ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

ShangLuda Admirable film.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

ksf-2 The 'plot summary' for this film really sums up the storyline, but there are so many other nuances going on here. CONQUEST co-stars the amazing Garbo as the MUCH younger wife of a Count ( Henry Stephenson ) and Charles Boyer. What other french-man would they have play Napoleon? He meets the countess on his way up, and cajoles her into being the mistress, which of course gives grounds for the breakup of her marriage. The awesome Ouspenskaya is in here as the batty old aunt Pelagia. Some comedy, as the crazy old aunt plays cards with Napoleon but refuses to belive an emporer could displace the king, and she insults him over and over. Ouspenskaya didn't make that many films, but in so many roles, she played the serious, heavy handed old woman with a past. The story has the Countess reluctantly "spending time" with Napoleon, purely "for the good of the country", but who knows how much of that is accurate. She did leave memoirs for her family, and some information can be found on Wikidepia . The trivia section says that this film was a HUGE money-loser for MGM, but maybe that was due to the length of the film, almost two hours. or maybe the subject matter was distaste-ful for a public that had just accepted the film production code. Napoleon's mom played by the fun Dame May Whitty. Apparently, a good chunk of this story actually occurred. For a period piece, it's not so bad. Some parts are a bit silly, but it does tell a story. Garbo only made two more after this. Near the end of her film career. Of course, she WAS nominated for the next one... Ninotchka. For those interested in when and where "Countess Marie" died, please visit the wikipedia link.

lugonian CONQUEST (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1937), directed by Clarence Brown, is not a full-fledged biography nor grand scale remake of the four hour silent epic of director Abel Gance's French masterpiece, NAPOLEON (1927), though any attempt might have been interesting. Instead, this historical mini 112 minute epic indicates: "This is a story of an historic love. The imaginary detail supplied by the dramatist has not violated the spirit of this immortal romance." Starring the fine combination of Greta Garbo and Charles Boyer for the first and only time, CONQUEST, like NAPOLEON, falls into a lavish scale style, fortunately not at four hours. It does, however, equally balance these leading performers to the best capacity in screen entertainment. Reportedly a box office disappointment upon release, it was Boyer, not Garbo, who garnered enough attention to earn an Academy Award nomination, indicating Boyer was not just an ordinary Garbo co-star, but a logical choice to play Napoleon. Told in detailed title format, the first chapter reads, "January 1808, Eastern Poland" followed by rebellious horseback riding Cossacks invading and destroying personal property of the luxurious home of 75-year-old Count Wakenski (Henry Stephenson) and his attractive, younger third wife, Marie (Greta Garbo). Shortly after the intruders depart comes Marie's brother, Lieutenant Paul Pachinski (Leif Erickson) of the French Army, with news of the Emperor Napoleon and his Army arriving in Poland. Later that night, Marie leaves home just long enough to see and capture the attention of Napoleon (Charles Boyer) while standing outside a church. Chapter Two: "Two months later, at the Poniatowski Palace, Warsaw" - The Count and Marie attend a ball where Napoleon, after meeting with the Countess once more, attracts attention from surprising guests by being together on the dance floor. Though Marie consoles her husband of Napoleon's love letters to her, it is Senator Malachowski (George Zucco) who encourages her to accept Napoleon's invitation so he can free Poland. Having gone against her husband's wishes, Wakewski leaves Marie and annuls their marriage. Chapter 3: "The Castle of Finckenstein, East Prussia" - With Napoleon and his personal staff seeking shelter in the Wakenski home, Marie acts coldly towards the aggressive guest. Things eventually change as Napoleon's loneliness falls into Marie's own personal pattern. After Marie's brother learns of their affair, he loses all respect for them. Chapter 4: "Two years later, July, 1809, The Rue De La Houssaie, Paris" - Bonaparte's mother, Laetitia (Dame May Witty) confronts Marie of her son's intention on divorcing his wife, Josephine; Chapter 5: "Three Weeks Later, Schoebrunn Castle - Vienna" - Napoleon encounters an assassin; Talleyrand (Reginald Owen) encourages Napoleon to marry the Duchess Marie Louise of Hapsburg in order to have an heir of royal blood. The news proves disappointing for Marie; Chapter 6: "Two years later, December 1812, The Retreat of the Grand Army from Moscow through Poland," Napoleon and Army march through a stormy blizzard and encounter a half frozen soldier; Chapter 7: "Two years later, August 18, 1814, The Island of Elba" - After a defeat at Waterloo, Marie arrives with a surprise for Napoleon; Chapter 8: "One month after Waterloo, July 1815, The Port of Rochefemas, France." Napoleon goes into exile.In the supporting cast are Claude Gillingwater Sr. (Stefan, Marie's loyal servant); Alan Marshal (O'Ornano); C. Henry Gordon (Prince Poniatowski); and Scotty Beckett (Alexander). Maria Ouspenskaya should not go unmentioned as the Countess Pelagia, Wakewski's sister with memory loss. Her card playing encounter with Napoleon is as noteworthy as Napoleon telling Marie that, "You are the only woman whose favor I ever begged for." Aside from a smooth underscoring by Herbert Stothart, and impressive sets, CONQUEST, which often cries for Technicolor as well as extensive war battle scenes, the camera shows Garbo to great advantage on numerous occasions of her now mature, yet stunning beauty. No stranger to broadcast television prior to the 1980s, CONQUEST, with availability after-wards on video and DVD formats, remains a much underrated Garbo product. Interestingly, in the 1990 documentary, "The Divine Garbo," as hosted by Glenn Close, of all the Garbo films, CONQUEST did not get a single mention, almost as the movie itself never existed, which is quite unfortunate. CONQUEST may not be accurate in its historic account nor will it ever become a sort-after Garbo conquest in cinema history, but it's certainly worth exploring the next time it broadcasts on Turner Classic Movies. (****)

