"Just watched 55 Days at Peking" Topic

So, I was wondering if those black Boxer "uniforms" with red trim are authentic?
They would be a nice break from the dirty white, with red trim.

I think they could have been imperial Chinese Army

Just watched it for the first time.

I thought it was rather good.

I wonder how all those troops from different nations, fighting side by side, felt a short time later when WWI broke out?

It didn't take the Russians and Japanese long.

The film is not accurate. It gets some broad brush strokes on the events right, but then once the siege starts history went out the window.

Great period to game though, have a project way at the back of the list to do this in 28mm, using Ambush Alley rules.

I have played in a number of TS&TF games set in the Boxer Rebellion, and grand, colorful, fun games they were, too.

Great movie, I first saw it as a kid in the 60's and I now have it on DVD. Riddled with jingoism and stereotypes but great spectacle nevertheless. Ava Gardner, what a woman!

Yep, if you're expecting Hollywood to present actual history you're kidding yourself.

I like the movie!

Thanks,

John

I recorded it. At my pace for watching recorded movies, I will watch it around Xmas. I still have a ton of TMC pirate movies to watch!

I've got a copy of the movie. I'm affraid I can't help you with the uniforms. But I do know your situation. Austrian line infantry for 1809, Dervish Ansar, Egyptians for 1882. One can tire of white uniforms.
At least the Austrians were many moons ago.

I recorded it as well since my wife was watching White Collar

Watched again for the first time in about 10 years. The rocket tower would be a great thing to spring as a surprise at a game…

Charlton Heston tells a great story about 55 Days in his autobiography. Ava Gardner (his love interest in the movie) was not suppose to die in the film. Turns out that Gardner was a drunk. She was causing terrible problems on the set dealing with the filming ect. The director came to Heston saying that he did not know what to do. Heston told him "Well, why don't we kill her?" So they sat down with the script and took her out.

Oh, that's cold blooded!
Would that we all could deal with problem co-workers like that!

I think the black uniforms are Hollywood

Imperial troops would have worn dark blue – with red trim and white chest discs

Authentic? Who cares. Just 'create' a unit under the guidance of some local warlord who favors black over white. Your players will care less about correctness than about cool figures to push around.

Yes, I'm glad we have good research out there – but, get real, we be playing with toy soldiers, lads. And having too much fun to care over much about the trivial.

Hear! Hear!

TVAG

Hi:

Years ago, at the Brom house when he lived in Jackson, MS, we fought a magnificent Boxer game. Larry constructed a representation of the wall in 25mm (or at least part of it). The Chinese were attacking, and had a seige tower (which he also built). The rules for that was that you had ONE chance to drop the gang-plank to go over the wall.

The group had an engineer in our group who was commanding the tower. It advanced several turns, and when it got close to the wall he declared, "drop the ramp!" His compatriots told him that it was too far, and needed one more move – at which he declared – "I am an engineer, and I know this is correct." The ramp actually had strings holding it up that would drop it like a real ramp. It would fall with no more, nor no less, distance than designed. It fell – to the engineer's chagrin – about 1/16 of an inch short, and went to a straight down position! The engineer's face was a sight to behold!! After we stopped laughing, the Boxers had to beat a hasty retreat.

The best thing about Larry's games back then (1980 or so) was the ingenious creations he came up with. Steamboats on the Nile are another story!

(Lori and Christi still, I am sure, laugh about Charlton Heston and the little Chinese girl with he goo-goo-googlee eyes, who he pulled up on the back of his horse in the scene at the end.)

Great movie, but so jingoistic.

55 Days at Peking accurate? Of course not, but does it really matter? It's what inspires us that really matters. One doesn't have to stick with the dirty white with red trim to turn out a variety of paint schemes for the Boxer Rebellion. It's done a lot of research into the period and the only somewhat consist fact is some form of red adornment or trim or bandana or whatever on the uniform. And even this is not gospel.

At he end of the day, it's your army !So paint away. I've now reached a point where I have over 20,000 painted 28mm figures and I'm willing to overlook a few things to achive my end goal which is to game.

colonialgaming.com will show you some ideas for Boxer Rebellion

How long did it last?