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''55 Days at Peking'' is a 1963 historical epic film starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner and David Niven, made by Samuel Bronston Productions and released by Allied Artists. The movie was produced by Samuel Bronston and directed by Nicholas Ray, Andrew Marton (credited as second unit director) and Guy Green (uncredited). The screenplay was written by Philip Yordan, Bernard Gordon, Ben Barzman and Robert Hamer, the music score was written by Dimitri Tiomkin and the song "So Little Time" was written by Tiomkin with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. The cinematographer was Jack Hildyard. In addition to directing, Nicholas Ray plays the minor role of the head of the American diplomatic mission in China. This film is also the first known appearance of future martial arts film star Yuen Siu Tien. Japanese film director Juzo Itami, credited in the film as ''"Ichizo Itami"'', appears as Col. Goro Shiba. ==Plot== ''55 Days in Peking'' is a dramatization of the siege of the foreign legations' compounds in Peking (now known as Beijing) during the Boxer Rebellion which took place from 1898-1900 in China. It is based on the book by Noel Gerson. In the early years of the 20th century, Peking is an open city with the Chinese and several European countries vying for control. The Boxers, who oppose Christianity, are agitating against the foreigners and the western powers who still exercised complete sovereignty over their compounds and their citizens. The head of the US military garrison is Maj. Matt Lewis, USMC (Charlton Heston), an experienced China hand who knows local conditions well. The political situation is tense with the Boxers having the tacit approval of the Dowager Empress (Flora Robson). Fed up with foreign encroachment, the Dowager Empress Tzu-Hsi uses the Boxer secret societies to attack foreigners within China, leading to the siege and subsequent direct intervention by foreign expeditionary forces which were dispatched to put down the rebellion. The film concentrates on the defense of the legations from the point of view of the foreign powers, and the title refers to the length of the defence by the colonial powers of the legations district of Peking. The foreign embassies in Peking are being held in a grip of terror as the Boxers set about killing Christians in an anti-Christian nationalistic fever. Lewis heads a contingent of multinational soldiers and Marines defending the foreign compound in Peking. When the Boxers attack the foreigners, Lewis, working with the senior officer from the British Embassy, Sir Arthur Robinson (David Niven) tries to keep them at bay pending the arrival of a relief force. Inside the besieged compound, the British ambassador gathers the beleaguered ambassadors into a defensive formation. Included in the group of high-level dignitaries is the sultry Russian Baroness Natalie Ivanoff (Ava Gardner), who begins a romantic liaison with Lewis. As the group conserves food and water while trying to save hungry children, it awaits reinforcements, but Empress Tzu Hsi is plotting with the Boxers to break the siege at the compound with the aid of Chinese troops. Eventually, the forces of the Eight-Nation Alliance arrive to put down the rebellion, and relieve the siege of the foreign compounds following the Battle of Peking. These events foreshadowed the coming demise of the Qing Dynasty, which had ruled China for two and one-half centuries. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「55 Days at Peking」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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