I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

An aging queen thinks that she has found her Shangri LA, but she has a major surprise on store. The flame of life can only last so long before it is dimmed. Power hungry, vain, jealous and possessive of everything she touches, she is living in a fool's paradise. She is Helen Gahagan, a stage actress who only made one film and ended up in politics. A beauty of powerful presence, she could be the model for the wicked queen in "Snow White" or the evil Maleficent. She is every role that Gale Sondergaard would play in the early stages of her career, and she has never been forgotten.The legend goes back centuries, and on his death bed, handsome Randolph Scott's father begs him to make this quest to find the fountain of youth that he once knew in his youth. It's way over the rainbow, but skies are not blue. Accompanying him are his lady love, Helen Mack, and his father at old friend, Nigel Bruce. Others who to meet fateful endings, not paying attention to the warnings which nature gives.Gahagan shows up after Scott and his party have been attacked by natives who live underneath the volcano that became active again after an avalanche caused by some of the explorers who didn't listen to Scott's warnings. Gahagan cruelly sentences them to death, tossed into the abyss. Gahagan makes it clear to Mack that she will never let Scott go but bit by bit, her evil ways are exposed. A fascinating chase out of the complex reminded me of the scene of Dorothy running all over the witches castle in "The Wizard of Oz" and to a conclusion that is shocking yet beautiful, fantastic yet profound.Vanity gets a real spiritual spanking here, leading to some truly memorable special effects. Make-up changes in a shocking manner. Two ceremonial dance numbers add a bit of camp value. As well deserved as the conclusion is, you can't help but feel sad, and have found myself shaking in shock and horror for the destiny that awaits the villain. This has been remade several times. But none of then will touch this version.

By today's standards, this is a pretty bad movie. However, for lovers of classic Hollywood films (particularly escapist adventure movies), this is a very rare treat--and thanks to Buster Keaton for saving a single copy so we can see this amazing flick today.The film begins in Britain. An American young man (Randolph Scott) has been called back to his ancestral land to see his Uncle--a man he has never met. The Uncle is dying but wants to convey a strange story to him--a story about a distant relative who disappeared 500 years looking for a magic radioactive flame that has the ability to keep someone young forever. Scott is somehow convinced to leave with his Uncle's good friend (Nigel Bruce) in search of this odd flame. Along the way, they meet up with a nice lady (Helen Mack) and they head to the mountains to where this relative went centuries earlier.Once they find this fanciful land, they and the audience are in shock to see amazing sets, weird and highly choreographed dancing, "King Kong"-like sets and a very bitter woman who is "She". It seems that She has been waiting for Scott to arrive...waiting 500 years for his return! Unfortunately, She is also a very bitter and nasty lady--and yet she offers him the secret of eternal life! The film is crazy to watch today because of the incredible scope and sense of silly escapist fun--something you rarely ever see any more (except, perhaps, with the Indiana Jones films). It evokes a fun time in film making when movies like "Lost Horizon", "The Cobra Woman" and serials were all the rage. Sure, the dialog is a bit heavy-handed and silly and the dancing is darn funny--but it's also very captivating and pleasant fun.Oh, and the film's female lead, Helen Gahagan, later was famous as the woman Richard Nixon beat through a rather disreputable smear campaign. In response, she coined the term "Tricky Dick Nixon".

From the creator of King Kong comes another balls-to-the-wall fantasy adventure full of spectacle, set-pieces, and technical bravado in special effects that never really age but become all the more impressive in the detail and skill put into it. The story is recognizable: the Fountain of Youth is out there, and we must find it! However, once the adventurers have arrived, what is there to see but crazed natives, magical empresses, and frozen saber toothed tigers tucked away in the corner of an unforgiving arctic landscape? Everything for this movie was prepared on a large budget before actual filming began, at which point the budget was pulled and it was forced to be shot in black and white. Nevertheless, the money still survives in the set-pieces and special effects. And these aren't your average corner of the studio setpieces, this is grandiose, extras-filled spectacles with stairs stretching for forever and perfectly composed backdrops for cliffs falling off to infinity. The movie absolutely delights in motion, light, and magic, as She is introduced behind a veil of smoke, natives fall from a cliff in long shot, a corpse is disintegrated on-screen in a prolonged combustion matching live action sweep of She's arm, and aging occurs between bursts of vibrant white light.Yes, there are still ways that the film is painfully dated. The acting style is the stagy and overbearing declarative statement style of early sound era in order to appropriately capture the dialog with limited camera movements within the sets, the representation of natives will illicit giggles from those who aren't outright offended, and if you're the type of person who HAS to be a killjoy and think King Kong is all racist and stuff, She will probably feel a bit misogynistic (it's pretty much about a woman trying to hold on to a man who doesn't want her, preferring a new younger woman instead). However, there's some stuff that is still just downright delightful, including a prolonged Busby Berkeley-like dance interlude, a large avalanche, and the tongue-in-cheek sendup of characters like Holly, supposed anthropologist sitting back with a bemused expression and a pipe watching in fascination as cannibals get ready to eat him.It may not have created as iconic a character as King Kong, or made dinosaurs come to life sixty years before Jurassic Park, but She is still a wonderful movie.--PolarisDiB

This once seemingly lost, or at least taken out of circulation, film is now back in a magnificent Kino colorized version with restored footage and sound, all of which will surely bring new fans to this unusual film.The story has been filmed at least six times, with the Kino DVD showing excepts from the (poor) 1911 and (better) 1925 silent versions. The 1966 version may have had the best looking 'She', a regal Ursula Andress, but this one has great art deco sets (now even more amazing in color); bizarre Busby Berkeley like dance sequences (nominated for a 1935 Oscar, no less!); a stirring Max Steiner score; the cute as a button Helen Mack--also seen in the weak 'Son of Kong' (1933); and Nigel Bruce in a major role playing it straight. Helen Gahagan plays 'She' in a passionate, mannered way with almost Shakespearian dialogue. Unfortunately she is poorly off set by a dull Randolph Scott as Leo, making her 500 year old love for him seem a little unconvincing. Much better would have been RKO star Joel McCrea who had a more handsome profile, physique, energy and acting skill. McCrea does an outstanding job in 'The Silver Horde' (1930), 'Bird of Paradise' (1932), and 'The Most Dangerous Game' (1932). Why he wasn't in this one is a mystery, and a detriment to the film.The only other really weak spot is that though they were in the Frozen North, you never see cold breath coming from the characters' mouths. Contrast this with the impressive 'Lost Horizon' (1937) or 'The Thing' (1982), where when it's cold, you can see their breath!Other notes: The evil queen's purple costume in 'Snow White' (1938) is an exact copy of one of She's royal 'gowns' complete with spiked tiara! We also see the the Skull Island Kong Gate from 'King Kong' (1933).High points: The final sequences beginning with 'The Hall of The Kings' elevate the quality of the film tremendously. The colorization really is the best here. Helen Gahagan gets several strong scenes about the burden of immortality. The love triangle focus of the film actually works because of Ruth Rose's dialog and the acting skills of both Helens.Watching it in black and white (also included on the Kino DVD) gives the story a more nightmarish quality and is also recommended. For both, I give them a 7.