Désirée 1954
6.3 / 10
Désirée
In Marseilles, France in 1794, Desiree Clary, a young millinery clerk, becomes infatuated with Napoleon Bonaparte, but winds up wedding Genaral Jean-Baptiste Berandotte, an aid to Napoleon who later joins the forces that bring about the Emperor's downfall. Josephine Beauharnais, a worldly courtesan marries Napoleon and becomes Empress of France, but is then cast aside by her spouse when she proves unable to produce an heir to the throne.
In Marseilles, France in 1794, Desiree Clary, a young millinery clerk, becomes infatuated with Napoleon Bonaparte, but winds up wedding Genaral Jean-Baptiste Berandotte, an aid to Napoleon who later joins the forces that bring about the Emperor's downfall. Josephine Beauharnais, a worldly courtesan marries Napoleon and becomes Empress of France, but is then cast aside by her spouse when she proves unable to produce an heir to the throne.
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 6 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Napoleon Bonaparte
... Desiree Clary
... Empress Josephine
... Bernadotte
... Joseph Bonaparte
... Julie
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews22 Nov 2021 by Wuchak
_**Talky Napoleonic drama with Brando, Jean Simmons and Michael Rennie**_ From 1794-1815, the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte (Marlon Brando) is chronicled through the eyes of Désirée Clary (Jean Simmons), a young millinery clerk from Marseilles, who is initially infatuated with the future emperor of France, but winds up marrying one of his top generals, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (Michael Rennie), who remarkably becomes Crown Prince of Sweden and potentially allied with the very forces that oppose Napoleon. Based on Annemarie Selinko’s hit 1951 novel, “Désirée” (1954) is a costume drama concentrating on the historical love triangle and behind-the-scenes politics. Don’t expect any flashes of action, like in Brando’s “The Young Lions” (1958). While Marlon begrudged the role because he was settling legal issues for walking off the lead role in “The Egyptian” (1954) and thus phoned-in his performance, the movie interestingly made more at the box office than his other 1954 film, the heralded “On the Waterfront.” Phoned-in or not, Brando captured the essence of the brooding conquest-obsessed Napoleon and makes the flick worthwhile. But you have to be in the mood for dialogue-driven historical costume drama. Whilst the script doesn’t elaborate on it, in real-life Bernadotte was named Crown Prince of Sweden for his benevolence toward Swedish POWs, captured by him when he was a Marshal of the French Empire. Although curiously becoming King and Queen of Sweden & Norway, neither Jean nor Désirée ever learned to speak Swedish other than "kom," which means “come” in English. The movie runs 1 hour, 50 minutes, and was shot in France and California. GRADE: B/B-
Directors:
Release Date:
Nov 16, 1954 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 50`
MMPA Rating:
NR
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
Désirée
_**Talky Napoleonic drama with Brando, Jean Simmons and Michael Rennie**_ From 1794-1815, the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte (Marlon Brando) is chronicled through the eyes of Désirée Clary (Jean Simmons), a young millinery clerk from Marseilles, who is initially infatuated with the future emperor of France, but winds up marrying one of his top generals, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (Michael Rennie), who remarkably becomes Crown Prince of Sweden and potentially allied with the very forces that oppose Napoleon. Based on Annemarie Selinko’s hit 1951 novel, “Désirée” (1954) is a costume drama concentrating on the historical love triangle and behind-the-scenes politics. Don’t expect any flashes of action, like in Brando’s “The Young Lions” (1958). While Marlon begrudged the role because he was settling legal issues for walking off the lead role in “The Egyptian” (1954) and thus phoned-in his performance, the movie interestingly made more at the box office than his other 1954 film, the heralded “On the Waterfront.” Phoned-in or not, Brando captured the essence of the brooding conquest-obsessed Napoleon and makes the flick worthwhile. But you have to be in the mood for dialogue-driven historical costume drama. Whilst the script doesn’t elaborate on it, in real-life Bernadotte was named Crown Prince of Sweden for his benevolence toward Swedish POWs, captured by him when he was a Marshal of the French Empire. Although curiously becoming King and Queen of Sweden & Norway, neither Jean nor Désirée ever learned to speak Swedish other than "kom," which means “come” in English. The movie runs 1 hour, 50 minutes, and was shot in France and California. GRADE: B/B-
Cast & Crew of
Désirée
Directors & Credit Writers
... Director
Cast
... Napoleon Bonaparte
... Desiree Clary
... Empress Josephine
... Bernadotte
... Joseph Bonaparte
... Julie
... Paulette Bonaparte
... Mme. Bonaparte
... Marie
... Mme. Clary
... Talleyrand
... Despreaux
... Etienne Clary
LA
Leon Alton... Party Guest (uncredited)
... Queen Hedwig
... Baron Morner (uncredited)
... Queen Sofia
... Mme. Tallien
... Attendant Holding Baby at Palace Ball
... Von Essen
Videos & Photos of
Désirée
Videos ( 1)
Photos ( 6 )
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