MartinHafer This film reminded me of another MGM costume drama--MARIE ANTOINETTE. Both were late 30s MGM epics with lavish costumes and the full MGM treatment (the typical high-budget music, dialog, pacing, direction, etc.). And, both were pretty boring--at least to me. Now I know these films were well-received at the time and they both starred MGM divas (Norma Shearer in MARIE ANTOINETTE and Greta Garbo in CONQUEST), but didn't change the fact that these were very stagy and unengaging films. To put this in some perspective, I love movies from Hollywoods Golden Age and I am a history teacher and I still was bored to tears by the films. I think it is films like these that got students to really hate history! My advice--watch a documentary about Napoleon or watch a romance but don't combine the two into a static and unappealing film like this.

Michael Bo Married Polish countess, Marie Walewska, falls in love with Napoleon Bonaparte, savior of her country. They engage in a passionate relationship lasting until his divorce from Empress Josephine is finalized and he is persuaded to marry into the Habsburg dynasty for political reasons.I watched this movie on Greta Garbo's 100th anniversary, and am moved to remark on her progress as an actress. I admired her fluidity as a screen presence, but she really came into her own in the mid-30s with great performances in 'Camille', 'Anna Karenina' and in 'Conquest'. Of course she looks awesome and wears a costume like no one else, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Just watch the marvelous scene in 'Conquest', where she, as the noble countess, greets her brother after a long separation. He comments on her hair which has grown longer, making it hard to pull, and she giggles and shrieks as they chase each other through the hallway. This is the most liberated Garbo ever was, and she is adorable.Charles Boyer is not to be outdid as Napoleon, and he has the meatier part of the two. He is mischievous and arrogant, impetuous and playful. You see the tyrant in Boyer's performance, just below the surface, waiting to be unleashed. His speech to Walewska about his dream of a United States of Europe obviously demands heightened interest in this day and age, and the quiet intensity, even solemnity of Boyer's delivery is brilliant. "I have signed many treaties, but this is the first time I am at peace", he tells her. Boyer's performance is many-layered and complex, neither hero nor scoundrel. Just very, very human.This has got to be director Clarence Brown's best film. I really liked 'The Eagle', his sprawling silent epic with Rudolph Valentino, but as a rule I find his other Garbo pictures, 'Anna Karenina' first and foremost, vapid and lifeless.I love a picture like 'Conquest' that affords detail in abundance, and I especially loved Maria Ouspensaya as Walewska' aging and dotty sister in-law who remembers nothing of the past 40 years. When she meets Napoleon in the parlor and he presents himself, incredulously, as the Empress of France, she smiles with tolerance, "This house is getting to be an insane asylum", she sighs, slightly scandalized. "Everybody who goes crazy thinks he is Alexander. If Alexander went crazy, who would he think he was?". "Napoleon, madame?", Boyer suggests.Watch it. And watch out for its release on DVD.