55 Days at Peking

film by Ray [1963]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

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Article History

55 Days at Peking, American war film, released in 1963, that is an epic retelling of the siege of foreign legations in Beijing (Peking) during the Boxer Rebellion.

The film is set during the 1900 uprising, in which Chinese nationals sought to drive out foreigners whom they believed were undermining the country’s independence. The Empress Dowager Tz’u-hsi (played by Flora Robson) and her chief adviser, Prince Tuan (Robert Helpmann), are the main instigators of the Boxers—members of a secret society known as the Yihequan—who lead the fighting. The political representatives of 11 countries are living in a compound within Peking but are hopelessly outgunned by the Boxers. Nevertheless, the British representative, Sir Arthur Robertson (David Niven), persuades the others to stand firm and resist until reinforcements can arrive. With the help of U.S. Major Matt Lewis (Charlton Heston), Robertson organizes an impressive defense. The inhabitants of the compound fiercely resist the Boxer onslaughts, but their manpower, supplies, and ammunition dwindle to alarming levels. On the 55th day of the siege, however, reinforcements from many countries arrive and drive the Boxers out of Beijing, thus saving the international compound.

Producer Samuel Bronston had grand ambitions for 55 Days at Peking, and the film represents the epic moviemaking that characterized the golden age of Hollywood. The battle sequences are stunning in their scope, and Beijing was re-created in elaborate and enormous sets. Although these features drew much praise, they drove up production costs and contributed to the film’s losing money despite its success at the box office. Other production troubles included director Nicholas Ray’s walking off the set near the end of filming. Andrew Morton and Guy Green completed the movie, though they were uncredited. A first-rate cast is marred only by the use of Western actors as Asian characters. Also of note is Dimitri Tiomkin’s score.