Not a very well known film today - the Ursula Andress version is probably more seen - but I really enjoyed it. It was a big flop at the time - RKO spent a large sum on it, hoping for another King Kong. Several of the talent from that film worked on this film (writer, producer, art director) and the basic story adapted from Haggard follows Kong: a troupe of adventurers wind up in an exotic location where an ancient creature falls in love with one of the adventurers (although they have formed an attachment to someone else) and blood and destruction result.
Instead of Africa of the novel the film is set in the Arctic, which is actually a really interesting setting, complete with huskies and an avalanche scene (you can't go wrong with an avalanche scene), and mysterious fires to keep things warm. It sort of follows the book in other ways, certainly does more than the Andress film; they miss a few opportunities when you can't think of why. Why not emphasise the Holly character - the book's Holly is really memorable, an incredibly ugly man with a noble soul, who is also torn between Leo and She, but here as played by Nigel Bruce is just a "whatever" character (a little less buffoonish than Bruce usually plays). And why not have Job character?
Randolph Scott is handsome but a little wooden. Helen Gaghan - a Broadway star who married Melvyn Douglas, made only one movie (this) then went into politics before being defeated by Richard Nixon - doesn't quite have the star power or ker-pow factor to pull off the lead. Such a perfect role for some stunning European beauty (or American even) who couldn't act that well. Instead they gave it to someone who could act, but just didn't have the charisma. Despite that I really felt for She - even though she's an absolute despot at the end of the day she's just lonely and hungry for love. Scott would have been better off with her than the I-just-want-to-be-a-housewife character (Helen Mack) he hooks up with.
I liked a lot of this - the opening sequence, the Artic journey, the treacherous trader, arriving in the kingdom and the troublesome natives, She in love. The big dance ceremony at the end is a little silly and there is a bit too much chat (a Holly-She-Leo love triangle would have helped here), but it recovers for a fine disintegration. It isn't very well directed and the dialogue is poor.
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