The Conqueror (1956) User Reviews

If this is a real representation of history, God must have been in a silly mood in the 12th century!

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 21 May 2020]

If this was the Mongolian BBQ of John Wayne's career, it was filled with rancid tartar sauce for Susan Hayward. This goes down in film history as probably the dumbest of historical epics, but one with a sad PostScript gangs to the location where it was shocked. This was made at the tail end of RKO radios reign as one of the Hollywood major studios, and during the Howard Hughes era, the studio had its share of disasters. If you view this as a cartoon, you might find it amusing because it is indeed extremely funny albeit in a tacky way.

it's no wonder that John Wayne was never cast as Charlie Chan because he looks absolutely ridiculous in his Fu Manchu mustache with his eyes altered to appear Asian. He's the future emperor Genghis Khan, kidnapping Susan Hayward who is Believe it or not the daughter of a tartan King whom he molests and forces to be his bride. Somehow, however, she falls in love with him, and it's probably one of the most unbelievable romances in film history. There's Pedro Armendáriz, William Conrad, Leon Van Cleef and Thomas Gomez looking absolutely ridiculous as well, and Agnes Moorehead's disapproving mother of Wayne is basically an Asian version of Endora. She is giving the most ridiculous looking wardrobe and her eyes are indicating that she's wondering how she got messed up in this mess.

This film has so many silly moments that you document to them would be a movie in itself. There is of course is the obligatory dance sequence that indicates that Hayward, while talented in many ways, was not a Terpsiqourie. in addition to the silly looking costumes, some of the sets are outlandish, particularly part of the caravan following Hayward on her way to be patrols. This contraption looks like a giant powder puff container.

Unfortunately, a good majority of the cast and crew were afflicted with cancer due to military tests near by the sets. I'm sure when they were diagnosed and realize what they were doing when this occurred made the bad memory of it all the more infuriating. At least nobody has to sing like Desi Arnaz Jr.and Zero Mostel would do two decades later in the musical about Genghis's grandson Kublai and his meeting with Marco Polo. You're better off with the still mediocre 1965 film about Genghis Khan starring Omar Sharif. Still, this is laughably fun, and in spite of being ridiculously bad, it is certainly never boring.

Implausibly staged, improbably cast oriental style Western

[shakercoola · 3/10 · 24 December 2019]

An American historical adventure; A story set in the 12th century about the rise of a ferocious chieftain - the future Gengis Khan - who kidnaps the daughter of a ruthless rival - a Tartar - causing a continental conflict. Despite some impressive battle sequences with good stuntwork, this mostly-fiction-based-on-fact movie suffers from a dull and contrived narrative. The dialogue is heavy and sometimes too simplistic and delivered stilted, mainly due to less than inspired casting, especially from the lead, John Wayne, who is at best an elemental Mongolian would-be-emperor. The only fairly convincing performance is Pedro Armendariz willing to sacrifice himself for his jealous chief.

John Wayne is miscast as Mongol Temujin who becomes the fearless leader Genghis Khan and unites all Mongol tribes and conquers most of Asia

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 15 August 2015]

In the film , there is epic , mammoth spectacle , hokey historical events , a love story , camp dialog to spare , wonderful landscapes and results to be a failed as well a little boring film . At the time , 1956 , surpassed anything ever filmed before , including all-star-cast who were later stricken by cancer . Set during the 13th century in which the brutal warrior Mongol chief Temujin conquers most of Asia , Europe and the Middle-East . As Temujin (John Wayne , considered to be the silliest character of his long career) battles against Tartar armies led by Kumlek and for the love of the Tartar princess Bortai (Susan Hayward) . Temujin was taken prisoner by the rival warlord , a fearless leader called Kumlek (Ted De Corsia) and as punishment was forced to wear a large round wooden stock that severely restricted his movements but with the help of Bortai he manages to getaway . He overcomes all of his hardships to become one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever known and now starts his quest to unify all of the Mongol tribes . Gengis gets big hits , but his old nemesis keeps appearing at various times in his life leader to a final battle between the two . As Genghis Khan, ruthless leader of the Mongols and sovereign over the vastest empire ever ruled by a single man, was both god and devil , not just in the Middle Ages , but for centuries to come . Temujin becomes the emperor of Mongols , the great Gengis Khan .

This expensive epic film in familiar drawling fashion contains clichéd barbarian dialogue , noisy action , great production design , impressive battles and a cast of thousands . It was filmed near a nuclear test site, and the set was contaminated by nuclear fallout , in the Yucca Flats area . Over the next 20 years, many actors and crew members developed cancer . By the time 91 of the 220 cast and crew members had developed cancer . Forty-six had died, including John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendáriz , Agnes Moorehead, John Hoyt and director Dick Powell . The count did not include several hundred local Native Americans who played extras , or relatives of the cast and crew who visited the set, including John Wayne's son Michael Wayne . Many of the Mongol extras were played by local Navajo Indians , they did not wear any makeup . Miscasting by John Wayne and the results are unintentionally hilarious . But John Wayne took his role very seriously, went on a crash diet , however he regretted playing Temujin so much that he visibly shuddered whenever anyone mentioned the film's name as he once remarked that the moral of the film was "not to make an ass of yourself trying to play parts you're not suited for" . Colorful cinematography by four of the best Hollywood cameramen : Joseph LaShelle , William E. Snyder , Leo Tover and Harry J. Wild . Although the movie takes place in Asia, photography in Cinemascope was shot in California Snow Canyon, Utah, Hurricane, St. George, Utah, USA Escalante Desert, St. George, Utah .

