The Adventures of Marco Polo
The Adventures of Marco Polo | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster by Norman Rockwell | |
Directed by | Archie Mayo John Cromwell (uncredited) |
Written by | N.A. Pogson Robert E. Sherwood |
Produced by | Samuel Goldwyn George Haight |
Starring | Gary Cooper Sigrid Gurie Basil Rathbone |
Cinematography | Rudolph Maté Archie Stout |
Edited by | Fred Allen |
Music by | Hugo Friedhofer |
Production company | |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2 million[2] |
The Adventures of Marco Polo is a 1938 American
Plot
Nicolo Polo shows treasures from
The philosopher/fireworks-maker Chen Tsu (H. B. Warner) is the first friend they make in the city, and invites them into his home for a meal of spaghetti. Children explode a firecracker, and Marco thinks it could be a weapon. Meanwhile, at the Palace, Ahmed (Basil Rathbone), the Emperor's adviser, harboring dubious ambitions of his own, convinces Emperor Kublai Khan that his army of a million men can conquer Japan.
Kublai Khan promises
Cast
- Gary Cooper as Marco Polo
- Sigrid Gurie as Princess Kukachin
- Basil Rathbone as Ahmed
- George Barbier as Kublai Khan
- Binnie Barnes as Nazama
- Ernest Truex as Binguccio
- Alan Haleas Kaidu
- H.B. Warneras Chen Tsu
- Robert Greigas Chamberlain
- Ferdinand Gottschalk as Persian Ambassador
- Henry Kolker as Nicolo Polo
- Lotus Liu as Visakha
- Stanley Fields as Bayan
- Harold Huber as Toctai
- Lana Turner as Nazama's Maid
- Harry Cording as Officer (uncredited)
- Jason Robards Sr. as Messenger (uncredited)
- Charles Stevens as Mongol Warrior (uncredited)
Reception
Contemporary reviews were mixed. When the movie premiered at the
In Italy, the fascist censors considered the film disrespectful to the eponymous hero and insisted on re-dubbing it to make the protagonist a Scotsman called MacBone Pan and releasing it under the title Uno scozzese alla corte del Gran Kan (A Scotsman at the Great Khan's court).[11]
The film was a box office flop, losing an estimated $700,000.[12]
References
- ISBN 0-520-07908-6.
- ISBN 9781467130103.
- ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Adventures of Marco Polo
- ^ The New York Times Film Reviews, Volume 2: 1932-1938. New York: The New York Times & Arno Press. 1970. pp. 1488–1489.
- ^ "Film Reviews". Variety. New York: Variety, Inc. February 16, 1938. p. 17.
- Film Daily. New York: Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc.: 8 February 15, 1938.
- ^ "The Adventures of Marco Polo". Harrison's Reports. New York: Harrison's Reports, Inc.: 47 March 19, 1938.
- ^ Mosher, John (April 9, 1938). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker. New York: F-R Publishing Corp. p. 91.
- ^ "Hollywood Preview". Motion Picture Daily. New York: Quigley Publishing Co.: 4 February 15, 1938.
- ISBN 9780498016585.
- ISBN 9781623566463. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ Miller, John M. "The Adventures of Marco Polo". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Entertainment Networks. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
External links
- The Adventures of Marco Polo at IMDb
- synopsis at AllMovie