Conquest (1937)

A Polish countess becomes Napoleon Bonaparte's mistress at the urging of Polish leaders, who feel she could influence him to make Poland independent.

Directors:

Clarence Brown, Gustav Machatý (uncredited)

Writers:

Waclaw Gasiorowski (novel), S.N. Behrman

Stars:

Greta Garbo, Charles Boyer, Reginald Owen

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Greta Garbo	...	Countess Marie Walewska
Charles Boyer	...	Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
Reginald Owen	...	Tallyrand
Alan Marshal	...	Capt. d'Ornano
Henry Stephenson	...	Count Anastas Walewski
Leif Erickson	...	Paul Lachinski (as Leif Erikson)
May Whitty	...	Laetitia Bonaparte (as Dame May Whitty)
Maria Ouspenskaya	...	Countess Pelagia Walewska
C. Henry Gordon	...	Prince Poniatowski
Claude Gillingwater	...	Stephan (Marie's servant)
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Dying soldier
George Houston	...	Grand Marshal George Duroc

Storyline

After a brief informal meeting two months earlier when they were impressed with each other, Countess Marie Walewska formally meets Napoleon Bonaparte at a ball in Warsaw. When Napoleon notes her husband is three times her age, and as he is taken with her charms, he unsuccessfully tries to seduce her. She ignores his frequent letters and flowers until a few grim Polish leaders led by Senator Malachowski urge her to give into his desires as a personal sacrifice in order to save Poland. She goes to him despite the humiliation of her husband, who leaves for Rome to annul their marriage. They are extremely happy for a while; Napoleon divorces childless Empress Josephine and Marie eventually becomes pregnant. She is about to tell Napoleon about her baby when he tells her he decided to marry Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria. He explains it will be a political marriage to insure his future son could rule securely with Hapsburg blood in him. It will not affect their relationship, he says, ...

---

Plot Keywords:

marie walewska | napoleon bonaparte | mistress | opening action scene | rape | 

---

Taglines:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Mightiest!

---

Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beloved

Filming Locations:

Calabasas, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,732,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$730,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,411,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film received its initial television showing in Philadelphia Tuesday 5 February 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), followed by Seattle Saturday 9 February 1957 on KING (Channel 5), and by Portland OR Wednesday 13 February 1957 on KGW (Channel 8); in Minneapolis it first aired 2 March 1957 on KMGM (Channel 9), in Chicago 16 March 1957 on WBBM (Channel 2), in Norfolk VA 17 March 1957 on WTAR (Channel 3), in Memphis 1 May 1957 on WHBQ (Channel 13), in Hartford CT 26 May 1957 on WHCT (Channel 18), in New York City 7 July 1957 on WCBS (Channel 2), in Los Angeles 1 August 1957 on KTTV (Channel 11), in Baltimore 27 September 1957 on WJZ (Channel 13), and in Altoona PA 16 December 1957 on WFBG (Channel 1); in San Francisco its first telecast occurred 25 April 1959 on KGO (Channel 7).

---

Quotes

Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte: The French love me. I must give that love for my son. The Empress knows how much I want to see him.
Laetitia Bonaparte: She did not bring him yesterday. She will not bring him today. She will not bring him tomorrow.

---

Connections

Referenced in It Ain't Half Hot Mum: Class of 1945 (1980)

---

Soundtracks

Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Opus 74, 'Pathétique' (1893)
(uncredited)
Second movement, Allegro con grazia
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

User Reviews

When the film leaves Walewska behind to follow Napoleon, it drags.

Ever since I first saw "Conquest" back in '38, I've been convinced that the first half of the film is a magnificent production, while the second half is terribly slow,as Clarence Brown's films always tended to be. The magnificent opening, with the cossacks invading the Walewski Palace, is typical of the best Clarence Brown, even if reminds you of Josef von Sternberg's "The Scarlet Empress". The trouble with the picture is that it starts telling the story or Marie Walewska, and in the middle leaves Walewska (and Garbo!) behind to tell us the political and military fall of Napoleon, which it does very badly. It is typical of this Garbo film, that its best scene omits her, and is a verbal duel between Charles Boyer and Maria Ouspenskaya. Garbo is magnificent, but Boyer was a more talented performer, and is the only actor ever to "steal" a picture from her. Magnificent production, a screen play that has no unity, and a direction that drags, conspire to make you admire Garbo, Boyer and Ouspenskaya during the first half, and sleep through the second.