She (1965) has all the elements of a very bad movie. The plot is easy to predict. Three explorers Leo Vincy (John Richardson), Holly (Peter Cushing), and Job (Cribbens) mount an expedition to find the fabled city of Kuma. Why? Because Leo had a strange encounter with Ayesha who kisses him and implies that there is more sexual pleasure to come if he braves the desert to find her. The three explorers venture deep into the desert where they experience adventures which come straight out of the assembly line of all formula adventure films. Thieves steal their possessions. A raiding party attacks them and shoots Leo in the arm. Heat and thirst almost kill Leo.
The city of Kuma also raises several unanswered questions. How were the Kumites able to support themselves in the middle of a desert without access to a river or trade routes? Apparently the filmmakers never read the history of Ancient Egypt which underscored the role of shifting weather patterns and the centrality of the Nile in the consolidation of three civilizations along the Nile river. It is also unclear whether the population could mine the materials necessary to build posh buildings for the elites. Lastly, if the people are unhappy with Ayesha's rule, why don't they just leave? These are questions that never get answered in the movie. But perhaps that does not matter if the movie is entertaining in other respects. Unfortunately, there are no laughs because the subject matter is take so seriously; the acting is indifferent; and there are several crude racial stereotypes as evidence by the depictions of white people as "civilized" and everyone else with darker skin as more primitive.
The only redeeming feature of She (1965) is perhaps unintentional. It becomes clear during the picture that Leo Vincy suffers from a serious case of narcissism and is a really bad person. Ustane (Rosenda Monteros) saves Leo from almost certain death. Later on in the movie, Leo repays her gratitude by kissing Ustane on the lips and sending Ayesha into a jealous rage. When Ayesha announces Ustane's execution, Leo makes half hearted attempts to stop the execution and then gets over the death of Ustane soon afterwards. The other interesting thing about Leo is that his narcissism drives him irrationally to the city of Kuma, dismissing Ustane's advice to turn back, and then inspires delusions of grandeur about becoming an all-powerful Pharaoh. As a result, the film holds some interest as a study in textbook narcissism which leads Leo to ruin poor Ustane's life and drag his two companions into a very dangerous situation in Kuma.
The city of Kuma also raises several unanswered questions. How were the Kumites able to support themselves in the middle of a desert without access to a river or trade routes? Apparently the filmmakers never read the history of Ancient Egypt which underscored the role of shifting weather patterns and the centrality of the Nile in the consolidation of three civilizations along the Nile river. It is also unclear whether the population could mine the materials necessary to build posh buildings for the elites. Lastly, if the people are unhappy with Ayesha's rule, why don't they just leave? These are questions that never get answered in the movie. But perhaps that does not matter if the movie is entertaining in other respects. Unfortunately, there are no laughs because the subject matter is take so seriously; the acting is indifferent; and there are several crude racial stereotypes as evidence by the depictions of white people as "civilized" and everyone else with darker skin as more primitive.
The only redeeming feature of She (1965) is perhaps unintentional. It becomes clear during the picture that Leo Vincy suffers from a serious case of narcissism and is a really bad person. Ustane (Rosenda Monteros) saves Leo from almost certain death. Later on in the movie, Leo repays her gratitude by kissing Ustane on the lips and sending Ayesha into a jealous rage. When Ayesha announces Ustane's execution, Leo makes half hearted attempts to stop the execution and then gets over the death of Ustane soon afterwards. The other interesting thing about Leo is that his narcissism drives him irrationally to the city of Kuma, dismissing Ustane's advice to turn back, and then inspires delusions of grandeur about becoming an all-powerful Pharaoh. As a result, the film holds some interest as a study in textbook narcissism which leads Leo to ruin poor Ustane's life and drag his two companions into a very dangerous situation in Kuma.