Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies - 0 to 9
    Movies - 0 to 9 Movies - 1960s 2 Mins Read

    55 Days At Peking (1963)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    In June 1900, Major Matt Lewis (Charlton Heston) rides into Peking with a detachment of Marines and is appalled to see an American missionary killed by a band of men wearing the red sashes of the rebel Boxers – a peasant secret society whose motto is “destroy the foreigners”.

    Within a few days, isolated riots have escalated to a formal war against foreigners and Lewis finds himself in charge of defending the 11 embassies in Peking’s Legation City.

    The finicky British envoy, Sir Arthur Robertson (David Niven,) persuades the other diplomats not to surrender to the Chinese, but as weeks pass without the expected reinforcements the situation seems hopeless as the Boxers set about massacring Christians in an anti-Christian nationalistic fever.

    Meanwhile, a romance is growing between the American Major and sultry Russian Baroness Ivanoff (Ava Gardner).

    As Lewis and the group conserve food and water and try to save some hungry children the tricky Chinese Empress Tzu Hsi (Flora Robson) is plotting with the Boxers to break the siege at the compound with the aid of Chinese recruits

    55dayspeking_002

    Nominally directed by Nicholas Ray (who makes a brief appearance as the US ambassador), Ray was taken off the film and replaced by Andrew Marton.

    Major Matt Lewis
    Charlton Heston
    Baroness Natalie Ivanoff

    Ava Gardner
    Sir Arthur Robertson

    David Niven
    Dowager Empress Tsu Hzi

    Flora Robson
    Sergeant Harry

    John Ireland
    General Jung-Lu

    Leo Genn
    Father de Bearn

    Harry Andrews
    Prince Tuan

    Robert Helpmann
    Colonel Shiba

    Ichizo Itami
    Baron Sergei Ivanoff

    Kurt Kasznar
    Lady Sarah Robertson
    Elizabeth Sellars
    Garibaldi
    Massimo Serato
    Major Bubrinski
    Jacques Sernas

    Director
    Nicholas Ray (1)
    Andrew Marton (2)

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Savage Innocents, The (1961)
      Savage Innocents, The (1961)
      Visually stunning - colour and Cinemascope allow director Nicholas Ray to dwell to his heart's content on endless expanses of…
    • Eye Of The Devil (1966)
      Eye Of The Devil (1966)
      French aristocrat Philippe de Montfaucon (David Niven) learns bad weather is threatening the crops in his vineyard for the third…
    • Khartoum (1966)
      Khartoum (1966)
      Khartoum is a city in Sudan. There, during the government of Prime Minister Gladstone, the famed British general Charles Gordon…
    • Guns of Navarone, The (1961)
      Guns of Navarone, The (1961)
      A stalwart band of Blighty's finest heroes risk life and limb during WWII to destroy huge German gun emplacements threatening…
    • Bedtime Story (1964)
      Bedtime Story (1964)
      Marlon Brando and David Niven play two rival con men on the French Riviera - Freddy Benson and Lawrence Jameson…
    • Foxhole in Cairo (1960)
      Foxhole in Cairo (1960)
      It is 1942 and the German Afrika Korps are pushing the British back toward Cairo. Field Marshal Rommel intends to…
    • Bellboy, The (1960)
      Bellboy, The (1960)
      Stanley (Jerry Lewis) is just one of an army of bellboys at a luxury hotel in Miami. But, unlike the…
    • Nutty Professor, The (1963)
      Nutty Professor, The (1963)
      In spite of almost universal criticism, this immensely accomplished comedy remains actor/co-writer/director Jerry Lewis's best and funniest screen work. It's…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous Article52 Pickup (1986)
    Next Article 100 Rifles (1969)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Dr Finlay’s Casebook
      1 9 6 2 – 1 9 7 1 (UK) 200 x 50 minute episodes The […]
    • Nolans, The/The Nolan Sisters
      This highly popular Irish family group originally consisted of […]
    • Outlaws, The
      1 9 6 0 – 1 9 6 2 (USA) 50 x 60 minute episodes The […]
    • Almost Anything Goes (USA)
      1 9 7 5 – 1 9 7 6 (USA) Based on the successful UK […]
    • Ghost Goes Gear, The (1966)
      This 24-carat piece of 60s pop trivia was made as a showcase for […]
    • Grease 2 (1982)
      This unprepossessing sequel to the massive John Travolta/Olivia […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.