The Conqueror (1956)

Mongol chief Temujin battles against Tartar armies and for the love of the Tartar princess Bortai. Temujin becomes the emperor Genghis Khan.

Director:

Dick Powell

Writer:

Oscar Millard

Stars:

John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendáriz

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Wayne	...	Temujin, later Genghis Khan
Susan Hayward	...	Bortai
Pedro Armendáriz	...	Jamuga (as Pedro Armendariz)
Agnes Moorehead	...	Hunlun
Thomas Gomez	...	Wang Khan
John Hoyt	...	Shaman
William Conrad	...	Kasar
Ted de Corsia	...	Kumlek
Leslie Bradley	...	Targutai
Lee Van Cleef	...	Chepei
Peter Mamakos	...	Bogurchi
Leo Gordon	...	Tartar Captain
Richard Loo	...	Captain of Wang's guard

Storyline

In ancient times, the Mongolian warlord Temujin must do battle against the rival tribe that killed his father. The battles pale in comparison with Temujin's home life, as he attempts to woo the heart of the red-haired Tartar prisoner Bortai whom he has captured in a raid. He must also deal with various intrigues within his palace. Eventually, Bortai falls to his manly charms, Temujin defeats his enemies within and without, and is crowned Genghis Khan.

---

Plot Keywords:

tartar | battle | genghis khan | princess | raid | 

---

Taglines:

Spectacular as its barbaric passions and savage conquests!

---

Genres:

Adventure | Biography | History | Romance | War

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Conqueror of the Desert

Filming Locations:

Escalante Desert, St. George, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$4,500,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to "The Hollywood Hall of Shame," the screenplay was written with Marlon Brando in mind for the lead. John Wayne was about to make the last film of a three-picture deal for RKO Radio, and Dick Powell had been assigned to direct. They were going over various scripts in Powell's office when Powell was called away for a few minutes. When he returned, he found Wayne enthusiastically looking over the screenplay for "The Conqueror", which Powell had intended to throw away. Powell tried to talk him out of it, but Wayne insisted that it was the film he wanted to make. As Powell later said, "Who am I to turn down John Wayne?"

---

Goofs

When Temujin throws a spear at a man in a stream, the wire guiding it is visible. The spear's trajectory is also wobbly.

---

Quotes

Temujin: We'll chase them like rats across the tundra.

---

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Rocket Attack U.S.A. (1990)

User Reviews

One of the all time unintentionally funny movies.

One of the all-time bad movies, an unintentional joke that actually stays funny for over two hours. John Wayne as Genghis Khan is one of the worst examples of miscasting in the history in Hollywood, but that's not what makes the movie so funny. What makes the movie funny is Wayne attempting to say the ridiculous purple prose of the script, the whole thing is written in this sort of pseudo-Shakesperian English, and John Wayne was always one of those rare actors who had serious trouble with anything like a grammatical sentence. Whenever things start to lag Wayne has to say something like "I ree-gret that Ah am without sufficient spittle to sa-lute you as you dee-serve" or the classic "Yore beautiful in yore wrath".

Also memorable for bad supporting performances by Agnes Moorehead and William Conrad, the sight of Wayne in Asiatic eye-makeup and Fu-Manchu moustace (the only biography of Khan I've read says he was white anyway), Susan Hayward doing a clumsy sword dance, a rape scene that would embarrass the tackiest Bodice-ripper, kitschy sets, and a Las Vegas revue act featuring a female dancer in a white leotard with a patch of fringe right *there*.