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BiographyYear1955Duration1h 50mIMDb6.4

Désirée

BiographyDramaHistory

Desiree Clary falls for Napoleon but marries Bernadotte, while Josephine weds Napoleon to become Empress before being dismissed for not producing an heir.

Trailer

Cast

Marlon Brando

Napoleon Bonaparte

Jean Simmons

Désirée Clary

Merle Oberon

Empress Josephine

Michael Rennie

Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte

Cameron Mitchell

Joseph Bonaparte

Elizabeth Sellars

Julie - Désirée's Sister

CA

Charlotte Austin

Paulette Bonaparte

Cathleen Nesbitt

Mme. Bonaparte

Evelyn Varden

Marie

Isobel Elsom

Mme. Clary - Désirée's Mother

John Hoyt

Talleyrand

Alan Napier

Despreaux

Mary Stewart

Minor Role

Leon Alton

Party Guest

LB

Louis Borel

Baron Morner

Sven Hugo Borg

Aide

PB

Peter Bourne

Count Brahe

PB

Paul Bradley

Party Guest

Comments

10 Comments

『1v4』SANADMar 22, 2025

AYOUB ETTALEB 1Mar 22, 2025

Elijah Ķŕiš AmalgamaMar 22, 2025

DBNGOGOMar 22, 2025

Britannya❣️🇨🇩Mar 22, 2025

Miss Jey ArtsMar 22, 2025

HyunANov 18, 2022

สงกรานต์ รังสรรค์Nov 16, 2022

Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando star in Desiree, the story of a young woman briefly involved with Napoleon. This is a sumptuous production to look at, but it's too long and extremely boring. Unlike some of the other posters, I was unimpressed with Marlon Brando's whispering Napoleon. I am a huge fan of Brando's and found his static portrayal a disappointment. He did, however, look like Napoleon, with the lock of hair over his forehead. I am also a huge fan of Jean Simmons but unfortunately, both of these actors were let down by the script and the incredibly plodding direction. Her character never really developed past girlhood. There was no chemistry between the two, and the story just meandered along. Michael Rennie as Bernadotte had little to do. The only standout was the beautiful Merle Oberon as the ousted Josephine. Also, historically, the film is inaccurate. Overall, pretty to look at, and a drag to watch.

Cynthia Soza BandaNov 16, 2022

I watched this movie for the first time as a girl of 12 yrs. I loved it then and I love it now. I love the spunk of the character, Desiree Clary, so innocent, youthful, and fearless. The costumes were gorgeous. The story line has been described as sappy by some, but it provided a human, romantic overview of the era and of Napoleon, I enjoyed the movie and the actors and that's all that matters. Marlon Brando and Michael Rennie just added to the enjoyment. I vowed at the time that I first saw the movie, should I have a daughter I'd name her Desiree and I was blessed with a beautiful dark haired baby girl and her name is "Desiree". She just turned 22.

real Madrid fansNov 16, 2022

1954 biography of Napoleon leaves a lot to be desired. History is rushed in the film. At least, they could have shown what Napoleon and his French army had to endure during the bitter cold Russian winter that the invaders encountered. The story is of Desiree who meets Napoleon during a walk in the park. He is assertive, demanding and is so much into himself. He immediately arranges the marriage of his brother to Desiree's sister and promises Desiree marriage only to be swept away by Josephine in Paris. Another fateful encounter brings Michael Rennie into the film and they are wed. As Josephine, Merle Oberon is totally wasted in the role. She appears briefly and of course was dumped for her inability to produce an heir to the throne. How Rennie was chosen to be the future king of Sweden was not fully explained, but we soon see that Desiree was unable to adopt to Swedish culture and returns home as Napoleon prepares for world domination in the name of bringing forth a united Europe.

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