This sweeping oriental drama was backed by financially eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes and regularly directed by former movie star Dick Powell . However ; the box office failure of this movie was believed to be ultimately responsible for the demise of RKO Pictures studios . Dick Powell directed a few films such as : 1953 Split Second , 1956 You Can't Run Away from It , 1958 The hunters and his best film was : ¨The enemy below¨ . This was one of the final theatrically released movies of director Dick Powell who soon after worked exclusively in television such as Woman on the Run (TV ,1959) . Other films dealing with this historical figure are the followings : ¨Genghis Khan¨ (1965) by Henry Levin with Omar Shariff , Stephen Boyd , Telly Savallas , James Mason ; ¨Gengis Khan¨ (2005) by Edward Bazalgette and the best : ¨Mongol¨(2007) by Sergey Bodrov

Historical Significance

[artzau · 1 November 2000]

It's easy to slam the Duke miscasted as Chinghis Xaan in this film [He was reportedly embarrassed enough not to mention it often in his lifetime] However, the real significance is great numbers of the cast that died of cancer: Susan Hayward, the Duke, Pedro Armendariz, Dick Powell, Lee Van Cleef, De Corsia, Leo Gordon and others. The film was shot on a site where A bomb testing had been conducted and this fact was hushed up for several years. Yes, the film did not have "legs" and is dated. But, I remember seeing it as a young guy and loved it. Years later after completing a doctorate in anthropology, I still love it...bad as it is.

One of the best bad movies ever made.

[pickwick9 · 1/10 · 5 November 2002]

Whoever made the decision to cast John Wayne as the young Genghis Khan either had too much imagination or too little. I have rarely laughed so hard at a movie which was trying so hard to be serious. My favourite lines: "My heart tells me this Tartar woman is for me" and "Share the booty" (both of which have become regularly quoted catchlines among the friends who have seen this). Gather some friends, have a few drinks (or more than a few), and watch this film. You'll gasp, you'll groan, you'll wonder if the casting director and scriptwriter were legally sane.

"I am Temujin, the Conqueror. No prison can hold me, no army defeat me"

[ejgreen77 · 1/10 · 28 January 2006]

Of course, everyone knows the story of this one. The original plan from the brain trust at RKO was to borrow Marlon Brando from 20th Century Fox and have him star in this one. When Fox refused to cooperate, Howard Hughes apparently remembered that John Wayne still had one more picture left on the RKO contract he signed back in 1939. And so, one of the most dubious casting decisions in Hollywood history was made. It deserved its spot in the "50 Worst Films of All Time" list. This one is for Wayne completests and die-hard bad film junkies only.

This is the one film John Wayne made that is truly terrible. All the others (even the lesser ones) at least have something to recommend them. But the thing that sets The Conqueror apart from all the rest is how extremely pedestrian everything is. Let's start with the script, which is the overriding problem throughout the whole film. It's written in a sort of mock-Shakespearian lingo and is filled with dialogue that anyone on earth would have a hard time saying with a straight face.

Next we have the casting. John Wayne and Susan Hayward, both at their career peak, were cast in this one. Neither one looks the least bit Asian (Hayward doesn't even try to). You get the feeling throughout that both of them know this thing is a joke, and they are both just trying to make it through. Wayne drawls his way through the role of Genghis Khan, while Hayward is alternately dumb/boring as Bortai, his red-headed wife. Even the lower billed actors look uncomfortable in gaudy costumes that look like they were borrowed from a high school play.

Of course, we can't forget the music. Victor Young (The Quiet Man) wrote some of the greatest scores in Hollywood history, but this one certainly ranks as one of his worst. Here he seems to be repeating the same few bars of the melodramatic theme over and over again throughout the film with little to no variation.

Next we come to the cinematography. This was the one thing that could have made the film worthwhile. It didn't. While the on-location battle scenes were well-suited to the CinemaScope photography, too much of the film took place inside tents and palaces (i.e. on soundstages), giving it a cluster phobic look at times. Most of the action takes place in the middle of the frame, the director doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential of the widescreen technology he was working with. Other Wayne films from around the same time (The High and the Mighty, The Sea Chase, Blood Alley) made much better use of CinemaScope photography.

Last we have the direction by Dick Powell. This was just the second film Powell directed (the first was Split Second, a 1953 noir film also for RKO that starred Stephen McNally and Jan Sterling), and it showed. In all fairness, he was saddled with a impossible script and a meddling boss (Hughes). Powell would later go on to direct some good war movies over at Fox with Robert Mitchum (The Enemy Below, The Hunters). I guess Powell learned his lesson with this one and stuck to twentieth-century wars after this, leaving the ancient history alone!

Of course there were other problems during shooting (Sue's erratic and irrational affection for Duke) and the cancer cases that occurred later were an unintentional tragedy of this film. Hughes personally bought back the rights to this film (along with Jet Pilot) when he sold RKO in the late 50's. Legend has it that in his last days, he watched this film over and over while in bed. Maybe his strange behavior before his death was the result of seeing a little too much of the The Conqueror. Viewers, Beware!!!!!

