The Conqueror (1956)

29% of users liked it
(1,578 ratings)

In the historical epic The Conqueror, John Wayne stars as Temujin, better known as Genghis Khan. Red-haired Susan Hayward costars as Bortai, the Tartar princess whom Temujin claims as the spoils of battle. Eventually, Bortai's hatred for her captor metamorphoses into love, while Temujin's hordes lay… More In the historical epic The Conqueror, John Wayne stars as Temujin, better known as Genghis Khan. Red-haired Susan Hayward costars as Bortai, the Tartar princess whom Temujin claims as the spoils of battle. Eventually, Bortai's hatred for her captor metamorphoses into love, while Temujin's hordes lay claim to the entire Gobi Desert. Director Dick Powell, many of the actors (John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendariz, Thomas Gomez, Agnes Moorehead), and several of the crew members later fell victim to cancer, allegedly the result of producer Howard Hughes' decision to lens the film on location near the atomic testing grounds in the Utah desert. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 51 min.
Directed By: Dick Powell
Written By: Oscar Millard
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

In Theaters: Feb 21, 1956 Wide
On DVD: Apr 15, 1999

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Howard Hughes' anachronistic saga is one of the worst films ever made with an embarrassing performance of John Wayne as Genghis Khan the Warrior.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
No one comes out of this train wreck holding their head up.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

John Wayne as a Mongolian warlord HAS to be one of the worst casting jobs in the history of Cinema. I love The Duke as much as anyone, but Genghis Khan he ain't.
xGary X

Dear Lord God, what were they thinking...? Featuring easily the worst piece of casting in cinematic history, John Wayne stars as Genghis Khan (yes, you read that right) in the story of his life. It is quite funny for about 10 minutes, until you realise that it's quite… More
Dear Lord God, what were they thinking...? Featuring easily the worst piece of casting in cinematic history, John Wayne stars as Genghis Khan (yes, you read that right) in the story of his life. It is quite funny for about 10 minutes, until you realise that it's quite mind-buggering dull. One star for the curiosity value, but otherwise a total waste of celluloid. The fact that financial backer Howard Hughes paid $12 million to recall every print in existence so no-one could see it should tell you everything you need to know!
jay n

awful

Cast

            John Wayne as Temujin

            Susan Hayward as Bortai

            Pedro Armendáriz as Jamuga

            Agnes Moorehead as Hunlun

            Thomas Gomez as Wang Kahn

            William Conrad as Kasar

            John Hoyt as Shaman

            Ted de Corsia as Kumlek

            Leslie E. Bradley as Targutai

            Lee Van Cleef as Chepei

            Peter Mamakos as Bogurchi

            Leo Gordon as Tartar Captain

            Richard Loo as Captain of Wang's guard

            Fred Aldrich as 2nd chieftain

            Gregg Barton as Jalair

            Lane Bradford as 4th chieftain

            Billy Curtis as Midget Tumbler

            John George as Drummer boy

            Jeanne Gerson as Hochin

            Fred Graham as Subuya

            Michael Granger as 1st chieftain

            Paul Hoffman as 3rd chieftain

            Weaver Levy as Mongol

            Jarma Lewis as Girl in bath

            Sylvia Lewis as Solo dancer

            Torben Meyer as Scribe

            Ray Spiker as Guard

            Ken Terrell as Sorgan

            Michael Wayne as Mongol guard

            Moe DiSesso
            
See full cast