The adventures of Marco Polo

Movie
German title	The adventures of Marco Polo
Original title	The Adventures of Marco Polo
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1938
length	105 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12
Rod
Director	Archie Mayo
script	Robert E. Sherwood
production	Samuel Goldwyn
music	Hugo Friedhofer
camera	Rudolph Maté , ; Archie Stout
cut	Fred Allen
occupation
	Gary Cooper : Marco Polo; Sigrid Gurie : Princess Kukachin; Basil Rathbone : Ahmed; George Barbier : Kublai Khan; Alan Hale sr. : Kaidu; Binnie Barnes : Nazama; Ernest Truex : Binguccio; HB Warner : Chen Tsu; Robert Greig : Chamberlain; Ferdinand Gottschalk : Persian Ambassador; Henry Kolker : Nicolo Polo; Lotus Liu : Visakha; Stanley Fields : Bayan; Harold Huber : Toctai; Lana Turner : maid;

The Adventures of Marco Polo is a 1938 American adventure film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Gary Cooper. The script is based on an NA Pogson story based on the life of Marco Polo .

action

In the 12th century the Venetian Marco Polo was sent to China by his father, the merchant Nicolo . With his assistant Binguccio, Marco reaches his destination after a difficult journey. A friendship develops between Marco and the scientist Chen Tsu. It is through him that Marco learns the Chinese form of spaghetti, chopsticks and explosive powder. Chen Tsu warns his friend about Ahmed, the adviser to Emperor Kublai Khan.

At an imperial audience, Marco pretends to be only in China as a trader. But on the side he has collected some gems that he wants to take home. Marco falls in love with the emperor's daughter, Princess Kukachin, although she has been promised as a wife to the king of Persia since she was a child. Meanwhile, Ahmed plans the death of the Venetian he hated in order to ascend the throne. Ahmed secures the help of the Mongols for the coup.

A war breaks out between China and Japan. Kublai Khan sends Marco as an ambassador to Kaidu, the Mongol leader. Kaidu has him arrested to kill him. But Kaidu's wife Mazama is able to prevent the murder. Kaidu sees Marco as an aid against his possessive wife. While Kublai Khan is in the army, Ahmed takes over the palace and plans to marry Kakuchin. When the emperor returns, Ahmed threatens the death of the princess if the emperor does not consent to the wedding and Ahmed's accession to the throne.

Marco has now learned of Ahmed's betrayal. He can prevent an assassination attempt on Kaidu. He arrives at the palace just in time to prevent the wedding. Kaidu, who wants to help his savior Marco, lets his army attack. With the help of Chen Tsu's powder, Ahmed can be killed. Kublai Khan and Kaidu make peace. The emperor asks Marco to accompany the princess to Persia. When the princess asked how long the journey would take, he kisses her and replies that the journey will take a long time.

Reviews

"Wide-ranging history painting that strives more for a detailed interior than an entertaining plot."

- Lexicon of international film

"Rathbone is an excellent plotter, and Sigrid Gurie, [...], possesses beauty of a kind to start civil war in any country."

- Variety

background

The premiere took place on April 7, 1938 in New York. In Germany, the film did not appear in cinemas until August 25, 1950.

The budget was $ 2 million. The film was not a financial success with an estimated $ 700,000 loss.

Lana Turner , Ward Bond and Richard Farnsworth can be seen in small supporting roles . Born in Norway, Sigrid Gurie was first seen in a leading role in a US film.

The production designer Richard Day was responsible for the equipment . The costumes were made by Omar Kiam and Marjorie Best . The musical director was Alfred Newman .

The original director of the film was John Cromwell , who left the set after five days due to artistic differences. After William Wyler canceled, producer Goldwyn let assistant director John Ford take the chair for a few days until Archie Mayo finished the film.

Originally planned as a color film, the film had to be shot in a sepia tone because the Technicolor equipment was used for other films.

Web links

The Adventures of Marco Polo in the Internet Movie Database (English)
The Adventures of Marco Polo at Rotten Tomatoes (English)

Individual evidence

^ The adventures of Marco Polo. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 13, 2019 .
^ The Adventures of Marco Polo. In: variety.com . Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
↑ The Adventures of Marco Polo in the Internet Movie Database (English)

. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
^ The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938) Notes. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved May 13, 2019 .

[1] The adventures of Marco Polo. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 13, 2019 .

[2] The Adventures of Marco Polo. In: variety.com . Retrieved May 13, 2019 .

[3] The Adventures of Marco Polo in the Internet Movie Database (English)

. Retrieved May 13, 2019.

[4] The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938) Notes. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved May 13, 2019 .