Every aspect of it is bad

[HotToastyRag · 1/10 · 23 July 2018]

Susan Hayward is my favorite classic actress. I've seen every movie of hers I could get my hands on, and no matter how terrible it was or how small her part was, I've watched every film through to its entirety. The Conqueror is the exception. It's the only Susan Hayward movie I've ever turned off.

John Wayne plays Genghis Khan. Take a minute to wrap your head around that ludicrous casting decision. He kidnaps Susan Hayward because he thinks she's beautiful, and because he's The Conqueror so he thinks he can conquer her, too. She hates him at first, but after she realizes she's no match for his macho strength and prowess, she falls in love with him.

Not only is this movie so horrifically cheesy, cheap, badly acted, poorly written, and absurd, but there's a very sad backstory attached to this film. It was shot on location in Utah, near where nuclear weapons were tested three years prior. The government assured everyone there was no danger of nuclear fallout, but the director, many of the leads, and about half the crew got cancer in the ensuing decades. Director Dick Powell died of cancer after seven years, Pedro Armendariz got cancer in four years, John Wayne and Agnes Moorehead died of cancer in the 1970s, and Susan Hayward died of a brain tumor, tragically after starring in the remake of Dark Victory.

I'm taking names

[boblipton · 1/10 · 14 March 2002]

I see that there are six people who gave this idiotic, misbegotten, miscast film a 10 rating. I can forgive the twenty or so people who gave TERROR OF TINY TOWN a ten rating, but anyone who gave this a rating substantially higher than 1 is an idiot. Anyone who gave it a rating higher than 3 has never seen this movie. Anyone who gave it a 10 should be punished, punished severely. They should be forced to see it TWICE. I demand their names!

Yellow Peril.

[rmax304823 · 1/10 · 7 July 2013]

I almost always sit through a movie immediately before making any comments on it because I think the impressions ought to be fresh in one's memory.

But it's really necessary -- if I'm ever to follow a categorical imperative -- to leave a few notes here to prevent others from enduring the agony I went through years ago. I don't even enjoy THINKING about the movie but I'm compelled by a sense of public duty.

To be perfectly honest, I really believe there are two groups of people who would enjoy seeing this abortion. One group consists of people who have never seen a movie before. The second group consists of people who are stoned out of their gourds on weed.

There are those who claim that the movie, like some others, is so bad that it's funny, but I wonder if they have actually sat through one of these monstrosities from beginning to end and were still able to laugh as the end credits rolled. More likely they'd be in a state of shock.

There's no need to go through it. John Wayne is Temujin, later to become Genghis Kahn. Pedro Armendáriz is his sidekick, Jamuga. John Wayne looks like a rich American. Armendáriz looks like a Mexican cowboy star. Susan Hayward, as Bortai, looks like a glamorous Hollywood red-head. Oscar Millard is guilty of the script.

"Truly, she is much woman."

"Yew're beauty-full in yew're wrath." (Ie., you're cute when you're mad.)

It's impossible to go on. This is beginning to set off a long-forgotten merry-go-round inside my head, to the tune of "Ah, Mustafa" played on a calliope. I seem to be sitting astride a hippocampus. Wait. It's speeding up. Now, it's really fast and I'm afraid that something will --

*1/2

[edwagreen · 2/10 · 19 September 2015]

John Wayne as Genghis Khan? Forget it. The Duke comes out more like a gunslinger than the Mongolian firebrand.

An absolutely awful production and it's just too bad that so many in the cast succumbed to the effects of radiation testing nearby where the film was shot.

After the best ever performance as Lillian Roth in "I'll Cry Tomorrow," Susan Hayward comes off here as totally ridiculous. Agnes Moorehead, as Wayne's mother, is not good. Her same dress throughout the film reminded me of Edith Head's design for Judith Anderson, as Memnit, in "The Ten Commandments."

Treachery and more treachery abounds here and one actually could use a score card in listing those betraying others.

At least, Ted De Corsia comes across fairly well as the Tartar leader, father of Hayward, who had killed Wayne's father years before.

What A Price

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 24 February 2007]

If the rumors are true in fact and the whole cast was stricken with cancer as a result of atomic tests nearby, than The Conqueror in some respects may have been the most expensive bad film in the history of the cinema.

There's a famous story about the differing attitudes of Walter Huston and Thomas Mitchell that Jane Russell tells in her memoirs about that other Howard Hughes epic, The Outlaw. She relates that Mitchell moaned and groaned throughout the shoot that this film would ruin him as an actor and why did he ever sign for it. On the other hand Walter Huston's attitude was to laugh uproariously at the awful dialog he had to spout and said since Howard's check cleared the bank he'd say any words in the script.

Hopefully Howard's check cleared the bank for all concerned, because a decent pay day is the only reason for everyone from John Wayne and Susan Hayward on down to have stuck it out.

What everyone doesn't get about The Conqueror is that it has a very gay subtext. It's obvious that Pedro Armendariz is crushing out big time on the Duke. They may have even gotten a little physical. But that all changes for Wayne the second his Mongol made up eyes set sight of red headed Tartar princess Susan Hayward. It's girls for him now, especially this one.

