55 Days at Peking Overview:

55 Days at Peking (1963) was a Drama - Historical Film directed by Guy Green and Andrew Marton and produced by Michal Waszynski and Samuel Bronston.

Academy Awards 1963 --- Ceremony Number 36 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Music - ScoringDimitri TiomkinNominated
Best Music - SongMusic by Dimitri Tiomkin; Lyrics by Paul Francis WebsterNominated
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Quotes from

Maj. Matt Lewis: He's a good soldier when he knows what he's fighting for.
Sir Arthur Robertson: It's easy when it's something you can see; a wall, a hill, a river, but how can you explain to them when it's for a principle.
Maj. Matt Lewis: You can't. Not here in China, it's too far from home.


Capt. Andy Marshall: [Regarding the Boxers massed on the Tartar Wall] No sign of activity, hmm?
Sgt. Harry: No sir, I think they're all asleep.
Capt. Andy Marshall: Ah, but we'd better not be Sergeant.
[Nodding to sleeping soldiers]
Capt. Andy Marshall: You'd better wake them all up.
Sgt. Harry: [to English Soldier] Wake up!
[to German Soldier]
Sgt. Harry: Guten Morgen!
[to French Soldier]
Sgt. Harry: Bonjour! Bonjour!
[to Italian Soldier]
Sgt. Harry: Buongiorno!
[Picks up and looks at hat of Japanese Marine]
Sgt. Harry: ... Good Morning?
Japanese Marine: Good Morning.


Baron Sergei Ivanoff: [Clapping sarcastically] Congratulations, Sir Arthur! It seems the British have won another bloodless victory!
US Minister Maxwell: I take it you have now unanimously decided to stay.
Baron Sergei Ivanoff: I shall report in my diary the first vote was nine-to-one, and that in a... friendly spirit it was then decided to make the decision unanimous.


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Facts about

Charlton Heston wanted Jeanne Moreau for the role of Baroness Ivanoff.
The siege of the Peking Legation Quarter was a great backdrop for dramatic effect and story-telling as the basis of this movie because it involved so many nationalities and personalities through a real crisis in an exotic location. Some survivors of the Legations, however, felt they did not have as tough a time as those caught three miles away in the concurrent more closely confined siege by Boxers and soldiers of Peking's Northern Cathedral. Defended by only 25 French and 15 Italian marines, the Catholic Bishop Pierre-Marie-Alphonse Favier (1837-1905) held out for 56 days against sniping, bombardment and mining, losing 10 of his marines killed and 500 of his Chinese congregation. There is enough material in the cathedral siege for a movie in its own right.
Due to mainland China's hostility and isolation from the Western world, a full-scale 60-acre replication of Peking 1900 (sewers and all) was built in the plains outside Madrid, and Chinese/Asian extras were flown in from all over Europe to provide the local Peking (the old name of Beijing) citizenry. A number of costumes for the Royal Chinese Court (the Empress, Prince Tuan's, etc.) were authentic ones from Tzu Hsi's actual court. They were loaned by an illustrious Florentine family (which wished to stay anonymous) but was able to rescue them from the collapse of the dynasty right after the Boxer rebellion.
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