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47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating mixture of spectacle and intimacy, March 18, 2001
The last theatrical feature film from director Nicholas Ray who made REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, BIGGERT THAN LIFE, THEY LIVE BY NIGHT, etc., is a historical epic spectacle set in Beijing, China in the midst of the revolt of the Boxers. Producer Samuel Bronston wanted to make an exotic film about war, political intrigue, and international solidarity. However, epic spectacle is not realy Ray's league. And in the midle of the shooting, Ray had a heart attack. Most of the "big" scenes ended up to be shot by second-unit director Andrew Morton. and while they are effective enough, they arr not that great. Still, this film bears a lot of the unmisstakable signature of Ray; the master of human emotion. Never before Charlton Heston was able to show such an intimacy, so much of human vulnerability in a film. The scene in which he has to tell the daughter of his best friend's half-chinese daughter that her father was killed in action (a scene that banal directors would treat as a shalow tearjearker) shows how much subtle and truthful emotion Ray was capable to pull out from his actors. Ava Gardner plays a turnished Russian contessa, and is extraordinary. Her story is perhaps the strongest among this multi-charactered, muti-layered drama. While the production design is quite adequate considering the film was shot in Spain in the 60's, and surprisingly deprived of phony extoticism for that time, contemporary viewers may take it rather silly. But please remember that at that time, somesthing like THE LAST EMPEROR was impossible. Western film crew were not even allowed to set foot on the Chinese land. Some scenes still are good example of another trademark directorial touch of Ray; his love for extremely dramatic composition and particulary to pull out the dramatic core of a scene by setting it on an unstable location such as stairs. It is a flawed film, perhaps, but still extremly beautiful and emotional. Dimitri Tiomkin's score (and the song "So Little Time") is also unforgettable.
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53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A neglected part of history, February 11, 2006
Reviewers should quit nit-picking political correctness (see reviews of the VHS version). The motion picture is about an actual event, i.e., the defense of the foreign quarter (the embassies and such) during the Boxer Rebellion in China. Sure, there is literary license, and some events are shown differently than they actually occurred, but isn't that true of most motion pictures about historical events ("Braveheart," for example, drastically warped some points of history creating impossible relationships). This film is spectacular, and has its moments, but all is not fun and games. The young son of the British ambassador is killed by a Chinese sniper, the German ambassador is killed (OK, so in reality he was shot, but allow the producer a little latitude), the countess is killed, and an American marine is killed leaving an orphan daughter. Keep in mind when watching the motion picture that it was produced to make money. Dry historical accounts generally are not successful in that regard. The film may depart a little from actual history, but maybe not that much. The Boxers were an anti-foreign movement in China, and they did murder missionaries who were trying to spread western religions in China. If they would have left it at that, they might have survived, but attacking embassies was a diplomatic no-no. The western powers (Germany, Japan, Russia, England, the United States, etc.) used that as an excuse for armed intervention and demanding concessions. Keep in mind that foreign traders were making money selling opium to Chinese, and you can understand some of the animosity. It would be like Columbian drug cartels using force of arms to demand their right to sell cocaine in the U.S. But putting the political correctness aside, it is a very good film about an event that happened. You might also watch "Khartoum" about the battle between Muslim religious fanatics and British colonialism. Colonists are never popular, and we are still experiencing the ill effects of James I of England planting protestant colonies of Scots in Ulster.
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40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always Good To See an Old Favorite, Return., February 4, 2008
Well everyone, here it is and better than ever! :) As always, Charlton Heston's screen presense Magnificent. David Niven is as charming as ever and always brings his particular brand of class to the screen. And what could one say of Ava Gardner that hasn't been said, before? Truly, she shines in this picture. One Note to bring to your Attention: Subtitles (which are sometimes set as Default by the manufacturer) are Removable via the Set-Up Menu. Very simple to do. You will not be disappointed with the video and sound quality of this release. Illusion
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