A curiosity, a time capsule and American Expansionism

55 Days At Peking (1963, Nicholas Ray) **1/2


An improbably delicious, overblown and bloviated anglophile telling of the boxer rebellion in China in the early 1900’s; Charlton Heston plays American cowboy to England’s Sir Arthur in the form of David Niven. Both compete for the affections of Ava Gardner in the confines of the of the legations district of Peking (where the headquarters of the various colonial powers were located). This movie was a Road Show Movie produced by Samuel Bronson and had the royal treatment when it was released in 1963. I witnessed this from afar in Redlands; seeing the ads and reading the hoopla in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. The movie played at a single LA/Hollywood location for a long period. Then it was cut down to a more manageable length for exhibitors and sent out to play in the hinterlands. I thought about the film for months as I poured over the entertainment section of the Herald Examiner every afternoon. 55 Days At Peking never made to Redlands. I first saw it on a first generation rental VHS cassette in my apartment on Texas Avenue around 1980. This is the first time I’ve seen it since. We know today what a train wreak the movie was for Nick Ray (in effect ending his career) and has been out of circulation since the early VHS days. The plot is absurd by today’s standards and seems comedic for both Niven (after “The Guns of Navarone”, 1961) and Heston (after “El Cid”, 1961) except it’s played for serious action and adventure with historical overtones. Ava Gardner serves as well dressed atmosphere. Besides Charlton Heston wanted Jeanne Moreau for the role of Baroness Ivanoff. Urban legend has it that she was drinking heavily in her first major outing since “On the Beach”. The movie is remarkable for its extravagant battle and action sequences and forgettable when it comes to story, character and performance. This is more a curio because of the demise of Ray, the last Samuel Bronson “blockbuster” and its star-studded cast. This one didn’t see The Sand Pebbles coming. And how.