55 Days at Peking (1963)
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50% of critics liked it
(6 reviews) -
47% of users liked it
(3,597 ratings)
Samuel Bronston produced this extravagant blockbuster, shot in Super Technirama 70. Nominally directed by Nicholas Ray (who makes a brief appearance as the U.S. ambassador), Ray was taken off the film and replaced by the more pliable directorial touches of Andrew Marton. Charlton Heston stars as… More Samuel Bronston produced this extravagant blockbuster, shot in Super Technirama 70. Nominally directed by Nicholas Ray (who makes a brief appearance as the U.S. ambassador), Ray was taken off the film and replaced by the more pliable directorial touches of Andrew Marton. Charlton Heston stars as Maj. Matt Lewis, the leader of an army of multinational soldiers who head to Peking during the infamous Boxer Rebellion of 1900. As the film unfolds, the foreign embassies in Peking are being held in a grip of terror as the Boxers set about massacring Christians in an anti-Christian nationalistic fever. Inside the besieged compound, the finicky British ambassador (David Niven) gathers the beleaguered ambassadors into a defensive formation. Included in the group of high-level dignitaries is a sultry Russian Baroness (Ava Gardner) who takes a shine to Lewis upon his arrival at the embassy compound with his group of soldiers. As Lewis and the group conserve food and water and try to save some hungry children, they await the arrival of expected reinforcements, but the tricky Chinese Empress Tzu Hsi (Flora Robson) is, in the meantime, plotting with the Boxers to break the siege at the compound with the aid of Chinese recruits. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- Unrated, 2 hr. 30 min.
- Directed By
- Nicholas Ray
- Written By
- Philip Yordan, Bernard Gordon
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1963 Wide
- On DVD
- Feb 28, 2001
- Studio
- Allied Artists
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Jack Hildyard's photography is excellent, particularly in getting on the big screen the savage attack scenes which take up the major part of the picture.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Nicholas Ray's last commercial film and second blockbuster for Samuel Bronston (after King of Kings) effectively ended his career as a Hollywood director, and the unwieldiness of this spectacular... helps in part to explain why.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
hough ponderous, the film yields plenty of thrills.
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, Time Out
A magnificent failure.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Lively but overlong adventure picture.
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
Cast
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Charlton Hestonas Maj. Matt Lewis -
Ava Gardneras Baroness Natalie Ivanoff -
David Nivenas Sir Arthur Robinson
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Flora Robsonas Dowager Empress Tsu Hzi -
John Irelandas Sergeant Harry -
Harry Andrewsas Father de Bearn
Trailers & Clips
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