Marseille, at the end of the eighteenth century. Désirée Clary, the daughter of a well-off merchant family, meets the Bonaparte brothers, young Corsican officers with few means. Between affection, family expectations and the pull of ambition, her relationship with Napoleon opens a story that spans years of political upheaval in France and across Europe, and in which the heroine must decide what place she wants in a world that never stops changing. The film follows her personal path through the Revolution and the Empire, with its courts, rivalries and alliances.

How it was made

Directed by Henry Koster and produced by Julian Blaustein, the film adapts Annemarie Selinko's best-selling novel. Daniel Taradash wrote the screenplay, and the production was shot in CinemaScope, with a score by Alex North and cinematography by Milton Krasner. Marlon Brando played Napoleon at the height of his career, opposite Jean Simmons as Désirée and Merle Oberon as Joséphine. The story had been filmed before, in 1942 by Sacha Guitry, but this version leans heavily on its romantic and emotional side.

Reception and legacy

Critics were divided. Some praised the costumes, the sets and the performances, while others felt the plot lacked momentum. The film earned two Academy Award nominations, for Best Art Direction in color and Best Costume Design, but won neither. Today it is remembered mainly as an example of the historical romance films of the CinemaScope era and as an early, weighty role for Brando.