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Denmark released, Blu-Ray/Region B DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), Danish ( Subtitles ), Finnish ( Subtitles ), Norwegian ( Subtitles ), Swedish ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Blu-Ray & DVD Combo, Interactive Menu, Remastered, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: In the historical epic The Conqueror, John Wayne stars as Temujin, better known as Genghis Khan. Red-haired Susan Hayward costars as Bortai, the Tartar princess whom Temujin claims as the spoils of battle. Eventually, Bortai's hatred for her captor metamorphoses into love, while Temujin's hordes lay claim to the entire Gobi Desert. Director Dick Powell, many of the actors (John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendariz, Thomas Gomez, Agnes Moorehead), and several of the crew members later fell victim to cancer, allegedly the result of producer Howard Hughes' decision to lens the film on location near the atomic testing grounds in the Utah desert. ...The Conqueror ( Conqueror of the Desert ) (Blu-Ray & DVD Combo) (Blu-Ray)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By J. Hayes
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Conqueror has taken a good deal of kicking over the years, not least because of it's ill-deserved inclusion in Harry and Michael Medved's book, The Fifty Worst Movies of All Time. They, like most writers who poke fun at this film, omit to mention that while the critics hated it, the paying public made it a huge hit at the time. Most of the criticism - and mockery - is usually levelled at the clunky dialogue, which very often verges on the unsayable - or should that be unspeakable? - of which the Duke gets, easily, the lion's share. By 1956, when this film was originally released, Wayne had enough clout to have had the script seriously doctored to suit his style of delivery and he certainly should have. However, when he saw the script, on director Dick Powell's desk, so the story goes, he insisted on taking the role - which was never written with him in mind - regardless. Though many consider him to be miscast, he certainly looks more comortable in this role than in, say, The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958), which was the only Wayne film to lose money - ever.
Stilted dialogue aside, The Conqueror is a quite spectacular, action packed epic, which makes excellent use of the panoramic Utah locations. This was R.K.O.'s first and only use of CinemaScope, under licence from 20th Century-Fox, a fact that irked Howard Hughes so much that he ordered the developement of his own widescreen lens, Superscope and, subsequently, Superscope 235 (RKO Scope in its 2:1 aspect ratio variant), the latter still being in use today in the form of Super 35, James Cameron's favourite format.
The plot takes a few liberties with history, but not nearly so many as Irving Allen's 1965 version, Genghis Khan, which starred Omar Sharif. And it has to said that Wayne is a much more impressive Temujin than Sharif, any day. He is backed up by a host of familiar faces, most of whom are usually to be found in westerns: Pedro Armendariz, Lee Van Cleef, Leo Gordon, John Hoyt and William Conrad, and the beautiful Susan Hayward is a fiery Bortai, the Khan's spirited Tartar wife.
This package includes both Blu ray and DVD versions, with several sets of optional subtitle languages, except English, which doesn't really matter as playback defaults to the original English language version.
The picture is fine and clear, with excellent colour and a some grain present - not surprising in a 'Scope film of this vintage - and there is virtually no print damage, although some of the titles are a little wobbly in both versions, which has to be down to the print used. The aspect ratio is approximately 2.35:1, enhanced for 16:9. Sound is stereo, with clearly audible dialogue throughout.
The Conqueror was supposed to be Howard Hughes' personal favourite of all the films he made and he would watch it over and over again, it was said. He bought back all the prints at one stage and the film was never seen for more than twenty years, becoming a 'lost' film, much sought after by collectors.
This is a welcome addition to the steadily growing list of fifties CinemaScope costume spectaculars available in Blu ray format, and as such, is not to be missed - even if the dialogue makes you smile a little!
Stilted dialogue aside, The Conqueror is a quite spectacular, action packed epic, which makes excellent use of the panoramic Utah locations. This was R.K.O.'s first and only use of CinemaScope, under licence from 20th Century-Fox, a fact that irked Howard Hughes so much that he ordered the developement of his own widescreen lens, Superscope and, subsequently, Superscope 235 (RKO Scope in its 2:1 aspect ratio variant), the latter still being in use today in the form of Super 35, James Cameron's favourite format.
The plot takes a few liberties with history, but not nearly so many as Irving Allen's 1965 version, Genghis Khan, which starred Omar Sharif. And it has to said that Wayne is a much more impressive Temujin than Sharif, any day. He is backed up by a host of familiar faces, most of whom are usually to be found in westerns: Pedro Armendariz, Lee Van Cleef, Leo Gordon, John Hoyt and William Conrad, and the beautiful Susan Hayward is a fiery Bortai, the Khan's spirited Tartar wife.
