1 / 8
ERA
Did you know
72 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Désirée
"The life...the women...the conquests of Napoleon!"
1954 1h 50m EN
👍
6.6
SOLID
★6.6TMDB · 52
DramaRomance
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
In Marseilles, France in 1794, Desiree Clary, a young millinery clerk, becomes infatuated with Napoleon Bonaparte, but winds up wedding General 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.
“The life...the women...the conquests of Napoleon!”
Cast
Marlon Brando
Napoleon Bonaparte
Jean Simmons
Desiree Clary
Merle Oberon
Empress Josephine
Michael Rennie
Bernadotte
Cameron Mitchell
Joseph Bonaparte
Elizabeth Sellars
Julie
Charlotte Austin
Paulette Bonaparte
Cathleen Nesbitt
Mme. Bonaparte
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Henry Koster
- Writers
- Daniel Taradash
- Languages
- English, Swedish
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Swedish.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Henry Koster, shot by Milton Krasner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Editor William Reynolds shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons and Merle Oberon carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "The life...the women...the conquests of Napoleon!".
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0046903 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Henry Koster directs. Milton Krasner behind the camera. Alex North scores. William Reynolds cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Swedish.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 172 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
- 2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Swedish.
- 3Directed by Henry Koster, shot by Milton Krasner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor William Reynolds shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons and Merle Oberon carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "The life...the women...the conquests of Napoleon!".
- 8IMDB entry: tt0046903 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Only 52 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Milton Krasner
- Original score
- Alex North
- Editing
- William Reynolds
- Costume design
- René Hubert
- Runtime
- 110 min · 1h 50m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- NR
- IMDB
- Désirée (1954)
Also by
Henry Koster
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- Wuchak★ 7/10
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-
Production companies
Who made it
20th Century Fox
US
Key crew
- BookAnnemarie Selinko
- Second Assistant CameraBobby Greene
- Costume DesignRené Hubert
- ProducerJulian Blaustein
- EditorWilliam Reynolds
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- napoleon bonaparte
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1954-11-16NR
Also known as
International titles
- DesireeIE
- DesireeUS