Viewers might disagree, but I swear it's the only explanation for what happens in the rest of the film. Armendariz alternately betrays Wayne and rescues him for no discernible reason throughout the rest of the story. When Wayne finally takes care of all his enemies, Armendariz who won't share Wayne with Hayward or anybody asks to be put to death.

So help me that's the plot of The Conqueror. Everyone from Wayne on down looks as trapped as Thomas Mitchell was in The Outlaw. But they all must have gotten the money up front.

Fortunately John Ford would rescue Wayne with two back to back classics in succeeding years, The Searchers in 1956 and Wings of Eagles in 1957. Now those are really good John Wayne films.

What more can I say, the acting is terrible, the story is awful, even the technical aspects of this film leave a lot to be desired. It only gets as high a rating as it does because of the quality of the cast, maybe the most shameful waste of talent players in the history of cinema in every sense of the word.

Don't Knock It Till You've Seen It

[mercury4 · 10/10 · 11 April 2008]

I'm probably not part of the majority here, but I think this is a good movie. A lot of people are probably knocking it before they've even seen it because John Wayne plays Temujin.

As the story goes, John Wayne wanted the role and he was very serious about it. He found the script in Dick Powell's office. I'm sure Powell had his reasons for wanting to throw the script out, but it can't be that it was that horrible of a script. The script is actually pretty decent. I can't complain about the make-up either because I think that was very well done too. John Wayne, between the make-up and his hair, really looks Asian in this.

People that criticize this movie keep pointing out the nationalities of everyone involved. If you are going to do that then you are just nitpicking. Yes, John Wayne is a white man playing a Mongol. But you couldn't have expected them to cast a real Mongol in the role. Whites played Orientals and Native Americans all the time back then. Anthony Quinn, who is of Mexican and Irish descent, played Attila the Hun once. Omar Sharif, once played Genghis Khan. Stephen Boyd played Kahn's blood brother Jamuga. That Sharif and Boyd movie was horrible, by the way. The Conqueror is way better than that. The Conqueror is more accurate too. You're probably going to wonder, "Why John Wayne?" I said the same exact thing and I thought the movie was silly at first. But I actually sat down and watched it and I thought it was good.

The Conqueror's opening is great. It opens with Temujin riding through the dessert with his Mongol army. The scenes of the army riding are great. They are shot so well. The action scenes of the Mongols fighting enemy armies were great too. If you want action, this has plenty of it. Another nice touch was the love story between Temujin and Bortai. Bortai is played by Susan Hayward. She was pretty decent in her role. I enjoyed her scenes with John Wayne. I also enjoyed Pedro Armendariz in his scenes with John Wayne. Armendariz was also decent in his role as Jamuga, Temujin's blood brother. A previous reviewer said that John Wayne and Pedro Armendariz are not believable as brothers. Keep in mind, the movie never says they are brothers, but they keep stressing blood brothers.

Overall, I think The Conqueror was a pretty good movie. It pushed all of the right buttons for me. I enjoyed it very much. The Conqueror is a well made movie, with good performances, great directing, great cinematography, decent writing, great costumes and great make-up. I thought the score by Victor Young was great too. I especially loved the Romantic theme that Young uses throughout the movie. That was very memorable.

If you ever get a chance, see this movie. If you are interested in the subject matter, check it out. If you are a fan of the old time classics or those Hollywood epics, check it out. If you are a fan of John Wayne and you want to see him in a different role for a change, check it out. John Wayne won't disappoint you. The Conqueror and John Wayne are not bad at all. Don't knock this movie until you've seen it. People were way too harsh when they placed their votes on IMDb. I'll bet that some people gave this movie a 1 without even seeing it. All they saw was John Wayne's name in the credits.

Vigorous, unusual, funny and spectacular!

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 7/10 · 2 November 2003]

In the 1950s, people liked Cinemascope and Technicolor movies...

Epic movies with gigantic battles, huge and fantastic sets and costumes, were massive projects and hugely popular...

One of them is 'The Conqueror' played by legendary actors...

The film deals with Mongols, Merkits, and Tartars struggling for survival in a harsh and arid land.. Plunder and rapine were their way of life and no man trusted his brother...

The Mongols, led by Temujin (John Wayne) and his blood brother Jamuga (Pedro Armendariz), attack a Merkit caravan, capturing the untamed princess Bortai (Susan Hayward), daughter of Kumlek (Ted De Corsia), ruler of the Tartars and slayer of Temujin's father...

Temujin's mother, Hunlun (Agnes Moorehead), fears Kumlek's wrath, and she begs Temujin to set Bortai free, but he refuses... Despite his vow to avenge his father's death, Temujin was fascinated by the girl's beauty and fire..

The Merkits attack in an attempt to rescue the hot-blooded Bortai but are defeated... Bortai escapes but is soon recaptured by Temujin, who declares he will make her his wife... But later, she lets him know how much she despises him: 'Before that day dawns, Mongol, the vultures will have feasted on your heart!'

Temujin waits... The Mongols then go on to Urga—a Chinesea town ruled by the powerful Wang Khan (Thomas Gomez).

The mighty ruler welcomes his guests and entertains them at a banquet... Bortai attends and is seated next to him... She suddenly decides to dance for the Khan and, taking two swords, starts her exotic dance... At the end, having discarded one of the swords, she aims the other one at Temujin...

