1965 - SHE , a remake of a remake of a remake of a remake of a remake of a remake

This is amazingly the seventh version of the H Rider Haggard novel.  In this version "She who must be obeyed, " is an immortal (2000 year old) queen ruling over a lost civilization in "darkest Africa."  She, named Ayesha has been patiently waiting for her reincarnated lover to return so she can take up where she left off with him.  Basically, he cheated on her a couple of thousand years ago with another woman so Ayesha stabbed him and is now waiting for his reincarnated self to return to her.

   Into this mess comes Peter Cushing playing a professor with a background in Middle Eastern legends and his friend Leo Vincey, played by pretty boy John Richardson, who surprise, surprise just happens to be the spitting image of Ayesha's dead lover.

Since this is a Hammer film, besides Cushing you can count on Christopher Lee and Andre Morell showing up.  Stunning blonde Swiss actor Ursula Andress wearing a ridiculous head piece,  plays Ayesha and a Mexican actress Rosenda Monteros is one of the handmaidens of Ayesha who falls in love with Leo Vincey, insuring  all hell will break loose again.

 

MGM financed this production so the film looks a little grander than usual for a Hammer film.  I would call this film kind of comfort food, No great shakes of a film but entertaining in it's own silly way.

 

The film was written by David T. Chantler and runs 106 minutes.  The box office was good which of course prompted a sequel called The Vengeance of She, which featured Richardson and another good looking blonde, Olinka Bérová played the now reincarnated Ayesha.