She (1965)

A 2,000 year old goddess (Ursula Andress) discovers the reincarnation of the lover (John Richardson with a hideous dye job) that she murdered centuries ago. She gives him a map to her secluded desert kingdom and urges him to return and claim his rightful place alongside her. Smitten by her beauty, he and two friends (Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins) trek through the desert in search of her lost kingdom. Based on the novel by H. Rider Haggard and directed by Robert Day (THE HAUNTED STRANGLER). Previously filmed six times before (the most notable being the 1935 version), this version has been Hammer-ized which in this case wasn't a good idea. Still, it was a big enough international hit to spawn a sequel, THE VENGEANCE OF SHE two years later. However, the movie lacks the fun factor of the 1935 film which was outlandish and whose purple dialogue made it one of those enjoyably retro kitschy flicks. This one takes itself too seriously and moves at a funereal pace. Andress is lovely but once again dubbed by Nikki Van Der Zyl, who had previously dubbed her in DR. NO. With Christopher Lee, Andre Morell and Rosenda Monteros (THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN).