Conqueror, the

Second, 13 weeks of this 1956 movie were spent filming in Utah a bit more than 100 miles from the site of a nuclear testing ground in Nevada and the set was contaminated by nuclear fallout from 11 blasts in 1953. After location shooting was concluded, producer Howard Hughes paid to have 60 tons of dirt shipped back to Hollywood so it could be used to match interior shootings. Of the 220 persons who worked on "The Conqueror" at least 91 had contracted cancer by the early 1980s and over half that number died of it, including stars Wayne, Hayward, and Morehead, and director Dick Powell (Armendariz committed suicide when learning he was terminally ill). Statistically speaking out of a group that size only 30 people should end up with cancer. The thought that Wayne and the others would lose their lives because of a movie this bad is just a sickening thought, but the evidence seems incontrovertible and there is even a chilling photograph of Wayne on the set with a Geiger counter.

"The Conqueror" is essentially a love story between Wayne's Genghis Khan, originally named Temujin before he becomes emperor of the known world, and the beautiful Tartar princess, Bortai (Hayward). The movie has actually pays some attention to the actual history of the character and the times, at least more than the Omar Sheriff film about Genghis Khan, but clearly the idea here was that it was easier to conqueror the world than it was to tame the red headed woman in his tent. It would have helped if there was some chemistry between the two stars, but there really is not that much difference between Hayward's Bortai when she is demeaning Temujin as a Mongol or when she they ride off into the sunset at the end to live happily ever after out there on that there tundra. Then there is the idea that little Agnes Moorhead is the mother of Wayne and William Conrad, each of whom is twice her size. This film is true Hollywood turkey.

Wayne had pursued the role, seeing it as just a different type of Western, and on some level you have to respect the idea of trying to stretch as an actor. But the results are just so laughable and only the sobering through that Wayne and so many of the cast would pay for this fiasco with their lives keeps this from being a real hooter deserving of "MST3K" treatment. For years you could not see "The Conqueror" because a guilty Howard Hughes pulled it from circulation (or maybe he was not being eccentric; we are talking Howard Hughes here). In fact, "The Conqueror" was his final film. As the most curious film in John Wayne's career it deserves to be seen at least once by both his fans and those who are just curious about one of the oddest bits of Hollywood history.


Inadvertently hilarious   July 18, 2003
L. C. Robinson (Fountain Valley, CA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I laughed so hard I got a side ache.

A 12 million dollar production by the goofy Howard Hughes, directed by Dick Powell in the Utah desert and starring John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Agnes Morehead, Lee Van Cleef among others.

Wayne as the six foot four inch Mongol Prince "Temujin" soon to be crowned King of the Mongols - Genghis Kahn and Susan Hayward as the Red Haired Tarter Temptress, "Bortai," I kid you not, Bortai.

Advertised by the studio as...

"Spectacular as its barbaric passions and savage conquests"
"Mighty in scope"
"Mighty in spectacle"
"Genghis Khan! The world trembled at his name"

And finally...

"They conquered each other and then the world"

Consider some of the dialog...

Wayne: "I feel this Tarter women is for me, and my blood says, take her! There are moments for wisdom and moments when I listen to my blood; my blood says take this Tarter woman!"

Hayward: "For me there is no peace while you live Mongol."

Wayne: "You are beautiful in your wrath!"

Hayward: "The Conqueror? Mighty armies cannot stop him! But one touch of my lips...Yes, he captured me - but he cannot tame me!"

To round out your collection of wonderful Hollywood mistakes you have to have this movie.


One of my favorite John Wayne movies   December 30, 2002
V'le Onica (Ireland)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I read all of the reviews written here. I happen to like the movie. It does much better justice to the charactors then the Omar Shariff version. I think John Wayne made a great looking Mongolian warlord. Personally I am tired of the same old western where the only thing that changes are the names of the charactors & the state they're in. This is more like The Quiet Man or Fort Apache & by far better than the "B" Westerns he did in the 30's to war hero of the 40's & 50's & then coybowed himself to death before he became a cop in the 70's. Being how it's a different role. A role in which John Wayne as well as the beautiful Susan Hayward played very well. I though it to be very convincing. The love hate relationship between them was superb. More action could of been added considering the story line. But I love it just the way it is. Me & my little collection of 10 John Wayne movies shall live happily ever after. All I can sum up is that regardless of the movie or the type of role John Wayne & Susan Hayward did great jobs.


As bad as people say!   November 12, 2002
"The Conqueror most certainly lives up to its billing as one of the most ridiculously awful films ever made. It's absurd casting and over-the-top, faux, Shakespearean dialogue has to be seen to be believed

There is a story about members of the cast and crew later succumbing to cancer because this movie was filmed near a former atomic bomb testing area. It's an interesting story, but there really is no evidence that radiation exposure caused any of the deaths. There is a far more mundane explaination- the victims were all chain smokers. In fact, when the Duke was making "The Alamo" he was allegedly smoking six packs a day! Smoking like that will kill you as sure as working on an atomic test site.


A Bad Movie Buff's Dream   October 25, 2002
R. Aronin (Fresh Meadows, New York USA)
If you're a fellow masochist when it comes to movies, and revel in the "what-were-they-thinking" giggles that are provided by "Plan 9 From Outer Space", "Glen or Glenda?" and "Inchon", you will LOVE this movie!

Don't take my word for it alone - it's just SO bad that Harry & Michael Medved featured this movie in both "The Golden Turkey Awards" and "The Hollywood Hall of Shame"! The first book was written before the cancer linkage to the Yucca Flats atomic testing program in 1953 was uncovered, but the second book details the shocking loss of life associated with the aftermath of this production - there's a real chance the realization of these problems is what drove Howard Hughes over the deep end for good.