Richard Dix, hot off his success in RKO's Oscar winner CIMARRON (1931), is cast as the lead in this precode western, which was the studio's follow-up to the earlier film. His costar is Ann Harding who seems to be a substitute for Irene Dunne. Miss Dunne had been in CIMARRON, and the character that Harding plays is shown singing at the piano. Miss Harding is not very musically inclined like Dunne.
The director has Harding speak in high pitched coquettish tones during the opening sequence, which seems odd since Harding's voice naturally has a lower register. Later in the film when Harding plays the character in advanced age, she is required to affect her voice again.
The drama takes a while to get going. Harding's wealthy bank president father (Walter Walker) disapproves of his clerk Dix romancing his daughter. He fires Dix but then loses his standing when the bank goes under. In a state of disgrace, the old man dies and all the family assets must be auctioned off to pay outstanding debts. Harding is now penniless but free to marry Dix. They soon leave New York and head west to start a new life together.
Things take an interesting turn when they get to Nebraska. As they sail down a river barge, they're robbed by some outlaws, and Dix is shot. This prevents the newlyweds from venturing further west, since Dix is in need of medical attention. In a nearby town, a hotel owner (Edna May Oliver) knows of a man who can treat Dix's injuries-- a drunken doctor, who happens to be her husband (Guy Kibbee).
The scenes where Kibbee performs surgery while intoxicated are "fun" to watch. Kibbee and Oliver are wonderful, not just colorful support, more like second leads. The two couples become close friends. When Dix recovers and decides to open a bank in the small midwestern town, his wife and new friends help him succeed.
The next part of the story continues the saga a short time later. The town and bank have been prospering. Dix and Harding have twins, a boy and a girl. But on the day that a train comes into the new station, their son is killed and so is Kibbee while trying to save the boy. The accident is impressively staged, and this is one of the most powerful moments in the film. Pictures like this are made to be epic in scope, with equal measures of triumph and tragedy.
Years pass, and the daughter (Julie Haydon) is now grown and married to one of her father's employees (Donald Cook). Mirroring the opening sequence, there's another economic downturn, and the bank's future is in jeopardy. The daughter's husband commits suicide, leaving her a widow like Oliver.
THE CONQUERORS then skips ahead to WWI, followed by the 1920s and the stock market crash of 1929. Harding's character dies one day while watching a parade. A portrait of her hangs in her husband's office, indicating her continued presence in his thoughts and actions.
In the final section of the film, Dix is also cast as his older character's grandson, basically playing a dual role.
There are a lot of good and interesting ideas presented on screen. THE CONQUERORS is a David Selznick production covering the years 1873 to 1931, and it is rich in period detail. I found this to be a very fine movie worth watching. The dialogue is a bit simplistic in spots, but the performances are grand, and they will captivate any viewer.
The director has Harding speak in high pitched coquettish tones during the opening sequence, which seems odd since Harding's voice naturally has a lower register. Later in the film when Harding plays the character in advanced age, she is required to affect her voice again.
The drama takes a while to get going. Harding's wealthy bank president father (Walter Walker) disapproves of his clerk Dix romancing his daughter. He fires Dix but then loses his standing when the bank goes under. In a state of disgrace, the old man dies and all the family assets must be auctioned off to pay outstanding debts. Harding is now penniless but free to marry Dix. They soon leave New York and head west to start a new life together.
Things take an interesting turn when they get to Nebraska. As they sail down a river barge, they're robbed by some outlaws, and Dix is shot. This prevents the newlyweds from venturing further west, since Dix is in need of medical attention. In a nearby town, a hotel owner (Edna May Oliver) knows of a man who can treat Dix's injuries-- a drunken doctor, who happens to be her husband (Guy Kibbee).
The scenes where Kibbee performs surgery while intoxicated are "fun" to watch. Kibbee and Oliver are wonderful, not just colorful support, more like second leads. The two couples become close friends. When Dix recovers and decides to open a bank in the small midwestern town, his wife and new friends help him succeed.
The next part of the story continues the saga a short time later. The town and bank have been prospering. Dix and Harding have twins, a boy and a girl. But on the day that a train comes into the new station, their son is killed and so is Kibbee while trying to save the boy. The accident is impressively staged, and this is one of the most powerful moments in the film. Pictures like this are made to be epic in scope, with equal measures of triumph and tragedy.
Years pass, and the daughter (Julie Haydon) is now grown and married to one of her father's employees (Donald Cook). Mirroring the opening sequence, there's another economic downturn, and the bank's future is in jeopardy. The daughter's husband commits suicide, leaving her a widow like Oliver.
THE CONQUERORS then skips ahead to WWI, followed by the 1920s and the stock market crash of 1929. Harding's character dies one day while watching a parade. A portrait of her hangs in her husband's office, indicating her continued presence in his thoughts and actions.
In the final section of the film, Dix is also cast as his older character's grandson, basically playing a dual role.
There are a lot of good and interesting ideas presented on screen. THE CONQUERORS is a David Selznick production covering the years 1873 to 1931, and it is rich in period detail. I found this to be a very fine movie worth watching. The dialogue is a bit simplistic in spots, but the performances are grand, and they will captivate any viewer.