The Vengeance of She (1968) Reviews

• "I hear the beat of dark wings..."

  utgard142014-12-14

  Sequel to Hammer's version of She is actually more interesting than that film, at least to me. I loved the 1935 version of H. Rider Haggard's She. But the Hammer version did little for me. I found it very dull with only Ursula Andress' beauty to recommend it. This sequel is hardly a masterpiece but has enough going for it that it surpasses the previous film. The opening with the corny song playing while hitchhiking Carol (Olga Schoberova) is cornered by a rapist then saved by something mysterious is a moody start to things. The film keeps up that mood as the girl swims out to a yacht and hops aboard. She's being compelled towards Kuma, the lost city from the last film. Turns out Ayesha (again, from She) is attempting to possess the girl. As they make it closer to Kuma, the movie becomes a lot less interesting. Olga Schoberova is beautiful but brings little to the part other than that. The scenes of her having nightmares screaming out "Ayeeeesha!" will give most viewers giggle fits. Still, she's not as wooden as Andress. Derek Godfrey is the bad guy but there's nothing bad about those awesome eyebrows. Edward Judd and John Richardson are solid. The great Andre Morrell has a small part as a man who helps Carol. Like She, this is pretty dry stuff. Worth watching for a nice score, atmospheric touches, and for Olga's beauty.

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• why the film failed

  h_palka2006-08-29

  First the good part of the film. The beginning of the movie was beautifully and sharply filmed with an excellent view of the French countryside going towards Monaco with a highway cutting through. The opening theme song was haunting, especially with the supernaturally lovely Czech star Olinka Berova. When you see this miniskirted vision with the flowing blonde hair and long legs walking down the highway with her suitcase, you can't help but be hooked, especially with the aforementioned cinematography and theme music. Unless you saw the predecessor-film, SHE, with Ursula Andress(also called Undress) you wouldn't know what the film was about. The makers assumed that everyone who saw the film also saw SHE. Well, the vast majority of viewers did not and thought the movie's plot was unintelligible. QED Only Olinka Berova's ethereal beauty kept the film from being a total failure and is worth seeing for that alone. Judging by the pre-release publicity, the movie was expected to make Olinka into a major star. Unfortunately for all of us, it did not. Most of the films she made later were behind the Iron Curtain. She later married and divorced an American movieman. Today, she reportedly lives in New York under the name Olga Calley. Her retirement from film is a loss for us all. Update: Olga Calley has moved back to Prague.

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• Not Too Bad Really.

  Space_Mafune2002-12-06

  A young drop dead gorgeous blond woman named Carol(played by Olinka Berova-real name Olga Schoberová) is drawn to the lost city of Kuma and King Killikrates believing herself to be the reincarnation of the long dead queen goddess of Kuma--Ayesha(she who must be obeyed). This is hardly a great film epic and doesn't compare favorably with SHE(1965)--the film which this one is meant as a sequel too. But aside from all of that I did find this film to be an entertaining and enjoyable ride. It managed to hold my interest even though some of it is quite simple, cheesy and silly. Nonetheless I did enjoy it. Now if you approach it expecting a film at the same level as SHE(1965), then you will be disappointed. This film lacks the star power and depth of story that SHE(1965) had. Here we have a number of relatively unknown actors although John Richardson does return in his role.

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• A worthy sequel

  1bilbo2008-10-07

  I think this is a worthy sequel to the Cushing "She". Olga Schoberová hasn't much to say but did not need to be dubbed as she can at least string a sentence together. (Unlike Ursula.) The story follows up where She left off but that is not obvious until half way through the film. If you are looking for a modern day formulae (obligatory love scene with 20 seconds of bare breasts, three way love triangle with lovers screaming at each other, etc. etc,) you will not find it. Just a good story with a host of good actors – no all became famous. The opening sequence has a terrific theme tune and has Olga wandering down a lonely road. We never find out who she is or where she comes from or how she manages to be immaculately dressed despite being lost and weary but this is the 1960s. The mythology of an eternal flame that grants everlasting life – at a cost – is central to these films as is the deceit and betrayals that go with people's lust for what they cannot have. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

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• cheesy, fun escapist trash

  OldAle12008-04-11

  I really didn't know that Hammer made much of anything besides the horror films for which they are justly famous until coming across this double-feature DVD in the store (the 2nd film is The Viking Queen which you'll hear about next week); I needed some trash to go with the more serious stuff I had, so I picked it up. Basically, it's pretty good for what it is. Mysterious blond beauty is having odd dreams, visions, nightmares....escapes from lecherous truck driver who has given her a lift at the beginning....swims to a luxury yacht anchored off the coast (Monte Carlo, perhaps? never stated that I remember), has some fairly dull interactions with wealthy owner and suspicious wife, concerned psychiatrist friend of the owner....nightmares and visions persist, she throws herself overboard, owner dies saving her....boat puts in at a port in North Africa, she disappears and travels across country, now she is being called, "Ayesha, Ayesha" and must go to her destiny....the psychiatrist follows her....ancient forbidden city, Romans and magi....is she Ayesha, reborn? Will she live forever with the ancient Roman general who has brought her there? Preposterous, of course, but the DVD is so gorgeous, the colors so bright and the print so flawless, and the blond babe (Olga Schoberová) so beautiful, that hey, I enjoyed it as the escapism that it was intended to be. It certainly moved along nicely, and the location shots in the desert were quite nice. Honestly, it was vastly better than the recent Mummy films to which it bears some thematic resemblance. No real relation to the H Rider Haggard novels.

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