Conquest (1937 film)

Conquest
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Clarence Brown Gustav Machatý (uncredited)
Produced by	Bernard H. Hyman
Written by	S. N. Behrman Salka Viertel Samuel Hoffenstein Waclaw Gasiorowski (novel) Helen Jerome (dramatization) Talbot Jennings (uncredited)
Starring	Greta Garbo Charles Boyer Reginald Owen Alan Marshal
Music by	Herbert Stothart
Cinematography	Karl Freund
Editing by	Tom Held
Studio	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	October 22, 1937
Running time	113 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$2,732,000 US[1]
Box office	$2,141,000

Conquest (also called Marie Walewska) is a 1937 film which tells the story of the Polish Countess Marie Walewska, who becomes the mistress of Napoleon in order to influence his actions towards her homeland.^[2][3] It stars Greta Garbo, Charles Boyer, Reginald Owen, Alan Marshal, Henry Stephenson, Leif Erickson, Dame May Whitty, George Zucco, and Maria Ouspenskaya.

The movie was adapted by S. N. Behrman, Samuel Hoffenstein, Helen Jerome and Salka Viertel from the novel Pani Walewska by Waclaw Gasiorowski. It was directed by Clarence Brown and Gustav Machatý (uncredited).

It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Charles Boyer) and Best Art Direction (Cedric Gibbons and William A. Horning).^[4]

This movie was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's biggest money losing movie prior to 1949. Its worldwide gross amounted to $2,141,000. But its massive budget led to a loss of $1,397,000.

Plot

After a brief informal meeting two months earlier when they were impressed with each other, Countess Marie Walewska (Greta Garbo) formally meets Napoleon Bonaparte (Charles Boyer) at a ball in Warsaw. When Napoleon notes her husband, Count Walewski (Henry Stephenson), is three times her age, and as he is taken with her charms, he unsuccessfully tries to seduce her. She ignores his frequent letters and flowers until a few grim Polish leaders led by Senator Malachowski (George Zucco) urge her to give into his desires as a personal sacrifice in order to save Poland. She goes to him despite the humiliation of her husband, who leaves for Rome to annul their marriage. They are extremely happy for a while; Napoleon divorces childless Empress Josephine and Marie eventually becomes pregnant. She is about to tell Napoleon about her baby when he tells her he decided to marry Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria. He explains it will be a political marriage to insure his future son could rule securely with Habsburg blood in him. It will not affect their relationship, he says, but Marie Walewska leaves to have her baby alone without telling Napoleon she is expecting his child.

Cast

• Greta Garbo as Countess Marie Walewska
• Charles Boyer as Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
• Reginald Owen as Tallyrand
• Alan Marshal as Captain d'Ornano
• Henry Stephenson as Count Anastas Walewski
• Leif Erickson as Paul Lachinski (as Leif Erikson)
• Dame May Whitty as Laetitia Bonaparte
• Maria Ouspenskaya as Countess Pelagia Walewska
• C. Henry Gordon as Prince Poniatowski
• Claude Gillingwater as Stephan (Marie's servant)
• Vladimir Sokoloff as Dying soldier
• George F. Houston as Grand Marshal George Duroc
• Scotty Beckett as Alexandre Walewska
• Oscar Apfel as Count Potocka
• Betty Blythe as Princess Mirska
• Stanley Andrews as Prince Mirska
• Henry Kolker as Sen. Wybitcki
• Mitchell Lewis as Beppo
• Lois Meredith as Countess Potocka
• Charles B. Middleton as Sergeant at Elba
• Dennis O'Keefe as Jan Walewska
• Robert Warwick as Capt. Laroux
• Ian Wolfe as Prince Metternich

References

1. ^ http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=97&category=Notes
2. ^ Variety film review; October 27, 1937, page 18.
3. ^ Harrison's Reports film review; November 13, 1937, page 183.
4. ^ "NY Times: Winterset". NY Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/72469/Conquest/details. Retrieved 2008-12-09. 

External links

• Conquest at the Internet Movie Database
• Conquest at the TCM Movie Database
• Conquest at AllRovi