seen on her
kingdom's throne wearing an elaborate gold and feather headdress
- the love-sick Ayesha proceeded to lethally seduce
Vincey, believing him to resemble and be the reincarnated priest
Kallikrates, her long-dead former lover whom she jealously stabbed
and killed when she found him cheating on her
- in the final scene, Ayesha had convinced Leo to
enter a rare blue, magical bonfire Flame of Eternal Youth (which
she claimed wouldn't cause harm); when he entered, he became immortal;
however, her second entrance into the fire caused her to shrivel
up, disintegrate and die
- it would be another 2,000 years before the blue
flame would reappear and release him from immortality
The Magical Bonfire Flame of Eternal Youth
Ayesha's Fate in the Bonfire