55 Days at Peking (1963)

Second viewing; first seen on March 30, 1990.

In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, Western citizens in China are constantly under threat, and the lack of troops and ammunitions make the situation even more ominous. An American major, working under the leadership of the English representative, tries to defend the Foreign Legations as best he can, while an attack is being prepared by the Boxers, with the half-disguised support of the Chinese Empress. In the midst of all this, the American major also gets romantically involved with a Russian baroness.

Entertaining and at times quite spectacular, this historical drama suffers somewhat due to an ill-advised sub-plot involving Russians. Perhaps it is a bit ironic that this film came out in a year when American involvement in Vietnam was rapidly escalating. The politics shown in the movie, although tackling several issues that are usual in Western affairs in foreign countries, is quite bland if compared to post-Vietnam films, either Vietnam-related or not. An excellent introduction to the origins of the situations described in the movie is provided by IMDB user trpdean in the User Reviews section (there is no way to link directly to his review, apparently).

Seen in pan-and-scan.

Rating: 51 (up from 37)