irst class costume drama that begins in Marseilles in 1794 with Désirée Clary (Jean Simmons) meeting the young, ambitious general Napoleon Bonaparte (Marlon Brando). The story follows the intertwining relationship between the pair as Napoleon rises to become Emperor of France. Along the way Désirée finds herself betrayed when Napoleon marries courtesan Josephine (Merle Oberon) before she herself marries General Jean-Baptiste Berandotte (Michael Rennie), an ally of Napoleon who goes on to become King of Sweden and an enemy of the increasingly despotic Emperor. This is a gorgeous film with director Henry Koster playing out the ever-changing relationships against a widescreen tapestry made beautiful by the sumptuous use of Technicolor. The pace is stately and affected and the costumes and sets are beautifully rendered. Marlon Brando is riveting playing Napoleon with a honeyed English accent and a cool, calculating manner. He plays the final five minutes of the film with his back to the camera but still manages to be absolutely riveting. Jean Simmons is charming and self-confident; her delicate beauty never compromising her sparky personality. Michael Rennie is also good as Bernadotte giving a measured performance that subtly and incrementally builds an antipathy for Napoleon. It goes without saying that "Désirée" is a highly fictionalised account of the various relationships and as such needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt. As a beautifully constructed technical piece of work, enhanced by marvellous acting performances it is, however, hard to beat. ( )