The Vengeance of She (1968)

A beautiful young European girl, Carol, is taken over by the spirit of mysterious Ayesha, queen of the lost city of Kuma. Carol is taken to Kuma to succeed the almost-immortal Ayesha as ... See full summary »

Director:

Cliff Owen

Writers:

Peter O'Donnell (screenplay), H. Rider Haggard (based on characters created by) (as Sir H. Rider Haggard)

Stars:

John Richardson, Olga Schoberová, Edward Judd

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Richardson	...	Killikrates
Olga Schoberová	...	Carol / Ayesha (as Olinka Berova)
Edward Judd	...	Philip
Colin Blakely	...	George
Jill Melford	...	Sheila
George Sewell	...	Harry
André Morell	...	Kassim
Noel Willman	...	Za-Tor
Derek Godfrey	...	Men-Hari
Danièle Noël	...	Sharna (as Daniele Noel)
Gerald Lawson	...	The Seer
Derrick Sherwin	...	No. 1
William Lyon Brown	...	Magus
Charles O'Rourke	...	Servant
Zohra Sehgal	...	Putri (as Zohra Segal)

Storyline

A beautiful young European girl, Carol, is taken over by the spirit of mysterious Ayesha, queen of the lost city of Kuma. Carol is taken to Kuma to succeed the almost-immortal Ayesha as empress of Kuma.

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Plot Keywords:

immortality | high priest | psychiatrist | mind control | bound hand and foot | 

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Taglines:

Kneel Before "SHE"

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Susan Denberg was announced as a replacement but eventual newcomer Olga Schoberová was cast instead.

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Goofs

When Carol/Ayesha jumps out of the shower on the boat, she throws on a robe (and nothing else) before running out. But when she climbs the starboard ladder to jump off, she is clearly wearing a bra or bikini top under the robe.

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Quotes

Carol: Yes! I'm coming! Yes. Yes! I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. Yes. I'm coming.

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Connections

Version of She (1965)

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Soundtracks

Kassim's Chant
(uncredited)
Written by Philip Martell

User Reviews

THE VENGEANCE OF SHE (Cliff Owen, 1968) **

I was let down by Hammer Films' version of SHE (1965), so I wasn't particularly looking forward to its even less regarded sequel (concocted by Peter O'Donnell, who had earlier scripted the Joseph Losey camp classic MODESTY BLAISE [1966]!). Still, given that the film begins in a modern-day setting, I have to say that I found it mildly intriguing at first (following an unintentionally funny opening scene in which leading lady Olinka Berova is nearly raped by a loutish trucker who ends up trampled by his own vehicle!); however, once the scene shifts to the mythical city of Kuma, the film grinds to a halt - and, being one of Hammer's longest efforts at 101 minutes, this does it no favors at all! Though Mario Nascimbene is best-known for his scores of epic films and was probably assigned to this one for just that reason, the lounge music (including a title tune which is not half bad) he composed for the modern early scenes is actually the most effective part of his soundtrack!

The cast is, again, worth discussing: Berova, who's involved in some very mild nudity throughout, is undeniably gorgeous and yet rather petite to act as a stand-in for the statuesque Ursula Andress (trivia note - reportedly, she was deported from the U.K. on suspicions of espionage!); John Richardson, repeating his role from the original film but who has turned villainous in the interim, gives a wooden performance; rugged Edward Judd always makes for a compelling lead in this type of film (I especially loved the way he put-down an exotic dance number secretly organized for his entertainment while a prisoner in Kuma!); Colin Blakely and Jill Melford as a wealthy vacationing couple (on whose yacht a distraught Berova finds herself) make a fine impression, but they unfortunately exit the proceedings very early on; Noel Willman is virtually unrecognizable as a wizened learned man of Kuma; Andre' Morell, appearing in a different role from the one he played in the original, is an embarrassment as a sort of shaman spouting mumbo-jumbo.

As was the case with THE VIKING QUEEN (1967), there's some confusion with respect to the culture and the geography depicted in the film: the city of Kuma is supposed to be situated somewhere in North Africa, yet the natives - whom Judd meets during his journey to locate the kidnapped Berova - speak in Arabic. Similarly, both Morell and the high priests of Kuma are seen to be well-versed in the occult arts: I can't recall if this was as prominent a feature in the original Hammer film but, somehow, it all feels incongruous to the material!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ayesha, Daughter of She

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Films, Seven Arts Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1