An aging queen thinks that she has found her Shangri LA, but she has a major surprise on store. The flame of life can only last so long before it is dimmed. Power hungry, vain, jealous and possessive of everything she touches, she is living in a fool's paradise. She is Helen Gahagan, a stage actress who only made one film and ended up in politics. A beauty of powerful presence, she could be the model for the wicked queen in "Snow White" or the evil Maleficent. She is every role that Gale Sondergaard would play in the early stages of her career, and she has never been forgotten.The legend goes back centuries, and on his death bed, handsome Randolph Scott's father begs him to make this quest to find the fountain of youth that he once knew in his youth. It's way over the rainbow, but skies are not blue. Accompanying him are his lady love, Helen Mack, and his father at old friend, Nigel Bruce. Others who to meet fateful endings, not paying attention to the warnings which nature gives.Gahagan shows up after Scott and his party have been attacked by natives who live underneath the volcano that became active again after an avalanche caused by some of the explorers who didn't listen to Scott's warnings. Gahagan cruelly sentences them to death, tossed into the abyss. Gahagan makes it clear to Mack that she will never let Scott go but bit by bit, her evil ways are exposed. A fascinating chase out of the complex reminded me of the scene of Dorothy running all over the witches castle in "The Wizard of Oz" and to a conclusion that is shocking yet beautiful, fantastic yet profound.Vanity gets a real spiritual spanking here, leading to some truly memorable special effects. Make-up changes in a shocking manner. Two ceremonial dance numbers add a bit of camp value. As well deserved as the conclusion is, you can't help but feel sad, and have found myself shaking in shock and horror for the destiny that awaits the villain. This has been remade several times. But none of then will touch this version.

If you've read Haggard's novel it's hard to like this movie version of "She" with much enthusiasm. The movie venue is a polar wasteland, not Africa. Ayesha (She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed) has somewhat mysteriously been alive for only 500 years or so, not for 2,000 years after first stepping into the Flame of Life. Many of Haggard's plot details are casually bowdlerized in this film, and the film characters are cardboard cutout versions of those in the book. Ayesha is a somewhat pallid control freak, not stunningly imperious. Leo Vincey is a mawkish, comic-book style hero who's turned on by the hot queen, not a sensitive, heroic figure who is overwhelmed by Ayesha's irresistible beauty and power. Horace Holly is just a Hollywood supporting actor, with none of the moral power of Haggard's Holly. And finally, the girl ("Tanya" in the film, "Ustane" in the book) is a dime-novel sweetie in the film, naturally she's in love with Leo -- in the movie she stands up for her man with an outthrust chin once or twice, in the book she faces down the dreaded Ayesha and dies for her loyalty to Leo. Mostly the movie is disappointing because the director and the writers abandoned any effort to capture the spell-binding mystery of Ayesha's immortality, and the book's pulsing action and sensual seduction of Leo. For my taste there's just too much 1930s cinematography here: almost every word of dialog is a speech, the scene cuts are clumsy and abrupt, it's much too dark, there's way too much relentless, breathlessly beseeching conversation, too much striding, too much of "take two steps away then stop turn and look back" kind of stuff. Ayesha declares "my kingdom is of the imagination" both in the film and in the book. Too bad you need too much imagination to make the film worth watching. Read more on my blog: Barley Literate by Rick

*Spoiler/plot- She, 1935. An ancient civilization in the snowy North has the answer for eternal life and youth by using a secret fire immersion bath. Two Medieval explorers found out the secret and their modern day scientist descendants wish to explore their family genealogy accounts to find the secret again. The modern descendants find the civilization and it's secret but a love triangle causes the drama for the main characters.*Special Stars- Helen Gahangan, Helen Mack, Randolph Scott, Nigel Bruce, Jim Thorpe, Ray Corrigan.*Theme- Better to live short with love, than live eternally without love.*Trivia/location/goofs- This film has been remade three times. It has spectacularly visual Art-Deco sets and an extensive dance routine in the Temple. Massive Art-Deco sets, great extravagant Aztec-like costuming, and Max Steiner music score. The film was a flop and ended the acting career of Ms. H. Gahagan(later to become the Democratic Congress person from California that unsuccessfully ran against Richard Nixon's first election). This film has Very similar look and theme as 'King Kong' because it was done by the same producer, Meriam C. Cooper. Goofs: Helen Mack(Tanya) keeps mispronouncing Mr. R. Scott's character name as "LEEE-oW". One 'sacred fire' acolytes with a globe fails to ignite his globe from the high priest during the extravagant dance routine. Watch for Olympic athletes winner Jim Thorpe and Ray Corrigan as top rank temple guards.*Emotion- A visually rich and extravagant film in it's staging, costumes, dance, and plot ideas. Hard to believe it came from RKO Studios, something of 'Poverty Row' production lot. The rich nature of this film in many levels makes this film definitely one to see(and I think to remake). Hard to believe it was a box office flop in it's release. I found this film entertaining, memorable, and a delight.

Randolph Scott is his usual stiff but smiling self as Leo Vincey, the long-lost American heir to a British family legacy, sent by his estranged father to reclaim the legendary "Flame of Life," discovered five centuries ago by his explorer ancestor. Producer Merian C. Cooper, best known for directing King Kong, changes the locale of H. Rider Haggard's classic adventure from Africa to the Arctic (which, apart from a spectacular avalanche, looks positively stage-bound), but he pulls out all stops for the magnificent underground kingdom hidden in the icy mountains, complete with a cavernous throne room with vaulted ceilings and a massive staircase that would look right at home in the Ziegfeld Follies. The cruel She Who Must Be Obeyed (Helen Gahagan) is a beautiful but icy queen driven ruthless by her centuries of loneliness. The film takes some time to get started but once She makes her impressive entrance through a mist-enshrouded arch, we're plunged into a dangerous, exotic world of strange ceremonies, human sacrifices, nefarious plots, and the gorgeous whirlwind of light that is the Flame of Life. Though the dialog is often flat and uninspired and the performances by Scott and Gahagan rather arch (costars Nigel Bruce and Helen Mack fare much better), this grand adventure concludes with a rousing climax full of impressive set pieces and breathtaking effects.