This package includes both Blu ray and DVD versions, with several sets of optional subtitle languages, except English, which doesn't really matter as playback defaults to the original English language version.
The picture is fine and clear, with excellent colour and a some grain present - not surprising in a 'Scope film of this vintage - and there is virtually no print damage, although some of the titles are a little wobbly in both versions, which has to be down to the print used. The aspect ratio is approximately 2.35:1, enhanced for 16:9. Sound is stereo, with clearly audible dialogue throughout.
The Conqueror was supposed to be Howard Hughes' personal favourite of all the films he made and he would watch it over and over again, it was said. He bought back all the prints at one stage and the film was never seen for more than twenty years, becoming a 'lost' film, much sought after by collectors.
This is a welcome addition to the steadily growing list of fifties CinemaScope costume spectaculars available in Blu ray format, and as such, is not to be missed - even if the dialogue makes you smile a little!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"The Conqueror" is a movie that is infamous in Hollywood history for two reasons, neither of which is a good. First, it is a movie that has John Wayne playing Genghis Khan with Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendáriz, Agnes Morehead, and William Conrad also playing Orientals. Wayne spouts lines of dialogue like "I feel this Tartar woman is for me, and my blood says, take her," "We'll chase them like rats across the tundra," and "I am bereft of spit," in what must count as the most surreal performance of his career (the role was originally written by Marlon Brando). The decision to cast the Duke as Genghis Khan is, to say, the least, bizarre, and it is hard to take your eyes away from what he is doing on screen (there is a legendary Hollywood joke that the only thing worse would have been casting Mickey Rooney as Jesus in "King of Kings").
Second, 13 week of this 1956 movie week spent filming in Utah a bit more than 100 miles from the site of a nuclear testing ground in Nevada and the set was contaminated by nuclear fallout from 11 blasts in 1953. After location shooting was concluded, producer Howard Hughes paid to have 60 tons of dirt shipped back to Hollywood so it could be used to match interior shootings. Of the 220 persons who worked on "The Conqueror" at least 91 had contracted cancer by the early 1980s and over half that number died of it, including stars Wayne, Hayward, and Morehead, and director Dick Powell (Armendáriz committed suicide when learning he was terminally ill). Statistically speaking out of a group that size only 30 people should end up with cancer. The thought that Wayne and the others would lose their lives because of a movie this bad is just a sickening thought, but the evidence seems incontrovertible and there is even a chilling photograph of Wayne on the set with a Geiger counter.
"The Conqueror" is essentially a love story between Wayne's Genghis Khan, originally named Temujin before he becomes emperor of the known world, and the beautiful Tartar princess, Bortai (Hayward). The movie has actually pays some attention to the actual history of the character and the times, at least more than the Omar Sheriff film about Genghis Khan, but clearly the idea here was that it was easier to conqueror the world than it was to tame the red headed woman in his tent. It would have helped if there was some chemistry between the two stars, but there really is not that much difference between Hayward's Bortai when she is demeaning Temujin as a Mongol or when she they ride off into the sunset at the end to live happily ever after out there on that there tundra. Then there is the idea that little Agnes Moorhead is the mother of Wayne and William Conrad, each of whom is twice her size. This film is true Hollywood turkey.
Wayne had pursued the role, seeing it as just a different type of Western, and on some level you have to respect the idea of trying to stretch as an actor. But the results are just so laughable and only the sobering through that Wayne and so many of the cast would pay for this fiasco with their lives keeps this from being a real hooter deserving of "MST3K" treatment. For years you could not see "The Conqueror" because a guilty Howard Hughes pulled it from circulation (or maybe he was not being eccentric; we are talking Howard Hughes here). In fact, "The Conqueror" was his final film. As the most curious film in John Wayne's career it deserves to be seen at least once by both his fans and those who are just curious about one of the oddest bits of Hollywood history.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2.9 out of 5 stars
54 reviews
43 of 50 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Duke in the Gobi!
30 Jan 2002
By Bill W. Dalton
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
Contrary to the critics in general and the reviewers here in
particular, The Conqueror is actually a pretty good film, if you're
a John Wayne fan, or just enjoy Hollywood spectaculars as they
were made back in the '50s. Wayne was not as miscast as one
might think. He certainly had the strength of character and screen
presence to play Temujin/Genghis Khan and he looked good in the
oriental mustache and the Mongol warrior garb. The dialog here is
no dumber than in any other Hollywood historical saga of that
time (or of this time, either, for that matter. Remember Russell
Crowe in Gladiator: "At my signal, unleash Hell!"?)
particular, The Conqueror is actually a pretty good film, if you're
a John Wayne fan, or just enjoy Hollywood spectaculars as they
were made back in the '50s. Wayne was not as miscast as one
might think. He certainly had the strength of character and screen
presence to play Temujin/Genghis Khan and he looked good in the
oriental mustache and the Mongol warrior garb. The dialog here is
no dumber than in any other Hollywood historical saga of that
time (or of this time, either, for that matter. Remember Russell
Crowe in Gladiator: "At my signal, unleash Hell!"?)