As Genghis Khan, the 12th Century Mongol warrior whose coming changed the face of the world, John Wayne won't disappoint his ardent followers...

The highlight of the film is the sensational veil and swords dance Susan Hayward performs... Hayward looked radiant in her wrath...

Agnes Moorehead nearly manages to steal the show as her imitation of a talking prune is absolutely extraordinary...

Two of Wayne's sons had bit parts as warriors...

Weak Epic, Verging on the Ridiculous

[JamesHitchcock · 4/10 · 30 July 2004]

Most of the historical epics of the fifties and early sixties took their subject-matter from what can be regarded as the three pillars of Western civilization; the Bible ('King of Kings', 'The Ten Commandments'), Graeco-Roman antiquity ('Spartacus', 'Cleopatra') or the Middle Ages ('The Vikings', 'El Cid'). Apart from the occasional film with an ancient Egyptian theme ('The Egyptian', 'Land of the Pharaohs'), ventures into other cultures were rare. 'The Conqueror' is one of these rare exceptions.

The story is based upon the life of the young Genghis Khan, or Temujin to use his original Mongol name. Temujin has fallen in love with the Tartar princess Bortai. There are, however, several obstacles to a successful romance. The Mongols and the Tartars are traditional enemies, Bortai's father was responsible for the death of Temujin's father, she herself hates him and she is betrothed to another man. The film narrates the story of how Temujin overcomes these obstacles and wins Bortai's heart, while simultaneously waging war on her father, the Tartar chieftain Kumlek, as well as a treacherous ruler named Wang Khan. (Wang Khan is the ruler of a city-state; there seems to be a deliberate contrast between the primitive barbaric vigour of the Mongols and the effete, decadent civilization of their enemies). The film is shot in the spectacular epic style against some striking scenery (actually in Utah; presumably political considerations precluded filming in Mongolia, at the time under Communist rule). Visually, like most of the epics, it is attractive - besides the scenery, the costumes are good and the horseback stunts are well done- but it is a hollow shell of a film, with little behind its façade. The main reason for this is that the story of Temujin is rooted in a culture quite alien to the filmmakers and which they make little attempt to understand. John Wayne made a much-quoted statement that "The Conqueror is a Western in some ways. The way the screenplay reads, it is a cowboy picture and that is how I am going to play Genghis Khan. I see him as a gunfighter." This is a good example of what I mean by a failure to understand an alien culture. Rather than trying to see Genghis Khan for what he was, Wayne simply associated him with what he thought to be the nearest American equivalent. To see him as a 'gunfighter' is, in any case, inaccurate, and not merely because Mongolians of this period did not have firearms. The gunfighters played by Wayne in his other movies, whether outlaws or lawmen, were typically loners, working on their own. Genghis Khan was a leader of men, both as a political ruler and as a military commander. It is hardly surprising that Wayne's portrayal of Temujin fails to convince if he so fundamentally misunderstood the nature of the role he was playing.

Susan Hayward's performance as Bortai is even less convincing than Wayne's. She wears the same expression throughout the film, a sort of sulky pout, which is presumably her best shot at conveying her character's proud, independent and tempestuous nature. It is difficult to believe that it was during the same period of her career that she produced two of her best performances in 'I'll Cry Tomorrow' and 'I Want to Live'. Her appearance in 'The Conqueror' presents even more problems than does her acting. All the male actors in the film, who are primarily of European descent, are made up to look Oriental, but for some reason no attempt was made to change Hayward's looks, with the strange result that the 'Tartar Princess' is a voluptuous, blue-eyed redhead.

None of the other acting performances are distinguished- Pedro Armendariz as Temujin's loyal brother Jamuga is about the best- and at times they verge on the ridiculous, particularly Wang Khan and his scheming shaman, both embodiments of the western stereotype of the 'wily Oriental'. While deliberately elevated, formal, often slightly archaic, language was something of a convention in epic films, much of the dialogue here has a particularly stilted flavour to it, along the lines of 'You're beautiful in your wrath' and 'She is a woman- much woman. Should her perfidy be less than that of other women?' If John Wayne still thought of his character as a 'cowboy', he should have tried to imagine a real cowboy- or even a fictional cowboy- speaking lines like that.

While the film is not quite the classic of badness that some have claimed, it is certainly one of the weakest in the epic genre, and it shows how wise other Hollywood film-makers were to confine themselves to cultures more familiar to Westerners. For the large amounts of money that were evidently spent on 'The Conqueror' the producers should have ended up with a much better film than this one. 4/10.

One of the great ones!

[mspedant · 12 June 2001]

I saw this film at age 9 when it was newly released, back in the sunset years of the Technicolor historical spectacular. I knew immediately that it was bad, GLORIOUSLY in-your-face bad! I eagerly taped it about fifteen years ago off a television broadcast and have gleefully lent the tape to friends and acquaintances many times since to spread the word.

The incomprehensible miscasting of John Wayne aside, THE CONQUEROR is bad in so many ways that's it's difficult to focus on the best (or worst) elements. Perhaps most delightfully awful is the dialogue:

"She is woman, Jamuga...much woman. Should her perfidy be less than that of other women?" (John Wayne to Pedro Armendariz)

"Kumlik's daughter! Spawn of the devil! Let your men make sport with her!" "No, mo-ther, I will keep this wo-man for my own plea-sure!" (Exchange between mom Agnes Moorehead and son John Wayne)

"You will love me, Bortai...you will love me of your own will before the sun rises!" "Before that day dawns, Mongol, the vultures will feast upon your heart!" (Love chat between Wayne and Hayward)

These are three of literally dozens of examples of prime dialogue kitsch with which THE CONQUEROR abounds. It is priceless...see it!

