I have great affection for this adventure tale, where Hammer tried to depart from their normal horror. They have old faves Peter Cushing and Chris Lee and throw in heartthrobs Ursula Andress and John Richardson. Andress is stunning as She, the beautiful despot who at the end of the day just wants a boyfriend.
I liked the setting of post World War I Palestine, but it was a mistake to introduce She in the first ten minutes – I think they should have held off on her. Also, like the 1935 version for some reason they don’t use the Holly-Leo clash over She – Holly jut sort of hangs around whereas in the novel he’s really important. (And they have Peter Cushing to play him too – why do they never do this in the books?)
On the sunny side, Bernard Cribbins is an excellent Job (who is a bit whimpy in the novel) and Christopher Lee provides menace and a decent subplot as one of She’s guards who is in love with her. It improves on the 1935 version by not having Leo fall in love with the ninny who rescues him (Rosenda Monteros is pretty but is no Ursula Andress). Richardson looks a bit funny with his blonde hair in modern British outfits, but totally suits a toga – maybe this is why he never had that great a career.
No comments:
Post a Comment