Olinka Berova is captured in a wonderfully expressive variation from the bathing publicity imagery associated with THE VENGEANCE OF SHE (1968), turning suddenly with wide eyes and parted lips as though something beyond the frame has completely surprised her. Immersed in luminous blue water scattered with yellow and white flowers, Berova modestly covers herself with one hand while her elaborate blonde hairstyle remains perfectly arranged—an unusually spontaneous-looking Hammer glamour image balancing innocence, beauty and exotic fantasy.

The expression changes everything.

Her eyes rise.

Her mouth opens.

Her head turns.

Something has caught her completely by surprise.

And suddenly the carefully arranged glamour portrait feels like a moment happening before us.

A Different Moment in Hammer’s Fantasy World

Directed by Cliff Owen, THE VENGEANCE OF SHE (1968) was produced by Hammer Film Productions as a follow-up to SHE (1965), returning to the exotic fantasy world inspired by the writings of H. Rider Haggard.

Olinka Berova stars as Carol, whose mysterious journey draws her toward the lost city of Kuma and a supernatural destiny connected with the legendary Ayesha.

This photograph belongs visually with the bathing imagery associated with the production, yet its personality is strikingly different from the more composed companion portrait.

There, Berova appears regal.

Controlled.

Almost dreamlike.

Here, she reacts.

That distinction gives the photograph its individual collector appeal.

Berova is surrounded by an extraordinary expanse of blue water, with reflections across the surface introducing flashes of white light and movement.

Yellow and pale blossoms float around her.

One rests close against her chest.

Others drift across the foreground.

Rather than forming the more deliberate floral arrangement seen in the companion image, here the flowers appear scattered throughout the water.

The composition consequently feels looser.

More immediate.

Berova's body contributes to that impression.

One arm disappears beneath the water while her hand provides modest coverage across her chest.

Her shoulders rise naturally above the surface.

Even one leg becomes partially visible beneath the water, its form distorted by reflections and movement.

These details give the photograph a physical spontaneity absent from a conventional studio glamour pose.

But the face remains everything.

Berova isn't engaging the photographer.

Her attention has moved elsewhere.

Her eyes look upward and across the frame.

Her mouth remains open.

There is almost a sense that the photographer has captured her between expressions rather than after she has deliberately composed one.

That is precisely why the image feels so alive.

And then there is the wonderful contradiction of her hair.

The expression suggests spontaneity.

The water suggests bathing.

But that elaborate blonde coiffure remains immaculate.

Pure 1960s glamour refuses to surrender.

The hairstyle gives Berova height and elegance even while the rest of the photograph suggests an unexpected moment.

Against the blue water, her blonde hair and warm complexion also become the natural visual center of the frame.

Color performs much of the remaining work.

Blue dominates.

Yellow punctuates it.

Skin tones provide warmth.

The dark surrounding décor anchors the upper background.

It is a simple palette, but exceptionally effective.

For the Hammer collector, this is exactly why companion photographs can deserve individual places within a collection.

The environment may be similar.

The actress may be wearing the same hairstyle.

The bathing concept may remain unchanged.

But the emotional information is completely different.

One photograph presents Berova almost as fantasy royalty.

This one catches Carol appearing startled and vulnerable within that same exotic world.

That is not repetition.

That is another moment.

And because THE VENGEANCE OF SHE belongs to the lavish fantasy side of Hammer rather than the studio's better-known Gothic horror tradition, photographs such as this preserve an especially colorful chapter of Hammer's visual history.

No vampire.

No monster.

No castle.

Just blue water, floating flowers, an extraordinarily glamorous actress—

and one perfectly timed expression.

That expression earns the photograph its place.

Preserved within the KissMeMonster photographic archive, this rare color glamour image has been carefully restored to retain the luminous blue tones and surface reflections of the bathing water, the delicate color of the floating flowers, the intricate detail of Olinka Berova’s elaborate blonde hairstyle and, most importantly, the wonderfully spontaneous expression that distinguishes this unusual THE VENGEANCE OF SHE publicity variation.