The Conqueror

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Audience Score

User Ratings: 1,667

Movie Info

In the historical epic The Conqueror, John Wayne stars as Temujin, better known as Genghis Khan. Red-haired Susan Hayward costars as Bortai, the Tartar princess whom Temujin claims as the spoils of battle. Eventually, Bortai's hatred for her captor metamorphoses into love, while Temujin's hordes lay claim to the entire Gobi Desert. Director Dick Powell, many of the actors (John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendariz, Thomas Gomez, Agnes Moorehead), and several of the crew members later fell victim to cancer, allegedly the result of producer Howard Hughes' decision to lens the film on location near the atomic testing grounds in the Utah desert.

Rating:

G
Genre:

Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama
Directed By:

Dick Powell
Written By:

Oscar Millard
In Theaters:

Feb 21, 1956 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Apr 15, 1999
Runtime:

111 minutes
Studio:

RKO Radio Pictures

Cast

John Wayne
as Temujin

Susan Hayward
as Bortai

Pedro Armendáriz
as Jamuga

Agnes Moorehead
as Hunlun

Thomas Gomez
as Wang Kahn

John Hoyt
as Shaman

William Conrad
as Kasar

Ted de Corsia
as Kumlek

Leslie E. Bradley
as Targutai

Lee Van Cleef
as Chepei

Peter Mamakos
as Bogurchi

Leo Gordon
as Tartar Captain

Richard Loo
as Captain of Wang's guard

Billy Curtis
as Midget Tumbler

Ray Spiker
as Guard

Sylvia Lewis
as Solo dancer

Jarma Lewis
as Girl in bath

Torben Meyer
as Scribe

John George
as Drummer boy

Weaver Levy
as Mongol

Michael Granger
as 1st chieftain

Fred Aldrich
as 2nd chieftain

Paul Hoffman
as 3rd chieftain

Lane Bradford
as 4th chieftain

Fred Graham
as Subuya

Gregg Barton
as Jalair

Jeanne Gerson
as Hochin

Michael Wayne
as Mongol guard

Ken Terrell
as Sorgan

Moe DiSesso

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Critic Reviews for The Conqueror

All Critics (2)

Howard Hughes' anachronistic saga is one of the worst films ever made with an embarrassing performance of John Wayne as Genghis Khan the Warrior.

Nov 10, 2006 | Rating: F | Full Review…

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
No one comes out of this train wreck holding their head up.

Feb 28, 2006 | Rating: D | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

View All Critic Reviews (2)

Audience Reviews for The Conqueror

Feb 04, 2009

John Wayne as a Mongolian warlord HAS to be one of the worst casting jobs in the history of Cinema. I love The Duke as much as anyone, but Genghis Khan he ain't.

Randy T Super Reviewer
Mar 28, 2008

Dear Lord God, what were they thinking...? Featuring easily the worst piece of casting in cinematic history, John Wayne stars as Genghis Khan (yes, you read that right) in the story of his life. It is quite funny for about 10 minutes, until you realise that it's quite mind-buggering dull. One star for the curiosity value, but otherwise a total waste of celluloid. The fact that financial backer Howard Hughes paid $12 million to recall every print in existence so no-one could see it should tell you everything you need to know!

xGary X Super Reviewer