Laughably bad

[GusF · 3/10 · 7 August 2015]

In this infamously bad film, Hollywood took on Genghis Khan and won, the dream of many of his enemies during his lifetime. The film was effortlessly funny but, sadly, it wasn't meant to be. The title role was originally intended for Marlon Brando but he was unavailable due to contractual reasons. He had a lucky escape. Considering that it is or at least tries to be a Western set in 12th Century Mongolia, John Wayne was cast as Temujin, the future Genghis Khan. This has rightfully gone down as one of the worst casting choices in film history.

Had the film been made in the year of its release rather than 1954, the obvious choice for Temujin would have been the always wonderful Yul Brynner. In what would have been an added bonus, he actually looked the part. However, he was a Broadway actor who had only made one film by 1954. While Brynner was the actor most suited to the role, almost any other A-list actor of the time such as Brando, Charlton Heston, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, etc. would have been better than Wayne. Like Marilyn Monroe, he was a great film star as opposed to a great actor. A few weeks ago, I watched "The Boys from Brazil" in which Gregory "Integrity" Peck plays Josef Mengele. He was likewise miscast but he tries his best in the role and is actually rather effective. The difference between Peck and Wayne was that only one of them was an excellent actor.

The very white, red-haired Susan Hayward is every bit Wayne's equal in the acting stakes as the Tartar woman Bortai, whom Temujin kidnaps as he wants to marry her. However, she eventually falls madly in love with him. I would call it Stockholm Syndrome but she does not fall for him until after their roles are reversed. It's rather bizarre. I can't think of any reason for it other than "it says so in the script," frankly. Except for Richard Loo, none of the other credited actors look even remotely the part of Mongols, Tartars or Merkits either but most of them are at least better at acting. These include Pedro Armendáriz as Jamuga, Agnes Moorehead as Temujin's mother and Thomas Gomez as Wang Khan. However, the usually excellent John Hoyt plays the role of the Shaman as a stereotypical film Asian of the time as if this were a "Charlie Chan" film. At least none of the other actors did that!

Dick Powell's direction is pedestrian but fairly competent. However, the screenplay is rather dreadful. It is full of laughable dialogue such as "I feel this Tartar woman is for me. My blood says take her," "I greet you, my mother!", "The man lies, my father!", "She is a woman, much woman. Should her perfidy be less than that of other women?" and "My hatred for him could not withstand my love!" Most of the worst dialogue is delivered in Wayne's unmistakable drawl, which makes it even funnier! Now, I don't mind it when characters in historical or biblical films speak in a more grandiose fashion than people in reality. In fact, that was part of the reason that I loved "The Ten Commandments" as much as I did just last Monday. However, that film's dialogue was marvellous. This film's dialogue, not so much.

One thing about the film that is in no way funny, however, is the suggestion that it caused many of its cast and crew to suffer from cancer. It was filmed in Utah, downwind of the site of numerous nuclear tests in Nevada. By 1980, 91 of the film's 220 person cast and crew had contracted some form of cancer and many of them - including Wayne, Hayward, Moorehead, Armendáriz and Powell - had died because of it, Armendáriz having committed suicide after he learned that his diagnosis was terminal. It is far from conclusive but the University of Utah professor of biology Dr. Robert Pendleton had this to say on the matter: "With 91 cancer cases, I think the tie-in to their exposure on the set of 'The Conqueror' would hold up in a court of law."

Overall, this film is a great laugh. I had seen it years ago, before I became a connoisseur of bad films, and I enjoyed it much more this time! Incidentally, given that she played Mary Kane in "Citizen Kane", Agnes Moorehead has the distinction of playing the mother of the title character in one RKO film which is considered among the best of all time and another which is considered among the worst of all time. That's worth something...isn't it?

Tedious and Dumb

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 5 June 2005]

I previously reviewed Jet Pilot, another John Wayne film done for RKO in the mid-1950s. It was a BAD but fun to watch film. However, The Conquerer is JUST BAD. Instead of laughing at its ineptness throughout the film, the movie lasts so long that this one joke wears off very quickly and the viewer will most likely begin to contemplate suicide.

Although abominable casting is important to both films and LOTS of abominable casting occurs in The Conquerer, it is the slow pacing, hackneyed dialog and tediousness that make this film so bad. DULL, DULL, DULL, DULL!!!! Okay, I got that out of my system. Now for the bad casting: John Wayne as the Mongol Terror (Genghis Khan), red-headed Susan Hayward (a miserable actress in general due to her constant overacting) as the Asian princess Bortai and, once again, red-headed Agnes Morehead as Genghis' Mommy. What were they thinking?! I assume that because Howard Hughes owned RKO and was well into becoming 100% unhinged, he personally must have made the casting decisions. No explanation other than insanity could explain it! I have made it a point to try to watch EVERY movie listed in The Fifty Worst Movies (Medved and Dreyfus) book and I've seen the vast majority of them. However, unless you are a glutton for punishment like me, I don't recommend you try to watch this film--after all, you've got to take care of your brain better than that!