Movie lore has it that The Conqueror was filmed on location in
Utah either on or near an atomic test site, and that many of the cast
and crew later died from radiation-induced cancers. It may be
true, or it may be just mythology. There were no nuclear test sites
in Utah, but the shooting location could have been near the
Nevada test site. Director Powell and cast members Wayne,
Hayward, Moorehead, and John Hoyt did die from cancer, but of
different types and years apart. Many others died from other
causes. Pedro Armendariz committed suicide. Thomas Gomez
died from an auto accident. Lee Van Cleef died of a heart attack.
And some lived to a ripe old age. Leo Gordon, for instance,
passed away just last year, at the age of78, after a brief illness.
Gordon was a scriptwriter as well as an actor, and wrote two
classic Roger Corman movies: The Terror, and The Wasp
Woman.
The Conqueror also had the distinction of having a Playboy
Playmate, Pat Lawler (Miss August 1955) in a bit part. Ms.
Lawler appeared in the sci-fi comedy Invasion of the Saucer Men
in 1957, and that seems to be the extent of her film career..
To sum up: The Conqueror is not as bad as reported. It's not
nearly as bad as, say, Big Jim McLain, The Fighting
Kentuckian, or Jet Pilot. And it's not nearly as good as, say, The
Quiet Man, Sands of lwo Jima, or True Grit. It's in the middle.
like, say, Hatari, Circus World, or The Shootist.
This DVD edition offers just the movie, a scene index, and
subtitles. The image quality is good, but the sound varies a
bit--some of the dialog seems rather distant and tinny. But at this
price it's a bargain, so don't miss out!
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
I WAITED FIFTY YEARS TO SEE THIS! WAS IT WORTH THE WAIT?
18 Oct 2005
By Heather L. Parisi
- Published on Amazon.com
This is the import edition of this film. It has some Chinese writing in the front, but I did have the option of playing it in English.
"The Conqueror" is probably the strangest mainstream film I can recall ever seeing. It is a grand production and there is NO reason to avoid seeing this film. Nevertheless, I do have some strong opinions about the film.
Today when actors take on projects that are out-of-character and don't go well, like DeNiro in "Rocky and Bullwinkle", we say they were experimenting in the role. On that basis, John Wayne's foray into experimentation definitely hit its peak when he starred as Genghis Khan in "The Conqueror". Of course, John Wayne is the quintessential "GOOD GUY" and "GENGHIS KHAN" played like a "Good Guy" is like "Santa Claus" playing a serial killer. Yucky at the very least, impossible to do well is more like it.
John Wayne, or let's suspend disbelief now by just referring to him henceforth as Genghis. Okay, Genghis definitely came to work on this film and no one could say in their right mind that he didn't give his all in this try-to-be epic during this, his prime of acting power mid-1950s. Genghis was trying to be like the real Genghis, but he looked and sounded like John Wayne. Yes, the trapping of being too popular, too good-natured and too well-known definitely affected Genghis in both the making of and the audiences' reception of "The Conqueror".
I was okay with everything right up until he slapped Susan Hayward several times [wife of Genghis according to Genghis] and ordered that several of his "loyal" men who were drunk on guard duty be hanged. Whether this type of violence was fitting seemed not to matter as I forgot we were watching Genghis at work and just saw John Wayne acting very unbelievably. That's it. That's what is wrong with the movie. It is VERY HARD TO BELIEVE!
It's not the stilted, ridiculous dialogue. Even the best historical films have some of that, recall "Ben Hur". It's not the American actors like William Conrad and Agnes Moorehead passing for Asians along with the Duke [I mean Genghis]. It's not that Susan Hayward's make-up and appearance was much too modern, or that the brief, seductive dance by former Playboy Bunny Sylvia Lewis at the palace of Wang Khan [Thomas Gomez] was a bit too much, especially for 1956. It's not that Susan Hayward's father, a tribal leader, was drunk for the entire film and seemed far too crude to have Susan Hayward in her most polished state as his daughter or to lead a tribe. It's not the complete lack of regard for human life that permeates the entire film and the underlying cruelty and treachery that is implicitly and often all too explicity welded into every scene.
No, it is not any one of the aforementioned issues, but all of them together that is just too much for any film to overcome. Having said that, this movie is worth watching as it is a big and rather bizarre sprawling spectacle very much in the Howard Hughes [more is better] style of filmmaking. There is no cutting corners on this film.
