In 1900 Peking, Boxer fanatics are encouraged by the Empress to take over the city and besiege the international diplomatic quarter. @Imported from Korea. (Some DVDs Have Korean Description on Cover) @Some DVDs Have Several Languages & Subtitles. @High Quality as USA Products. @All DVDs are Exactly Same as Description. @Language: English @Subtitle: Korean, None

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However, epic spectacle is not realy Ray's league. And in the midle of the shooting, Ray had a heart attack. Most of the "big" scenes ended up to be shot by second-unit director Andrew Morton. and while they are effective enough, they arr not that great.

Still, this film bears a lot of the unmisstakable signature of Ray; the master of human emotion. Never before Charlton Heston was able to show such an intimacy, so much of human vulnerability in a film. The scene in which he has to tell the daughter of his best friend's half-chinese daughter that her father was killed in action (a scene that banal directors would treat as a shalow tearjearker) shows how much subtle and truthful emotion Ray was capable to pull out from his actors.

Ava Gardner plays a turnished Russian contessa, and is extraordinary. Her story is perhaps the strongest among this multi-charactered, muti-layered drama.

While the production design is quite adequate considering the film was shot in Spain in the 60's, and surprisingly deprived of phony extoticism for that time, contemporary viewers may take it rather silly. But please remember that at that time, somesthing like THE LAST EMPEROR was impossible. Western film crew were not even allowed to set foot on the Chinese land.

Some scenes still are good example of another trademark directorial touch of Ray; his love for extremely dramatic composition and particulary to pull out the dramatic core of a scene by setting it on an unstable location such as stairs.

It is a flawed film, perhaps, but still extremly beautiful and emotional. Dimitri Tiomkin's score (and the song "So Little Time") is also unforgettable.

54 of 58 found the following review helpful:

A neglected part of historyFeb 12, 2006
By Fred Camfield
Reviewers should quit nit-picking political correctness (see reviews of the VHS version). The motion picture is about an actual event, i.e., the defense of the foreign quarter (the embassies and such) during the Boxer Rebellion in China. Sure, there is literary license, and some events are shown differently than they actually occurred, but isn't that true of most motion pictures about historical events ("Braveheart," for example, drastically warped some points of history creating impossible relationships).

This film is spectacular, and has its moments, but all is not fun and games. The young son of the British ambassador is killed by a Chinese sniper, the German ambassador is killed (OK, so in reality he was shot, but allow the producer a little latitude), the countess is killed, and an American marine is killed leaving an orphan daughter.

Keep in mind when watching the motion picture that it was produced to make money. Dry historical accounts generally are not successful in that regard. The film may depart a little from actual history, but maybe not that much. The Boxers were an anti-foreign movement in China, and they did murder missionaries who were trying to spread western religions in China. If they would have left it at that, they might have survived, but attacking embassies was a diplomatic no-no. The western powers (Germany, Japan, Russia, England, the United States, etc.) used that as an excuse for armed intervention and demanding concessions.

Keep in mind that foreign traders were making money selling opium to Chinese, and you can understand some of the animosity. It would be like Columbian drug cartels using force of arms to demand their right to sell cocaine in the U.S. But putting the political correctness aside, it is a very good film about an event that happened. You might also watch "Khartoum" about the battle between Muslim religious fanatics and British colonialism.

Colonists are never popular, and we are still experiencing the ill effects of James I of England planting protestant colonies of Scots in Ulster.

40 of 44 found the following review helpful:

Always Good To See an Old Favorite, Return.Feb 04, 2008
By NEWC4A
Well everyone, here it is and better than ever! :)

As always, Charlton Heston's screen presense Magnificent.
David Niven is as charming as ever and always brings his particular brand of class to the screen. And what could one say of Ava Gardner that hasn't been said, before? Truly, she shines in this picture.

One Note to bring to your Attention: Subtitles (which are sometimes set as Default by the manufacturer) are Removable via the Set-Up Menu. Very simple to do.

You will not be disappointed with the video and sound quality of this release.

Illusion

22 of 23 found the following review helpful:

Fine Movie, Disappointing DVDJun 17, 2005
By Blackhawk
I won't comment on the movie except to say that I do like it and would agree with the other favorable comments here. I've seen it more than a few times and it always is an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the DVD release. The audio is adequate though it is only stereo. I didn't notice any particular problems with it. The video, on the other hand, is decidely inferior. It looks like it was transferred from a medium quality video tape. I have seen better looking presentations on broadcast TV. I had a tape recorded off the air that looked as good as this DVD. But the tape is gone and the DVD will at least last. The best thing that can be said about the DVD's video is that it is widescreen, but it is not anamorphic. Very disappointing. I hope some company will do a decent release of this in the not to distant future.

32 of 36 found the following review helpful:

Enjoyable epic and star vehicleJan 05, 2002
By Grant A Thompson
"55 Days At Peking" is an unusual and enjoyable epic and star vehicle. Not least among its admirable characteristics is a set re-creating in Spain an authentic impression of the old Legation Quarter of Peking. The set makes sense to anyone who knows the actual site in modern-day Beijing. That is a considerable achievement in the pre-digital cinematic art of illusion. It shows, too, that there was a great deal of China knowledge behind the making of the movie. Well into the 1990s, many Boxer Rebellion-era structures survived in the old Legation Quarter of Beijing. Due to enduring political and cultural sensitivities, the historical significance of these structures was unsignposted and ignored by the official Chinese tourist authorities, and most of the area was occupied by Chinese Government organisations. The gate of the former British Legation which was recreated for the movie could still be seen just off Chang'an Avenue in Zhengyi Street, a short walk southwest from the Beijing Hotel. The layout and other striking architectural features of the area are well-recorded in books such as Michael J. and Yeone Wei-Chih Moser's "Foreigners Within The Gates" (Oxford 1993). The movie takes liberties with history--overplaying, for instance, the US military contribution, and making the British Minister (played by David Niven) appear a more militarily energetic figure than he seemed to contemporary observers of the siege of the legations. Some purists might find jarring the poor Chinese calligraphy in graffiti, and the casting of (generally well made-up) Caucasian actors in major Chinese roles. However, the standard caveat applies that this is an entertainment, not a documentary. Talent like Chow Yun-Fat, John Lone, Gong Li, Zhang Yimou and Wayne Wang wasn't available to western moviemakers in 1963. "55 Days At Peking" entertains with a creditable impression of this historical episode when China warred by proxy on the rest of the world. It is an interesting film to compare with "Khartoum", in which Charlton Heston also plays the lead, as part of the canon of epic moviemaking about imperial and colonial wars. The casting and illusion of China is worth comparing with "The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness" (1958), in which Robert Donat plays a Chinese mandarin and Wales substitutes for China. It would be fascinating to see a remake of this film with a re-worked story and script, a re-arrangement of Dimitri Tiomkin's excellent score, digital technology, and cross-cultural casting and direction. However, as it probably still could not be shot in China without unacceptable interference, it might need "Red Corner" treatment.

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