Not down there as one of the worst movies of all time, but still horrendous

[TheLittleSongbird · 2/10 · 6 February 2011]

I like John Wayne, and I have seen enough from him to know he has done some good movies. The Conqueror doesn't fit under there, I'm afraid, for me actually it is a serious contender for John Wayne's worst movie. It does look great with some sweeping cinematography and handsome scenery but that's it.

The Conqueror doesn't belong down there as one of the worst movies ever made I don't think, but it is still a horrendous movie. The dialogue is incredibly hackneyed and unintentionally funny and the pace alone kills it as it is so tedious. It also doesn't help that the story is uninteresting and the characters are badly written. The direction is okay-ish, but at the same time it didn't do much for me either. The acting is dire. John Wayne has done some great performances, but this is not one of them. Actually, to me, it was the contrary- I thought he was just dreadful and ridiculously out of place. Susan Hayward is one note and blank-faced throughout, while the rest of the cast fare little better.

In conclusion, not the worst or one of the worst but it is awful in almost every way expect the cinematography and some of the direction. 2/10 Bethany Cox

"In the twelfth century the Gobi Desert seethed with unrest."

[utgard14 · 3/10 · 14 October 2015]

Yeah, it's that bad. Oh, Duke, what were you thinking? Look, I'm a big John Wayne fan. He was one of the all-time greats and made many wonderful classic films. But this is a complete misfire from start to finish. The script is terrible with lots of corny lines delivered in a stilted manner by actors who I know are capable of better. John Wayne gets a lot of flak from certain circles about his acting ability, but anyone who's seen him in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon or The Searchers knows how good he could be. Here he's just awful. This is easily the worst performance I've ever seen from him. Granted the script is bad but his delivery is so wooden and lacking in range I doubt even better dialogue would have sounded good coming from him here. He's not the only one stinking up the joint, either. Agnes Moorehead, Susan Hayward, and Pedro Armendariz have all shown in other movies that they are capable of good performances. Here they couldn't be any worse if they were intentionally trying to be. Of course, the yellowface makeup everyone is sporting doesn't help matters.

Directed by Dick Powell (yes, that Dick Powell) and produced by Howard Hughes, the movie is more remembered today for its controversial backstory than simply being the forgettable historical "epic" that it is. As likely everyone reading this knows, the movie is notorious for possibly contributing to the cancer-related deaths of many of the cast and crew. It was filmed downwind of a nuclear testing site, as well as filming scenes in Hollywood on the irradiated soil that Hughes had shipped back for the sake of making studio re-shoots match the original film site's terrain. If not for this tragic bit of history, this movie would probably be far less known today. Yes, it's a dud starring one of the biggest movie stars ever, but every star has at least one movie that's embarrassing to look back on. It is probably the worst movie of John Wayne's career. I can't really think of another one that's worse but I haven't seen many of his early cheapies yet. Something every Wayne completist needs to see but be prepared -- it really deserves its bad reputation.

A good watch for those that enjoy terrible films. Awful historical film

[chazzarb · 1/10 · 14 June 2019]

The Conqueror is a truly awful film. It essentially embodies all that is bad about old historical films by overlaying a boring cliche-ridden plot with a thin veneer of poorly researched history pasted over the top. If you have seen one of these films, you have seen them all - although I will say that this is an especially awful one. The Conqueror has some of the worst casting for the main characters I have ever seen. It is far form the only film of the era to employ an entirely white cast to portray characters who were not Caucasian, and as awful as that is from our contemporary perspective, it is made far worse by the main stars in The Conqueror's appalling performance and writing. Susan Hayward made essentially no effort to play the role of Borte (Genghis Khan's first wife and a medieval Mongolian tribal women), instead playing the generic two dimensional love-interest for John Wayne to win over with highly questionable behaviour. That being said, the viewer is treated to John Wayne ripping off her dress in one of their first encounters; which, if you can get over how abhorrent that would be in a modern context, is hilarious in a sort of cringey way. In this film John Wayne essentially plays himself, making little effort to fit the prestigious role of Genghis Khan. Watching this film with no other information on the period, the viewer would come away thinking that Genghis Khan was a by-the-books Cowboy - complete with the accent. Wayne did not alter his performance from his usual Westerns persona at all. I would say that this is a strong contender for John Wayne's worst film - a category I consider to have some stiff competition. A redeeming feature of the film is laughing at the truly appalling costumes. Other reviewers are right to describe them as looking like the cast-offs from a school play. Do not watch this film expecting a realistic depiction of the period in any regard.

Mongolian John

[richardchatten · 3/10 · 23 October 2023]

I was originally going to award this film a much more generous rating, but it so outstayed its welcome I knocked a couple of stars off.

For one who professes such a love of classic cinema Martin Scorsese has form where it comes to not bothering to get his facts straight; the principal case for the prosecution being the shameless hagiography of 'The Aviator' which heroically portrays Howard Hughes as A Man with a Dream rather than the spoilt brat who squandered Daddy's money wrecking RKO.

It took a special sort of genius on the part of Hughes to blow the biggest budget in RKO's history to such little effect and wipe out several of Hollywood's finest talents - including John Wayne in a role originally intended for Marlon Brando - and a major studio in the process.

