55 Days at Peking
|
Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of 55 Days at Peking
Movie Review: 55 days at Peking
Summary: 4 Stars
A movie that shows what happens when too many foreign powers involve themselves in the host nations affairs.This movie doesn't show the aftermath to the Chinese. I appreciated how the Majors' quick thinking, made the leader of the Boxers lose face at the Ball.Movie Review: I Couldn't Watch This For 55 Days.
Summary: 4 Stars
A really good movie. Pretty good acting. Historically accurate? Easy to watch and be entertained. I'll watch it over and over, every six months or Glad I have it.Movie Review: Even in wartimes, a valuable gift placed high enough can work miracles...
Summary: 3 Stars
"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...
Movie Review: Terrible
Summary: 1 Stars
To glorify the intruding foreigners' actions in China in the wake of the Opium Wars during the late colonial period is a terrible thing to do. Doing so is along the same lines as glorifying the Nazis' actions in the invasion of Poland and in the Holocaust.
To put things into perspective, for those who may not understand just how bad (morally) this movie is, imagine how Jewish people might feel, should a Hollywood movie be released that not only viewed the Holocaust from the Nazi perspective, but went so far as to glorify their actions.
Looking at it from the other side's perspective is one thing (the German perspective of WWII and Holocaust, or in the case of this movie the foreigners' perspective). However, glorifying it is something else altogether - and this movie crossed the line in no small measure.
To add insult to injury, the Chinese characters were portrayed by white actors, and even caricatured.
Movie Review: Love the movie - hate the DVD
Summary: 1 Stars
I have looked for this movie for a number of years and was delighted to finally find it on DVD. Unfortunately, this Chinese copy (I wonder if it is even legal - although I assume Amazon wouldn't sell it if it wasn't)is a terrible knock-off. The disc was actually shipped direct from China. There are no selectable scenes and I know from the original movie that specific scenes were left out of the DVD. It looks like someone hooked up an old VHS version to a DVD recorder and made a lousy copy. I really hope at some point that a "real" copy of this movie comes out, because the original story is a good one with good acting and one of my favorite all-time movies, but the dis quality was so bad that I just couldn't enjoy it.