The Conqueror (1956)

Director:

Dick Powell

Writer:

Oscar Millard (written by)

Release Date:

28 March 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Biography | History | Romance | War

Tagline:

Surpasses anything ever filmed before!

Plot:

Mongol chief Temujin battles against Tartar armies and for the love of the Tartar princess Bortai. Temujin becomes the emperor Genghis Khan.

Plot Keywords:

Tartar | Battle | Genghis Khan | Palace | Mongolian

Cast

John Wayne	...	Temujin, later Genghis Khan
Susan Hayward	...	Bortai
Pedro Armendáriz	...	Jamuga (as Pedro Armendariz)
Agnes Moorehead	...	Hunlun
Thomas Gomez	...	Wang Khan
John Hoyt	...	Shaman
William Conrad	...	Kasar
Ted de Corsia	...	Kumlek
Leslie Bradley	...	Targutai
Lee Van Cleef	...	Chepei
Peter Mamakos	...	Bogurchi
Leo Gordon	...	Tartar captain
Richard Loo	...	Captain of Wang's guard

Also Known As:

Conqueror of the Desert
Der Eroberer (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
El conquistador (Argentina) (Venezuela) [es]
Le conquérant (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
El conquistador de Mongolia (Spain) [es]
Erövraren (Sweden) [sv]
Erobreren (Denmark) [da]
Il conquistatore (Italy) [it]
O daimon tis Asias (Greece) [el]
Sangue de Bárbaros (Brazil) (original subtitled version) [pt]
Valloittaja (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Escalante Desert, St. George, Utah, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes provided the financial backing for this film and later paid an extra $12 million (estimated) for every existing print of it from a sense of guilt - it was he who paid for the shipping of 60 tons of radioactive dirt to Hollywood for retakes (see above). He kept a jealous hold on the film, not even allowing it to be seen on television, for 17 years until 1974, when Paramount managed to secure the rights to reissue it.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Temujin throws a spear at a man in a stream, the wire guiding it is visible. The spear's trajectory is also wobbly.

Quotes:

Hunlun: She will bring woe to you and your people, my son! A woman made wife against her will can be a dangerous foe!
Temujin: For good or ill - she is my destiny.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005) (TV)

Don't be so hard on it!

I know this is widely considered to be a great travesty of filmmaking, but its problems can be (and have been) over-stated. The costuming, direction, cinematography and choreography are all quite well done and it is surprisingly true to history. Most people can't get beyond the fact that John Wayne plays the title role of Genghis Khan and I admit that it is difficult, but the greatest problem is his accent, not his acting. He delivers his lines exactly as if he were in one of his Western classics and does not attempt a Mongolian accent. The dialogue is (contrary to the previous comments) not inappropriate, but when delivered by Wayne with his western twang, its does often sound comical. I suggest that the audience try to think of this film as just another cowboy movie and try not to take it so seriously. In the end, it is a thoroughly enjoyable film, and that is what matters. The lack of Asian actors is regrettable, but consistent for the era in which is was made.