55 Days at Peking 1963 fmovies

55 Days at Peking: A Historical Drama Film

The film is set during the Battle of Peking (1900) (modern day Beijing).

The Turmoil in China

Starvation, widespread in China, is affecting more than 100 million peasants by the summer of 1900. Approximately a thousand foreigners from various western industrialized countries have exploited their positions inside Beijing’s legations, seeking control of the weakened nation. The Boxers oppose the westerners and the Christian religion and are planning to drive them out.

The Siege of Beijing

The turmoil in China worsens as the Boxer secret societies gain tacit approval from the Dowager Empress Cixi. Frustration over foreign encroachment boils over when the Empress encourages the Boxers to attack all foreigners in Beijing and the rest of China. When the Empress condones the assassination of the German ambassador, a violent siege of Beijing’s foreign legations district erupts.

The Defense of Beijing

The head of the US military garrison, US Marine Major Matt Lewis, leads a small contingent of multinational soldiers and US Marines defending the compound. As the siege worsens, Maj. Lewis forms an alliance with the senior officer at the British Embassy, Sir Arthur Robertson, pending the arrival of a British-led relief force. They succeed in their mission to blow up a sizable Chinese arsenal.

The Conclusion of the Battle

As the foreign defenders conserve food and water, while trying to save hungry children, a foreign relief force from the Eight-Nation Alliance arrives and defeats the Boxers. The troops reach Beijing on the 55th day and lift the siege of the foreign legations. The Dowager Empress Cixi declares to herself, “The dynasty is finished”.

In the end, Maj. Lewis retrieves Teresa, the young, half-Chinese daughter of one of his Marine comrades who was killed during the siege. Together, they leave Beijing behind, marking the end of their 55-day ordeal.

Watch “55 Days at Peking” on fmovies and experience the dramatic retelling of this historical event.