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55 Days at Peking
A handful of men and women held out against the frenzied hordes of bloodthirsty fanatics!
Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the International Compound in Peking during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. The disparate interests unite for survival despite competing factions, overwhelming odds, delayed relief and tacit support of the Boxers by the Empress of China and her generals.
- Original title
- 55 Days at Peking
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $17,000,000
- Revenue
- $10,000,000
CinemaSerf
Mar 27, 2022 · via TMDB
It is tempting just to look upon this as an imperialist (Western, not Chinese) costume drama with fireworks. I think, however, it does merit a little more credit than that. Samuel Bronston pulls together quite a cast as Hollywood (via Madrid and Valencia) gives us it's version of the failed/foiled Boxer rebellion that lead to the ultimate decline of the Dragon Throne. Charlton Heston and David Niven develop a decent enough chemistry as the story takes shape, and Ava Gardner, Flora Robson, Leo Genn and Paul Lukas ensure there is some strength and depth to the supporting cast, and therefore to the story of the siege of the diplomatic compound in Peking by Chinese rebels in 1900. The sets are testament to what could be done in a world before CGI (and I bet the budgets wouldn't be that much different, either) and the mass-participation scenes are colourful, noisy and look good. As ever with these kind of films, there is an inevitability around the outcome; however preposterous the odds - but this is still a commendable effort to enlighten us, a little, as to the attitude of the colonial powers to China at the turn of the 20th Century.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Charlton Heston
Maj. Matt Lewis
Ava Gardner
Baroness Natalie Ivanoff
David Niven
Sir Arthur Robertson
Flora Robson
Dowager Empress Tzu-Hsi
John Ireland
Sgt. Harry
Harry Andrews
Father de Bearn
Leo Genn
Gen. Jung-Lu
Robert Helpmann
Prince Tuan
Kurt Kasznar
Baron Sergei Ivanoff
Philippe Leroy
Julliard
Paul Lukas
Dr. Steinfeldt
Elizabeth Sellars
Lady Sarah Robertson
Massimo Serato
Garibaldi
Jacques Sernas
Maj. Bobrinski
Jerome Thor
Capt. Andy Marshall
Geoffrey Bayldon
Smythe
Joseph Fürst
Capt. Hanselman
Walter Gotell
Capt. Hoffman
Jūzō Itami
Col. Shiba
Mervyn Johns
Clergyman
Alfredo Mayo
Spanish Minister
Martin Miller
Hugo Bergmann
Conchita Montes
Mme Gaumaire
José Nieto
Italian Minister
Eric Pohlmann
Baron von Meck
Aram Stephan
Gaumaire
Robert Urquhart
Capt. Hanley
Lynne Sue Moon
Teresa
Burt Kwouk
Old Man (voice)
Mike Steen
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Lucy Appleby
Martha (uncredited)
Félix Dafauce
Dutch Minister (uncredited)
Carlos Casaravilla
Japanese Minister (uncredited)
Michael Chow
Chiang (uncredited)
Chow Siu-Loi
Court Boxer (uncredited)
Mitchell Kowall
US Marine (uncredited)
Paul Naschy
Extra (uncredited)
Fernando Sancho
Belgian Minister (uncredited)
Lucille Soong
Concubine (uncredited)
Robert Rietti
Spanish Minister (voice) (uncredited)
Milton Reid
Boxer (uncredited)
Nicholas Ray
US Minister (uncredited)
Alfred Lynch
Gerald (uncredited)
John Moulder-Brown
Tommy (uncredited)
George Wang
Boxer Chief (uncredited)
Jack Hildyard
Director of Photography
Nicholas Ray
Director
Andrew Marton
Second Unit Director
Noël Howard
Second Unit Director
Jesús Franco
Assistant Production Manager
Michał Waszyński
Producer
C.O. Erickson
Production Manager
Dimitri Tiomkin
Original Music Composer
Philip Yordan
Screenplay
Kannagi
Rear Window
Saving Private Ryan
Lawrence of Arabia
New World
Throne of Blood
The Bridge on the River Kwai
1900
Doctor Zhivago
The Last Emperor
Spartacus
Moulin Rouge!
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Murder on the Orient Express
American Graffiti
Bambi
Shanghai Express
Meet Me in St. Louis
Shower
Under Capricorn
Empire of the Sun
The Last Command
Darkest Hour
Lion of the Desert
Sergeant York
The Scarlet and the Black
Munich - The Edge of War
Battle of the Bulge
Escape to Victory
God on Trial
The Young Lions
Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog
Overlord
Battleground
Exodus
The Last Valley
Uprising
Unconquered
633 Squadron
The Monuments Men
May 28, 1963
