55 Days at Peking
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Movie Reviews of 55 Days at Peking
Movie Review: Sometimes a good military leader must be a good diplomat
Summary: 5 Stars
As a retired army officer and an adjunct history professor I thought it was important to review what I consider the best war movies depicting the challenges of leadership and the command of men.
"55 Days In Peking" is one of the best movies at depicting how good leaders U.S. Marine major Matt Lewis (Charlton Heston, and British Ambassador Sir Arthur Robinson (David Niven), must also often times be good diplomats. 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.
It is not always about defeating an enemy in combat, sometimes one has to use diplomacy to prevent bloodshed. This movie is an excellent portrayal of that lesson.
Movie Review: Reasonably aligned with history and reality
Summary: 4 Stars
Let me preface the evaluation with my own experience in this area. Not only did I major in Far Eastern History as a baccalaureate student, I did it in a Far Eastern University. Also, I teach in China at least four months per year at the graduate and doctoral levels, so I have some experiential objectivity on which to rely. Naturally, this does not mean that my evaluations carry any more weight that those of others. However, by taking a variety of History courses at the foreign university, I discovered that versions of historical events do indeed vary considerably from country to country.
As do others, when I review films for Amazon.com, I do have some entertainment biases, and one of those biases is that of "reality." This film does indeed present the Chinese (to a more limited degree) and US cases during the Boxer Rebellion, especially those involving dealing with the rampant colonialism that drove the crisis. The Chinese court intrigue that led to the instigation and pursuit of the rebellion is quite apparent in the film, as reflected in the dialogue between the Empress Dowager, Ci Xi, and "Prince Yuan," who is actually the famous Yuan Shi-Kai, who later became a powerful figure in China.
But while the film does noticably drag a bit in places, it is an exciting, well-acted and well-made story that will definitely pique the interests of viewers. Many viewers may even want to read up on the Boxer Rebellion and gain an understanding of what was at stake there. The climactic final scenes are a bit "over-the-top," in terms of the staging of the various foreign forces marching to the rescue, but is "symbolic" of the outcome.
Yes, I absolutely recommend the film to anyone who enjoys good acting, an exciting fact-based story, and a sense of history that is generally ignored.
Movie Review: History vs, Hollywood
Summary: 4 Stars
The scenery, buildings and backdrops where very great and beautiful rendering possibly the better concept of China during the Boxer Rebellion. One must remember that in Hollywood scripts are written with romance and adventure. This movie is that. it is based on a true story. There are very few incidents in this movie that can be counted as true to fact, However, the acting was extremely good and so was the script. Heston plays the typical cockey U.S. Marine who always comes up with a solution for every crisis and if he doesn't, the supporting cast lends a hand. David Niven plays the typical British diplomat. Cool, straight forward but down to earth and human. Ava Gardner was very good as the Countess trying to help bolster the doctors work by supplying needed drugs but showing her loving charm with Heston. Generally the film was more than very good. It kept your attention and showed how a meager force of nationalities held out for 55 days before a relief expedition came to there rescue. But the crowning event to the movie is the ending scene as Heston helps his friends chinese daughter up onto his horse and leads his column out of the war torn city. I am no expert on history but this, if anything, is worth just seeing to relive the days of adventure, romance and a box of popcorn.Movie Review: Good movie, so-so DVD
Summary: 4 Stars
I am very fond of this movie, even though it is far from perfect. It is overblown and tries too hard to be an "epic", but at the same time drags in spots and edges into melodrama. Still, despite its faults, I enjoy watching it again everytime. It is entertaining, and I appreciate that in a movie. It also has a surprising amount of humor that is quite good.
The performances are fine, especially from David Niven, the setting is grand in scope and the action scenes work, mostly. The last big action scene does not do a good job of establishing the geography so we have a hard time determining who is fighting who and where.
While the movie is worth seeing, the DVD is disappointing. There are no extras and the video and audio quality are just adequate. It is obvious that this DVD was produced with the least cost and effort possible. The DVD is not so bad as to be unwatchable, but it could be better and does not do justice to the movie.
Movie Review: A classic. One to watch over and over.
Summary: 4 Stars
Wore out my video of this movie and, though I taped it twice off of movie channels, I never got a good copy. Looked for it for quite a while on DVD before it became available. Action, adventure, romance, and even a happy ending of sorts. Definitely something for both guys and gals. Watch it with someone you love.