Director: Dick Powell
In ancient times, the Mongolian warlord Temujin must do battle against the rival tribe that killed his father. The battles pale in comparison with Temujin's home life, as he attempts to woo the heart of the red-haired Tartar prisoner Bortai whom he has captured in a raid. He must also deal with various intrigues within his palace. Eventually, Bortai falls to his manly charms, Temujin defeats his enemies within and without, and is crowned Genghis Khan.
The Death of John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Dick Powell
8/10
Author: vitaleralphlouis from United States
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).