20th Century Fox
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Désirée
The life...the women...the conquests of Napoleon!
In Marseilles, France in 1794, Desiree Clary, a young millinery clerk, becomes infatuated with Napoleon Bonaparte, but winds up wedding General Jean-Baptiste Berandotte, an aid to Napoleon who later joins the forces that bring about the Emperor's downfall. Josephine Beauharnais, a worldly courtesan marries Napoleon and becomes Empress of France, but is then cast aside by her spouse when she proves unable to produce an heir to the throne.
- Original title
- Désirée
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
Wuchak
Oct 13, 2021 · via TMDB
_**Talky Napoleonic drama with Brando, Jean Simmons and Michael Rennie**_ From 1794-1815, the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte (Marlon Brando) is chronicled through the eyes of Désirée Clary (Jean Simmons), a young millinery clerk from Marseilles, who is initially infatuated with the future emperor of France, but winds up marrying one of his top generals, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (Michael Rennie), who remarkably becomes Crown Prince of Sweden and potentially allied with the very forces that oppose Napoleon. Based on Annemarie Selinko’s hit 1951 novel, “Désirée” (1954) is a costume drama concentrating on the historical love triangle and behind-the-scenes politics. Don’t expect any flashes of action, like in Brando’s “The Young Lions” (1958). While Marlon begrudged the role because he was settling legal issues for walking off the lead role in “The Egyptian” (1954) and thus phoned-in his performance, the movie interestingly made more at the box office than his other 1954 film, the heralded “On the Waterfront.” Phoned-in or not, Brando captured the essence of the brooding conquest-obsessed Napoleon and makes the flick worthwhile. But you have to be in the mood for dialogue-driven historical costume drama. Whilst the script doesn’t elaborate on it, in real-life Bernadotte was named Crown Prince of Sweden for his benevolence toward Swedish POWs, captured by him when he was a Marshal of the French Empire. Although curiously becoming King and Queen of Sweden & Norway, neither Jean nor Désirée ever learned to speak Swedish other than "kom," which means “come” in English. The movie runs 1 hour, 50 minutes, and was shot in France and California. GRADE: B/B-
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Marlon Brando
Napoleon Bonaparte
Jean Simmons
Desiree Clary
Merle Oberon
Empress Josephine
Michael Rennie
Bernadotte
Cameron Mitchell
Joseph Bonaparte
Elizabeth Sellars
Julie
Charlotte Austin
Paulette Bonaparte
Cathleen Nesbitt
Mme. Bonaparte
Evelyn Varden
Marie
Isobel Elsom
Mme. Clary
John Hoyt
Talleyrand
Alan Napier
Despreaux
Louis Borel
Baron Morner (uncredited)
Richard Deacon
Etienne Clary
Edith Evanson
Queen Hedwig
Bess Flowers
Attendant Holding Baby at Palace Ball
Carolyn Jones
Mme. Tallien
Dorothy Neumann
Queen Sofia
Gene Roth
Von Essen
Mary Stewart
Party Guest (uncredited)
Sven Hugo Borg
Aide (uncredited)
Peter Bourne
Count Brahe (uncredited)
George Calliga
Party Guest (uncredited)
Harry Carter
Coachman (uncredited)
Richard Garrick
Count Regnaud (uncredited)
Sam Gilman
Fouche (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp
Josephine's Escort (uncredited)
Colin Kenny
General Becker (uncredited)
Marina Koshetz
Singer (uncredited)
Kay E. Kuter
Lackey (uncredited)
Ted Mapes
Court Member (uncredited)
Jack Mather
Sergeant (uncredited)
Lester Matthews
Caulaincourt (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien
Servant (uncredited)
Violet Rensing
Marie Louise (uncredited)
Cosmo Sardo
Party Guest (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey
Council Member (uncredited)
Milton Krasner
Director of Photography
Henry Koster
Director
Alex North
Original Music Composer
Daniel Taradash
Writer
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Nov 16, 1954
