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The Conqueror (VHS, 1995)
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The Conqueror was a truly perplexing mix of epic moviemaking and type-miscasting that somehow ended up a true film classic! Producer Howard Hughes loved the film so much, he removed it from circulation after it's initial run, and the film remained hidden away in the personal vaults of Howard Hughes until after his estate was settled. Only Howard Hughes could have gotten away with such a cast! Who on earth would ever think of casting the legendary John Wayne as the Mongol leader, Timujen, the Great Genghis Khan? Sure, the Duke had those cute squinty eyes that tended to look oriental in some films, but he really looked strange out of western boots and spurs! (I kept waiting to hear him say, "Hello, Pilgrim!") And Pedro Armendariz was forced to work his way through heavy seas with his lines as Timujen's half brother. Another great actor in a part that was beneath his abilities. Susan Hayward, the siren femme fatale who played his lady love, was well cast in the role, but her lines were so trite and stilted, even she couldn't make the script sound good. And imagine Agnes Moorhead as a wiry old Mongol woman. The perpetual scowl was real, but her part was poorly constructed. She could have been better used in the film. Where the plot and the script failed, the fabulous desert locations, the magnificent costuming, and the thousands of extras swept us away with the sheer proportions of the film. Filmed in 1953, the Conqueror was released after a massive publicity buildup, but failed to bring the box office revenues expected. While grossing well for the first few weeks, it peaked and waned, and that may have had something to do with Hughes removing it from the market after such a short run. It was his brain child, lavish and expensive, and very much of his own making. He poured millions into the making of it, and spared no expense for realism. Had Hughes cast another actor as Timujen, perhaps the public might have received the film better. It was rather a shock for filmgoers to see their favorite tall lanky cavalry officer in Mongol hat and jacket, wearing a Fu Manchu mustache and drawling out his lines in that unmistakable twang that made John Wayne America's favorite Cowboy. John Wayne never failed to make a part his own...the part became John Wayne, not the other way around. All in all, the film is definitely a classic, and is well worth the price. I genuinely enjoy watching it today, although 50 years ago, I giggled all the way through it. I just could not manage to get past my cowboy hero wearing that silly fur hat! There are casting errors, and then there are casting boo-boos. I adored John Wayne in his war movies, his airplane dramas, and in his westerns, but as Genghis Khan, he made a wonderful Texan! I recommend adding this one to your classic collection. And if you are a John Wayne fan, it is a must. Have fun!Read full review
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