| Man of Conquest | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | George Nicholls Jr. |
| Written by | Harold Shumate Wells Root Jan Isbell Fortune Edward E. Paramore Jr. |
| Produced by | Sol C. Siegel |
| Starring | Richard Dix |
| Cinematography | Joseph H. August |
| Edited by | Edward Mann |
| Music by | Victor Young |
Production company | Republic Pictures |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $750,000[1] |
Man of Conquest is a 1939 AmericanWestern film directed byGeorge Nicholls Jr. and starringRichard Dix,Gail Patrick, andJoan Fontaine. The film was nominated for threeAcademy Awards forBest Score,Best Sound (Charles L. Lootens), andBest Art Direction (John Victor Mackay).[2]
The film marked the first serious attempt byRepublic Pictures to break out from its traditional production ofB movies and produce a work of greater cost and prestige.[3] The film is abiopic of the politicianSam Houston, focusing on his relationship withAndrew Jackson and his role during theTexas Revolution. It was inspired byMarquis James's 1929Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Houston.
Sam Houston fights beside his friendAndrew Jackson and is wounded. Not long thereafter, Jackson is elected President of the United States and appoints Houston as governor ofTennessee.
Houston is married toEliza Allen, but his lifestyle as a politician does not appeal to her. Their divorce is somewhat scandalous for the time, and Houston decides to accept Jackson's suggestion that he become ambassador to theCherokee tribe instead.
On a trip toWashington, DC, to put forth his argument how the Indians are being mistreated in their own land, Houston falls in love withMargaret Lea at a presidential ball. She returns with him toTexas, where the next mission for Houston is to free the territory from the rule ofMexico, either by diplomacy or on the battlefield.
Stephen F. Austin disagrees with Houston's methods, preferring peaceful negotiations, but when the army of Santa Ana heads towardThe Alamo in tremendous numbers, Houston knows no peaceful settlement is possible. He arrives too late to prevent the carnage there, but then leads the Texans in their fight for freedom and statehood.
Republic Pictures contributed footage from scenes dealing with Sam Houston and the Alamo in the not-yet-completed film for inclusion in the 1939 documentaryLand of Liberty.[4]
