55 Days at Peking

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Chris R It is definitely a creature of its own time. That is, it's a Hollywood spectacle of excess and melodrama. While it's a great popcorn chomper, there are bits you wish were better. The casting of European actors as Chinese is, of course, problematic, not to mention the gray facepaint on the Boxer acrobats. Sheesh! It would also have been nice to hear The Dowager Empress CiXi refer to her own people as Yihetuans rather than Boxers (to Europeans, martial arts looked like Chinese boxing.) Her final line "The Dynasty is finished!" is nonsense - you have 2 empresses and a "Last Emperor" to go. It would have been nice to have a musical score that sounded even vaguely Chinese -- what the hell are the Boxers singing while bringing up the siege tower? Then there's the unexplained disappearance of some supporting characters. David Niven gets all--but-forgotten in the final act, while Ava Gardner finishes solo. I'd have traded some of the earlier scenes with duplicate dialogue (there's a lot of that) for a few moments of the trio at the end. All that said, it's a big, loud movie in the old school tradition! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/20/25 Full Review nick s If you don't mind a Hollywood reinvention of history that's way off the mark then this isn't too bad. The sets and action are colourful and energetic. It does suffer from slow pacing and a meandering story line. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/17/25 Full Review Noah P A great watch, does run on a bit long. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/18/24 Full Review Benoit B Great practical effects and cinematography, however the movie moved pretty slowly. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/25/23 Full Review Shay C Classic setting. Really enjoyed this movie. It does run too long, though. Still great to watch. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/25/23 Full Review CodyZamboni Z Solid historical action epic, Astounding giant full scale sets, Impressive wide screen explosion action scenes, Epic battle scenes with hundreds of extras, All courtesy of 2nd unit director Andrew Marton, Only demerit - unnecessary romantic subplot, Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/05/24 Full Review Read all reviews

55 Days at Peking

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