Conquest (1937 film)
Conquest | |
---|---|
Zoë Akins | |
Based on | Pani Walewska 1933 by Wacław Gąsiorowski (book) Helen Jerome (play) |
Produced by | Bernard H. Hyman |
Starring | Greta Garbo Charles Boyer Reginald Owen Alan Marshal |
Cinematography | Karl Freund |
Edited by | Tom Held |
Music by | Herbert Stothart |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Loew's, Inc. |
Release date |
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Running time | 113 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2,732,000 US[1][2] |
Box office | $2,141,000 |
Conquest (also called Marie Walewska) is a 1937 American historical-drama film directed by
The movie was adapted by
Its worldwide gross amounted to $2,141,000, but its massive budget led to a loss of $1,397,000.
MGM initially advertised the upcoming release of the film under the title Marie Walewska, but at the last moment changed the title to the more marketable Conquest when the movie arrived in theaters.
The Dad's Army episode "A Soldier's Farewell" starts with the platoon in the cinema watching this film.
Plot
Napoleon Bonaparte (Charles Boyer) launches an unsuccessful seduction of the Countess Marie Walewska (Greta Garbo), who is married to a much older man (Henry Stephenson), but she resists until convinced that giving in will save Poland. After her husband annuls their marriage and Napoleon divorces the Empress Josephine, the pair are free to formalize their happy relationship, but Napoleon shocks her by announcing his decision to wed the Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria for political reasons. While he doesn't expect it to impact his relationship with Marie, she leaves him, without ever telling him that she is expecting his child.
Cast
- Countess Marie Walewska
- Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
- Talleyrand
- Alan Marshal as Captain d'Ornano
- Henry Stephenson as Count Anastas Walewski
- Leif Erickson as Paul Lachinski (as Leif Erikson)
- Dame May Whitty as Maria Letizia Buonaparte
- Maria Ouspenskaya as Countess Pelagia Walewska
- C. Henry Gordon as Prince Poniatowski
- Claude Gillingwater as Stephan (Marie's servant)
- Vladimir Sokoloff as Dying soldier
- George F. Houston as Géraud Duroc
Uncredited Cast
- Stanley Andrews as Prince Mirska
- Oscar Apfel as Count Potocka
- Scotty Beckett as Alexandre Walewska
- Betty Blythe as Princess Mirska
- Ed Brady as Soldier
- George Cowl as Count Augustus Walewska
- Paul Fix as Dumb Soldier
- Henry Kolker as Sen. Wybitcki
- Mitchell Lewis as Beppo
- Lois Meredith as Countess Potocka
- Charles Middletonas Sergeant at Elba
- Dennis O'Keefe as Jan Walewska
- Robert Warwick as Capt. Laroux
- Ian Wolfe as Prince Metternich
- Noble Johnson as Roustam Raza
- George Givot as Constant
Production
Boyer's fee was $125,000, with an equal amount to be paid for any French version, as well as an overtime provision. In the final event, Boyer earned $450,000 for his performance; reshoots on the film saw the budget rise.[2]
Reception
Writing for Night and Day in 1937, Graham Greene gave the film a poor review, characterizing it simply as "one of the dullest films of the year". Greene's chief complaints came from the plot, writing, and "middlebrow" dialogue which inelegantly attempted to bridge "poetic and realistic drama". Greene also notes a number of scenes or moments of "unconscious comedy" which undermined the film and let to a feeling of "great fake emotions booming out - Love, Country, Ambition".[6] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an aggregate score of 100% based on 5 critic reviews.[7]
The film grossed $730,000 in the United States and $1,411,000 in other markets, bringing the total sum of $2,141,000. Although a success with audiences, it lost $1,397,000 due to such a high budget.[8]
References
- ^ [1][citation needed]
- ^ a b Scott Eyman, Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer, Robson, 2005 p 199
- ^ Variety film review; October 27, 1937, page 18.
- ^ Harrison's Reports film review; November 13, 1937, page 183.
- ^ "NY Times: Winterset". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
- ISBN 0192812866.)
- ^ "Conquest". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
- ^ "Conquest".
External links
- Conquest at IMDb
- Conquest at the TCM Movie Database
- Conquest at AllMovie
- Conquest at the American Film Institute Catalog