The Conqueror (1956)

User Rating:

2.7/10   

Director:

Dick Powell

Writer:

Oscar Millard (written by)

Release Date:

28 March 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Biography | History | Romance | War

Tagline:

Surpasses anything ever filmed before!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Tartar | Battle | Genghis Khan | Palace | Mongolian

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Aldrich	...	Chieftain #2 (uncredited)
Phil Arnold	...	Honest John (uncredited)
Gregg Barton	...	Jalair (uncredited)
Lane Bradford	...	Chieftain #4 (uncredited)
Larry Chance	...	Tartar (uncredited)
Barrie Chase	...	Dancer in Wang's palace (uncredited)
John Daheim	...	Tartar guard sounding alarm (uncredited)
John George	...	Drummer boy (uncredited)
Jeanne Gerson	...	Bortai's slave woman (uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	Subuya, (Mongol warrior) (uncredited)
Michael Granger	...	Chieftain #1 (uncredited)
Robert Hinkle	...	Monk (uncredited)
David Hoffman	...	Potter (uncredited)
Paul Hoffman	...	Chieftain #3 (uncredited)
Charles Horvath	...	(uncredited)
Pat Lawler	...	Wang Khan's wife (uncredited)
Weaver Levy	...	Mongol (uncredited)
Jarma Lewis	...	Girl in bath (uncredited)
Sylvia Lewis	...	Solo dancer (uncredited)
Pat McMahon	...	Girl in bath (uncredited)
Torben Meyer	...	Scribe (uncredited)
Norman S. Powell	...	Mongol guard (uncredited)
Ray Spiker	...	Guard (uncredited)
George E. Stone	...	Sibilant Sam (uncredited)
Ken Terrell	...	Sorgan (Mongol warrior) (uncredited)
Patricia Tiernan	...	Wang Khan's wife (uncredited)
Carl Vernell	...	Merkit captain (uncredited)
Michael Wayne	...	Mongol guard (uncredited)
Patrick Wayne	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Dick Powell

Writing credits
Oscar Millard		(written by)

Produced by
Dick Powell	....	producer
Richard Sokolove	....	associate producer
Howard Hughes	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Victor Young

Cinematography by
Joseph LaShelle
William E. Snyder		(as William Snyder)
Leo Tover
Harry J. Wild

Film Editing by
Robert Ford
Kennie Marstella

Art Direction by
Carroll Clark
Albert S. D'Agostino

Set Decoration by
Al Orenbach
Darrell Silvera

Makeup Department
Mel Berns	....	makeup artist
Larry Germain	....	hair stylist
Web Overlander	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edward Killy	....	assistant director
Cliff Lyons	....	second unit director

Sound Department
Walter Elliott	....	sound effects
Bernard Freericks	....	sound
Terry Kellum	....	sound

Special Effects by
Linwood G. Dunn	....	photographic effects (as Linwood Dunn)
Albert Simpson	....	photographic effects

Stunts
Roydon Clark	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Daheim	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry A. Escalante	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bernie Gozier	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Graham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Charles Horvath	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Morgan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Allen Pomeroy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Barlow Simpson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ray Spiker	....	stunts (uncredited)
Norm Taylor	....	stunt rigger (uncredited)
Ken Terrell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill White Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry Wills	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Wilson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Yvonne Wood	....	costumes: men
Michael Woulfe	....	costumes: Miss Hayward

Editorial Department
Stuart Gilmore	....	editorial supervisor

Music Department
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	music supervisor
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	musical director
Sidney Cutner	....	orchestrator
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator

Other crew
William J. Hole Jr.	....	script supervisor (as William Hole Jr.)
Howard Hughes	....	presenter
Robert Sidney	....	choreographer
Barlow Simpson	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Norm Taylor	....	wrangler (uncredited)

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1956) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• GoodTimes Home Video (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Chivwit Indian Tribe  group cast members

Also Known As:

Conqueror of the Desert

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Escalante Desert, St. George, Utah, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Sometimes referred to as "An RKO Radioactive Picture".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: 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: She is a woman - much woman. Should her perfidy be less than that of other women?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005) (TV)

Vigorous, unusual, funny and spectacular!

In the 1950s, people liked Cinemascope and Technicolor movies...

Epic movies with gigantic battles, huge and fantastic sets and costumes, were massive projects and hugely popular...

One of them is 'The Conqueror' played by legendary actors...

The film deals with Mongols, Merkits, and Tartars struggling for survival in a harsh and arid land.. Plunder and rapine were their way of life and no man trusted his brother...

The Mongols, led by Temujin (John Wayne) and his blood brother Jamuga (Pedro Armendariz), attack a Merkit caravan, capturing the untamed princess Bortai (Susan Hayward), daughter of Kumlek (Ted De Corsia), ruler of the Tartars and slayer of Temujin's father...

Temujin's mother, Hunlun (Agnes Moorehead), fears Kumlek's wrath, and she begs Temujin to set Bortai free, but he refuses... Despite his vow to avenge his father's death, Temujin was fascinated by the girl's beauty and fire..

The Merkits attack in an attempt to rescue the hot-blooded Bortai but are defeated... Bortai escapes but is soon recaptured by Temujin, who declares he will make her his wife... But later, she lets him know how much she despises him: 'Before that day dawns, Mongol, the vultures will have feasted on your heart!'

Temujin waits... The Mongols then go on to Urga—a Chinesea town ruled by the powerful Wang Khan (Thomas Gomez).

The mighty ruler welcomes his guests and entertains them at a banquet... Bortai attends and is seated next to him... She suddenly decides to dance for the Khan and, taking two swords, starts her exotic dance... At the end, having discarded one of the swords, she aims the other one at Temujin...

As Genghis Khan, the 12th Century Mongol warrior whose coming changed the face of the world, John Wayne won't disappoint his ardent followers...

The highlight of the film is the sensational veil and swords dance Susan Hayward performs... Hayward looked radiant in her wrath...

Agnes Moorehead nearly manages to steal the show as her imitation of a talking prune is absolutely extraordinary...

Two of Wayne's sons had bit parts as warriors...