THE DVD: Whereas the film was lavishly produced, this "IMPORTED" DVD is a "single-layer" transfer and has no features, but it does play surprisingly well for an "IMPORTED" product and this widescreen 2.35:1 looks much better than the video did. Though it claims to be in "Dolby Surround" I could not hear that, but the sound was satisfactory. It is in English only, but English or Spanish subtitles are available if needed.
Somehow this spartan, imported-edition DVD sells for over $30 and the only other available DVD [Goodtimes] also starts at about $30 which makes this a questionable purchase. Many city libraries do have this dubious classic available for circulation. I would recommend checking it out.
Though I put off seeing this film for almost 50 years, I wish I had seen it sooner as it was definitely worth seeing. I am sure to see it again before another 50 years elapses. I did manage to see the film twice now, but both available DVDs completely lacked features.
"The Conqueror" is probably the strangest mainstream film I can recall ever seeing. It is a grand production and there is NO reason to avoid seeing this film. Nevertheless, I do have some strong opinions about the film.
Today when actors take on projects that are out-of-character and don't go well, like DeNiro in "Rocky and Bullwinkle", we say they were experimenting in the role. On that basis, John Wayne's foray into experimentation definitely hit its peak when he starred as Genghis Khan in "The Conqueror". Of course, John Wayne is the quintessential "GOOD GUY" and "GENGHIS KHAN" played like a "Good Guy" is like "Santa Claus" playing a serial killer. Yucky at the very least, impossible to do well is more like it.
John Wayne, or let's suspend disbelief now by just referring to him henceforth as Genghis. Okay, Genghis definitely came to work on this film and no one could say in their right mind that he didn't give his all in this try-to-be epic during this, his prime of acting power mid-1950s. Genghis was trying to be like the real Genghis, but he looked and sounded like John Wayne. Yes, the trapping of being too popular, too good-natured and too well-known definitely affected Genghis in both the making of and the audiences' reception of "The Conqueror".
I was okay with everything right up until he slapped Susan Hayward several times [wife of Genghis according to Genghis] and ordered that several of his "loyal" men who were drunk on guard duty be hanged. Whether this type of violence was fitting seemed not to matter as I forgot we were watching Genghis at work and just saw John Wayne acting very unbelievably. That's it. That's what is wrong with the movie. It is VERY HARD TO BELIEVE!
It's not the stilted, ridiculous dialogue. Even the best historical films have some of that, recall "Ben Hur". It's not the American actors like William Conrad and Agnes Moorehead passing for Asians along with the Duke [I mean Genghis]. It's not that Susan Hayward's make-up and appearance was much too modern, or that the brief, seductive dance by former Playboy Bunny Sylvia Lewis at the palace of Wang Khan [Thomas Gomez] was a bit too much, especially for 1956. It's not that Susan Hayward's father, a tribal leader, was drunk for the entire film and seemed far too crude to have Susan Hayward in her most polished state as his daughter or to lead a tribe. It's not the complete lack of regard for human life that permeates the entire film and the underlying cruelty and treachery that is implicitly and often all too explicity welded into every scene.
No, it is not any one of the aforementioned issues, but all of them together that is just too much for any film to overcome. Having said that, this movie is worth watching as it is a big and rather bizarre sprawling spectacle very much in the Howard Hughes [more is better] style of filmmaking. There is no cutting corners on this film.
THE DVD: Whereas the film was lavishly produced, this "IMPORTED" DVD is a "single-layer" transfer and has no features, but it does play surprisingly well for an "IMPORTED" product and this widescreen 2.35:1 looks much better than the video did. Though it claims to be in "Dolby Surround" I could not hear that, but the sound was satisfactory. It is in English only, but English or Spanish subtitles are available if needed.
Somehow this spartan, imported-edition DVD sells for over $30 and the only other available DVD [Goodtimes] also starts at about $30 which makes this a questionable purchase. Many city libraries do have this dubious classic available for circulation. I would recommend checking it out.
Though I put off seeing this film for almost 50 years, I wish I had seen it sooner as it was definitely worth seeing. I am sure to see it again before another 50 years elapses. I did manage to see the film twice now, but both available DVDs completely lacked features.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Duke as an Emperor
30 Jun 2000
By George R Dekle
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
One must admit that Wayne is slightly miscast as the implacable Genghis Khan, but the story is not that bad. The plot is much better than the Genghis Khan movie starring Omar Sharif. This superiority probably owes to the fact that the Sharif story doesn't even attempt historical accuracy while "The Conqueror" seems to be loosely based on the Harold Lamb book "Genghis Khan: Emperor of All Men."
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2.9 out of 5 stars
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