What was the 1963 epic film 55 Days at Peking about?

55 Days at Peking is a 1963 American epic historical war film that dramatizes the siege of foreign diplomatic compounds during the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900. Directed primarily by Nicholas Ray, the film stars Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and David Niven. It received mixed reviews upon release for historical inaccuracies, though it was nominated for two Academy Awards.

What we know

• 55 Days at Peking is a 1963 American epic historical war film produced by Samuel Bronston for Allied Artists. [2]
• The film dramatizes the siege of the foreign legation compounds in Beijing during the Boxer Rebellion in the summer of 1900, which lasted for 55 days. [2, 5]
• Director Nicholas Ray fell ill during production, leading uncredited directors Guy Green and Andrew Marton to assume leadership in the latter stages of filming. [2]
• The movie stars Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and David Niven, and featured the first known screen appearance of Yuen Siu Tien. [2]
• The film grossed $10 million against a budget of $10 million and received two Academy Award nominations. [2]

Where to go next

• how we knowWhat actually happened during the Siege of the International Legations?
• whoWho was director Nicholas Ray?
• the bigger pictureHow did the Boxer Rebellion unfold in China?
• compared withWhat were Samuel Bronston's other epic historical films?
• a case in pointWho was child actress Lynne Sue Moon?
• an unexpected connectionHow does a 1963 Hollywood war film connect to Japanese cinema icon Juzo Itami?Juzo Itami, credited as Ichizo Itami, made an acting appearance in the film as Colonel Goro Shiba long before becoming a famous Japanese film director.

Sources

• [1]55 Days at Peking (Wikidata Q244115) · CC0 1.0
• [2]55 Days at Peking · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Lynne Sue Moon · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]55 · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Siege of the International Legations · CC BY-SA 4.0