AOn the night of the new moon, it becomes time for the pillar of fire to grow cold, so Ayesha and Leo descend into the chamber and wait. Suddenly a ball of fire falls from the sky and enters the pillar of fire, turning the flame blue. 'The time has come,' Ayesha says and leads him toward the flames. Suddenly Billali (Christopher Lee) enters the chamber and demands his immortality for all his years of faithful service to Ayesha. She refuses, and a fight breaks out between Billali and Leo, until Ayesha stabs Billali in the back. He dies reaching for the flame. Holly and Job go looking for Leo and enter the chamber just as Ayesha and Leo step into the flame. For a few seconds, they bathe together in the flames of immortality. Suddenly, something seems to go wrong. Ayesha begins to age as the centuries catch up with her. Leo backs out of the flames, and Ayesha turns to dust on the ground. In anguish, Leo asks what could have happened. Holly replies, 'There can be only one answer...a second time into the flame, and the fire takes away what has been given.' Leo attempts to enter the flames again, but the fire has turned hot. In the final scene, Leo tells Holly, 'When it comes back, it will find me waiting.'
QA Note Regarding Spoilers
AThe following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.
AAfter finishing military service in 1918 Palestine, Leo Vincey (John Richardson), British archaeologist Horace Holly (Peter Cushing), and Holly's valet Job (Bernard Cribbins), go in search of the lost city of Kuma, looking for acclaim, treasure, and She (Ursula Andress)...also known as Ayesha, She-who-waits, and She-who-must-be-obeyed...a beautiful queen and priestess of the goddess Isis, who has been waiting for Leo for 2,000 years (she believes he is the reincarnation of her dead lover Kallikrates). Perils lie along the way, but Ustane (Rosenda Monteros), who is in love with Leo, helps them. However, nothing along the way can match the perils they face when they finally reach Kuma.
Share this
