Film Desiree 1954 Historical Drama

     Just watched the the historical drama 1954 film Desiree and foundt it satisfactorily entertaining on all levels. The acting was superb the scenery convincng and often captivating. The music accompaning the film was very effective in conveying the drama and sense of fervent nationalism of the time.

      Marlon Brando, was convincing in his role as both a younger romantic and older Napoleon totally engrossed in advancing his political and military career. He also convincingly projects the dictatorial and fanatical obsession of accomplishing things via a military force that Napoleon seemed to harbor. 

      The actress playing Desiree, Jean Simmons, was also very convincing both in her role as a naive and vulnerable younger woman and as an older one who had experienced the bitter disappointment of discovering that Napoleon had married another woman for politically expedient reasons.  She successfully  conveys Dessiree's inner struggle to hide her lingering affection for Napoleon to the very end. She also conveys her social discomfort as a Swedish queen trying to fit into her role as royalty but never managing to.


Michael Rennie as Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte also did a very fine job.

      No, the film doesn't present battle scenes full of thundering cannons, charging cavalry, or marching infantries. Such battles as the Russian Campaign are mentioned as having occurred via the dialogue.

     Instead the drama is totally concentrated on the inner conflict felt by the protagonists with whom we sympathize based on our common humanity and our common sense of helplessness when things don't go quite the way we had planned