55 Days at Peking (1963)
May 6, 1963Release Date
55 Days at Peking (1963)
May 6, 1963Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently 55 Days at Peking is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Amazon Video, Chili
Streaming in:🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Cast & Crew.
Charlton Heston
Maj. Matt Lewis
Ava Gardner
Baroness Natalie Ivanoff
David Niven
Sir Arthur Robertson
Flora Robson
Dowager Empress Tzu-Hsi
John Ireland
Sgt. Harry
Harry Andrews
Father de Bearn
Guy Green
Director
Leo Genn
Gen. Jung-Lu
Andrew Marton
Director
Robert Helpmann
Prince Tuan
Kurt Kasznar
Baron Sergei Ivanoff
Paul Lukas
Dr. Steinfeldt
Philippe Leroy
Julliard
Nicholas Ray
Director
Elizabeth Sellars
Lady Sarah Robertson
Massimo Serato
Garibaldi
Robert Hamer
Writer
Jacques Sernas
Maj. Bobrinski
Philip Yordan
Writer
Jerome Thor
Capt. Andy Marshall
Bernard Gordon
Writer
Geoffrey Bayldon
Smythe
Samuel Bronston
Producer
Dimitri Tiomkin
Composer
Joseph Fürst
Capt. Hanselman
Walter Gotell
Capt. Hoffman
Jack Hildyard
Cinematographer
Jūzō Itami
Col. Shiba
Robert Lawrence
Editor
Mervyn Johns
Clergyman
Maude Spector
CastingDirector
Alfredo Mayo
Spanish Minister
Veniero Colasanti
ProductionDesigner
Martin Miller
Hugo Bergmann
John Moore
ProductionDesigner
Conchita Montes
Mme Gaumaire
José Nieto
Italian Minister
Eric Pohlmann
Baron von Meck
Aram Stephan
Gaumaire
Robert Urquhart
Capt. Hanley
Lynne Sue Moon
Teresa
Burt Kwouk
Old Man (voice)
Mike Steen
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Lucy Appleby
Martha (uncredited)
Félix Dafauce
Dutch Minister (uncredited)
Andrea Esterhazy
Austrian Minister (uncredited)
Carlos Casaravilla
Japanese Minister (uncredited)
R.S.M. Brittain
Sergeant Major (uncredited)
Media.
Details.
Release DateMay 6, 1963
StatusReleased
Running Time2h 34m
Content RatingNR
Budget$17,000,000
Box Office$10,000,000
Filming LocationsLas Rozas de Madrid, Spain
Genres
Wiki.
55 Days at Peking is a 1963 American epic historical war film dramatizing the siege of the foreign legations' compounds in Peking (now known as Beijing) during the Boxer Uprising, which took place in China in the summer of 1900. It was produced by Samuel Bronston for Allied Artists, with a screenplay by Philip Yordan and Bernard Gordon, and with uncredited contributions from Robert Hamer, Julian Halevy, and Ben Barzman. Noel Gerson wrote a screenplay novelization in 1963 under the pseudonym "Samuel Edwards".
The film was directed primarily by Nicholas Ray, although Guy Green and Andrew Marton assumed leadership in the latter stages of filming after Ray had fallen ill. Both men were uncredited. It stars Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and David Niven, with supporting roles by Flora Robson, John Ireland, Leo Genn, Robert Helpmann, Harry Andrews, and Kurt Kasznar. It also contains the first known screen appearance of future martial arts film star Yuen Siu Tien. Japanese film director Juzo Itami, credited in the film as "Ichizo Itami", appears as Col. Goro Shiba.
55 Days at Peking was released by Allied Artists on May 29, 1963 and received mixed reviews, mainly for its historical inaccuracies and lack of character development. However, the film was praised for its acting, direction, music, action sequences, and production design. In addition to its mixed critical reviews, the film grossed only $10 million at the box office against a budget of $10 million. Despite this, the film was nominated for two Academy Awards. It was director Ray's last film until Lightning Over Water (1980).