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Title: Désirée (1954)
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Nominated for
2
Oscars.
See more awards »
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Marlon Brando | ... | Napoleon Bonaparte | |
| Jean Simmons | ... | Désirée Clary | |
| Merle Oberon | ... | Empress Josephine | |
| Michael Rennie | ... | Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte | |
| Cameron Mitchell | ... | Joseph Bonaparte | |
| Elizabeth Sellars | ... | Julie - Désirée's Sister | |
| Charlotte Austin | ... | Paulette Bonaparte | |
| Cathleen Nesbitt | ... | Mme. Bonaparte | |
| Evelyn Varden | ... | Marie | |
| Isobel Elsom | ... | Mme. Clary - Désirée's Mother | |
| John Hoyt | ... | Talleyrand | |
| Alan Napier | ... | Despreaux | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Mary Stewart | ... | Minor Role | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
In Marseilles, France in 1794, Desiree Clary, a young millinery clerk, becomes infatuated with Napoleon Bonaparte, but winds up wedding Genaral Jean-Baptiste Berandotte, an aid to Napoleon who later joins the forces that bring about the Emperor's downfall. Josephine Beauharnais, a worldly courtesan marries Napoleon and becomes Empress of France, but is then cast aside by her spouse when she proves unable to produce an heir to the throne. Written by alfiehitchie
Plot Keywords:
emperor | napoleonic wars | french revolution | based on book | character name as title |Taglines:
The life...the women...the conquests of Napoleon!Parents Guide:
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[Her husband raises his eyebrows, a bit shocked but obviously amused]
Desiree Clary: Don't worry, no one's going to pull up my skirts and look!
See more »
(uncredited)
Composed By Alfred Newman
Orchestrated By Alexander Courage
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Jean Bernadotte was no one's first choice for Crown Prince of Sweden. A prince of Denmark had been brought to Sweden when the King's mind and body began to fail him, but he died only weeks after coming to Sweden from a stroke. The King's, Charles XIII's, grandnephew had been barred from succession because it was feared he would seek revenge on Napoleon, and his own children had been both stillborn. Jean was named as Crown Prince for his kindness to Swedish prisoners captured by him when still a Marshal of France. See more »Goofs
Jean Bernadotte's name is mispronounced throughout the film. It is actually pronounced BER-NAH-DOH. See more »Quotes
Desiree Clary: [shouting over an icy wind as they dock in Stockholm] I hope we get indoors soon, Jean-Baptiste! I've worn all my warmest underthings and I'm still freezing![Her husband raises his eyebrows, a bit shocked but obviously amused]
Desiree Clary: Don't worry, no one's going to pull up my skirts and look!
See more »
Connections
Referenced in The World According to Smith & Jones: The Napoleonic Wars (1987) See more »Soundtracks
Désirée Waltz(uncredited)
Composed By Alfred Newman
Orchestrated By Alexander Courage
See more »
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See more on IMDbPro »
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Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
11 February 1955 (Belgium) See more »Also Known As:
Désirée See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$2,720,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.55 : 1Contribute to This Page
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Recently I viewed for the umpteenth time CONQUEST with Charles Boyer's brilliant Oscar-nominated performance as Napoleon. I have just seen DESIREE for the first time and am intrigued by Brando's take on the man. The make-up department has given him a Napoleonic nose bridge and he has supplied the rest. He plays N. as a moody, passionate, obsessed man, but plays him in a quiet, controlled manner. Only twice in the film does he lose his temper. This is a performance I will go back to and study. Brando's insight is as always stellar. His Napoleon believed so much in his "destiny," that he assumed the rest of the world would fall into place around that obsession. Fascinatnig to watch.
The film itself is a pretty, early CinemaScope epic with Oscar-nominated Art Direction and Costume Design. Jean Simmons does her very best to bring this woman to life, but as others here have observed, Desiree was a rather dull child, noted for her beauty, and little else. That her life was a Cinderella story (from milliner to Queen of Sweden) is of no doubt, but she never seemed to have deserved her good fortune. It is really Brando's film. He has 19 scenes and makes the most of every one.
If you are a Brando or Napoleon fan, do see it, but don't expect much from the story. It's pretty straight-forward with little drama (though the circumstances make for much drama if written properly).