Suez (1938)

Ferdinand de Lesseps, disappointed in love, is sent as a junior diplomat to the Isthmus of Suez, and realizes it's just the place for a canal.

Director:

Allan Dwan

Writers:

Sam Duncan (story), Philip Dunne (screenplay),

Stars:

Tyrone Power, Loretta Young, Annabella

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tyrone Power	...	Ferdinand de Lesseps
Loretta Young	...	Countess Eugenie de Montijo
Annabella	...	Toni Pellerin
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Prince Said
Joseph Schildkraut	...	Vicomte Rene De Latour
Henry Stephenson	...	Count Mathieu de Lesseps
Sidney Blackmer	...	Marquis Du Brey
Maurice Moscovitch	...	Mohammed Ali (as Maurice Moscovich)
Sig Ruman	...	Sergeant Pellerin (as Sig Rumann)
Nigel Bruce	...	Sir Malcolm Cameron
Miles Mander	...	Benjamin Disraeli
George Zucco	...	Prime Minister
Leon Ames	...	Napoleon III - Emperor of France
Rafaela Ottiano	...	Maria De Teba
Victor Varconi	...	Victor Hugo

Storyline

De Lesseps is a young aristocrat who conceives the idea for the Suez Canal. When Napoleon fails him, the British show interest. Though the production values make the film entertaining its historical content is generally agreed to be awful.

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Plot Keywords:

canal | diplomat | suez canal | viceroy | burial | 

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Taglines:

A man of two loves and one mighty deed !

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

28 October 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

Süveys kahramanlari

Filming Locations:

Corona, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 98 min (FMC Library Print) 104 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview in the late 1970s, director Allan Dwan talked of the censorship battle he had with the Hays Office over the wet-shirt scene, in which Annabella's erect nipples are on prominent display. "I wanted them to show," he said. His argument with the Hays Office was, "Have you ever seen a nude woman? Ever seen your wife nude? There was nothing there that wasn't positively true to life ... you knew she was going to be sexy ... that's why you picked her. The audience knows. This is my idea of giving it to them. All women are alike - they can go to the mirror and see that anytime." The matter was dropped as re-shooting the scene would have cost too much as the studio would have had to rebuild the entire set. Dwan said that his nemesis, studio boss Darryl F. Zanuck, was pleased with the picture.

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Quotes

[His party appears to be losing the election]
Benjamin Disraeli: Yes, I'm afraid you're right. Apparently the present government have temporarily averted the danger of England taking over the leadership of the world, huh?

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Connections

Referenced in The James Dean Story (1957)

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Soundtracks

"Artist's Life (Kunstlerleben), Op.316"
(1867) (uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauß
Arranged by Emil Gerstenberger
Played as dance music at the Emperor's reception

User Reviews

very good period picture

This is a very solid 20th Century Fox/Tyrone Power epic film. While not the best Power ever did, it is still very good and worth seeing. Plus, it gives people a chance to see the real-life Mrs. Power, actress Annabella. Rarely do you get a chance to see actors starring with their wives. The film score, sets, direction and script are all very good--though perhaps a little too much emphasis is placed on romance. Oh well, perhaps that's what you get for putting your wife in the film (just kidding). After you see this film, you might also then try watching the movie DISRAELI, so you can find out that just a few years after the French almost single-handedly built the canal, the British swooped in and obtained a 50% interest! Now that's cheeky!