The idiosyncratic casting of the lead extends to the supporting cast by depicting Wayne, Pedro Armendariz and William Conrad as siblings and Agnes Moorehead as their mother (heaven knows what their father looked like), and Ted De Corsia as Susan Hayward's father.

inadvertently hilarious

[Bevita · 1/10 · 13 August 2003]

I must confess that I'd wanted to see this movie for a while, if only for its notoriety in cinematic history. This is one of the movies that just falls under the genre of "infamously terrible," and though the idea of John Wayne as Genghis Khan in and of itself is laughable, I wanted to see for myself why, exactly, it deserved such ignominy. Not two minutes into the movie, it was made clear to me. Still, one thing I can say for this movie is that it was humorous without trying to be. As I watched it, I could not stop laughing upon hearing the Duke utter such lines as, "Dance! Dance for me, Tartar woman!" So, in a sort of way, I do recommend seeing it, but only for hilarity's sake.

The Death of John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Dick Powell

[vitaleralphlouis · 8/10 · 23 July 2007]

When I paid top dollar (actually $1.25) to see John Wayne's newest picture first run at Washington DC's fine RKO Keith's Theater, I had no clue I was watching the murder of America's all time favorite actor, as well as the murder of Dick Powell, Susan Hayward and altogether 88 others who worked on this picture. Lurking in a low population area of Utah was enough nuclear radiation to kill all these fine people. The story was well reported much later, and you can search it on Google. The final chapter was when the last survivors --- each dying horrible deaths from terminal cancer --- sued the Feds for damages. Our government decided that by filing a series of delay-motions they could wait it out until the survivors were dead. The nuclear radiation had drifted from the Nevada Nuclear Test Site about 150 to 200 miles west. John Wayne never criticized the US Government for this --- as the threats from Russia and Red China made testing necessary.

It isn't fair, however, to misjudge and besmirch the work of director Dick Powell, or John Wayne, or the other fine people who worked on this movie. THE CONQUERER is definitely NOT one of the worst of all time, or even close to it.

THE CONQUERER was not a serious historic movie, but rather a romantic action drama, combining lots of action scenes with romance scenes wherein much commotion and bloodletting, let alone hand-wringing, about who gets Susan Hayward.

The picture was stunningly photographed, well directed and acted, with a fine and later imitated musical score by Victor Young. There isn't really a dull moment, and if any of the dialog seems silly, who really knows how people talked in 12th Century China? Anyway, it's similar in dialog to any of a hundred movies of this genre.

Having seen the recent Discovery Channel documentary, we rented CONQUERER at Video Vault and watched it again. It stands up well compared to 2007 films; but then it's tough to be worse than Warner's trashing of J K Rowling in HP#5. The Conquerer and Plan 9 from Outer Space have nothing in common. Rent this fine film and respect the memory of the 91 who later died from making it.

I've been to the extreme low population areas of eastern Nevada and nearby Utah over a dozen times, it's beautiful and peaceful and draws a person back to the natural beauty and solitude. Until today, I never gave the radiation a thought, not even in the lunch spot in Alamo Flats, NV. (But they haven't tested here in decades).

Not that bad folks

[qorda · 6/10 · 13 August 2003]

I'd differ strongly from the adverse comments against this film. Coming from a country in neighbourhood of China, I have some knowledge of Oriental customs, so when I compare this movie to the Genghis Khan (Omar Sharif's) I am forced to call this movie outstanding. The script is restricted to the early life of Chengez till his rise to power begins. This is good as by focussing on a limited time span, there is only little mutilation of history. Decent coverage of his full life would have required three hours. Therefore, sensibly the most adventurous part has been covered, thereby avoiding boredom for the audience. Story line is fine and not loose. The movie remains thrilling throughout. Stunts are quite good and battle scenes credible. Although, unfortunately there is no notable oriental actor, yet make up is quite satisfactory as are the costumes. I wish some work had been done on the accent of the actors. John Wayne fits well in his role. He has a good military physique and a commanding presence. Susan Hayward, however, is too tall for an oriental women and lacked suitable makeup and costumes. Dialogues are short and focussed. The music is satisfactory. Shooting location is satisfactory, though some scenes should have been shot in snowy locations to remind people of bitter Mongolian winter. Perhaps some more focuss on Mongolian customs should also have attracted the attention of the public. Overall this is not at all a time waster but still shows that thorough research is needed for producing good historical movies especially when it comes to cultures unfamiliar to the West.

Curiosity item with camp value...

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 23 May 2008]

John Wayne is improbably cast (to say the least!) as Mongol chief Temujin, later Genghis Khan, leading his Mongolian army in a battle against the Tartars, falling for the enemy leader's fiery, beautiful daughter. With three cinematographers credited, the picture certainly looks good, but director Dick Powell can't seem to pick up the pace, and it quickly becomes a leaden affair punctuated by inane dialogue. Princess Susan Hayward and the supporting players are all ridiculously miscast, but none more so than the Duke, whose performance might have passed muster had he been encouraged to play it strictly for laughs. Produced for RKO by Howard Hughes, who reportedly was obsessed with this movie and later bought sole rights to it, effectively keeping it out of circulations for years. Filmed partly on-location in Utah near an atomic weapons test site, with many in the cast and crew later succumbing to cancer-related deaths. *1/2 from ****