55 Days at Peking (1963)

Director:

Nicholas Ray

Writers:

Bernard Gordon (screenplay)
Robert Hamer (additional dialogue)

Release Date:

26 July 1963 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

A handful of men and women held out against the frenzied hordes of bloodthirsty fanatics!

Plot:

Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the International...

Plot Keywords:

Boxer Rebellion | Peking China | Russian Empire | Austria | British Empire

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Fifty Five Days at Peking (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

154 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Norway:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Las Matas, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Samuel Bronston Productions

Trivia:

The production was troubled almost from the beginning. It ran into financial troubles, there were conflicts among the cast, and director Nicholas Ray argued so violently with producer Samuel Bronston that he eventually walked off the set and quit the picture, and soon afterward suffered a severe heart attack. Andrew Marton and Guy Green finished directing the picture, uncredited.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When the Boxers are coming over the wall, there is a brief scene of US Marines manning a machine gun. That machine gun is a water-cooled Browning M-1917. This was introduced in 1917 during WWI, hence it's nomenclature. This film is set in 1900. US Marines *did*, in fact, have and use Browning machine guns during the siege. But these guns were Colt 1895 machine guns, which were distinctly different from the gun shown.

Quotes:

Maj. Matt Lewis: He's a good soldier when he knows what he's fighting for.
Sir Arthur Robertson: It's easy when it's something you can see; a wall, a hill, a river, but how can you explain to them when it's for a principle.
Maj. Matt Lewis: You can't. Not here in China, it's too far from home.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Chalk (2006/I)

Soundtrack:

So Little Time (The Peking Theme)

Even in wartimes, a valuable gift placed high enough can work miracles…

"55 Days at Peking" is the story of the Boxer Rebellion in China, in the summer of the year 1900, where the violent wind of discontent disturbs the land…

Separated from the foreign compound by a mere wall and a gate is the Forbidden City, where, in untouchable isolation, Empress Dowager Tzu—protected by an army of eunuchs—earnestly advises Sir Arthur (David Niven) that all foreign residents, including diplomatic personnel, to leave Peking within 24 hours…

For the Empress of China (Flora Robson), the situation in Peking cannot be expected to become tranquil because of the projected draught, because of hunger and unrest among the people, because of the merciless demands of the foreign powers… Prince Tuan (Robert Helpmann) counsels the empress a reckless adventure, while Gen. Jung-Lu (Leo Genn) counsels prudence and patience…

That morning, Sir Arthur came to the Imperial Palace with the truth, the truth that is already known to the German government, and to all other powers, asking the empress to take action against Prince Tuan who commanded the Boxers to drag and kill the German minister…

Obviously, the empress rejected Sir Arthur's truth and his protest, informing him that Prince Tuan is her closest and most trusted adviser and she appointed him to head the foreign office… The ambassadors realizing now that Prince Tuan succeeded in getting the support of the empress, vote on whether to stay or leave Peking…

Niven demonstrated both his capacity and his potential as the English diplomat with no intention of displaying fear of the Boxers, nor of handling the victory to Prince Tuan…

Ava Gardner looks beautiful as the Russian Baroness who knows that her sublime trinket sure glitters…

Lynne Sue Moon steals the show in her moving portrayal of the abandoned Oriental 12-year-old child in need of love and care and who has been promised, by her father, to be taken home to America… Her best scene comes at the climax of the movie when Heston— riding out at the head of his Army—stops, looks down at the girl, and says, "Here, take my hand." He pulls her upon his horse and they ride together out of Peking…

Nicholas Ray's direction and the actors' performance appear sincere enough… Those merely looking for an epic spectacle are likely not to get satisfaction from it as a motion picture… In spite of its aspirations, "55 Days in Peking" isn't enough to keep us engaged, while, there's no denying, succeeded in entertaining us for a while…