Désirée

film by Koster [1954]

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 20, 2026

Quick Summary

The film Désirée, released in 1954, was directed by Henry Koster. It is a lavish production that largely deviates from historical accuracy. The film stars Marlon Brando as Napoleon, Jean Simmons as his seamstress lover Désirée Clary, and Merle Oberon as his wife, Josephine. While Koster directed many popular films, including musicals and dramas like The Bishop's Wife and Harvey, Désirée was not as successful. The film's running time is 101 minutes.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Henry Koster
The 1950s
But Koster’s next costume drama, Désirée (1954), was less successful. The lavish production, which largely eschewed historical accuracy, featured Marlon Brando as Napoleon, Jean Simmons as his seamstress lover Désirée, and Merle Oberon as his wife, Josephine. A Man Called Peter (1955) was better, a stately biopic about
Read More
But Koster’s next costume drama, Désirée (1954), was less successful. The lavish production, which largely eschewed historical accuracy, featured Marlon Brando as Napoleon, Jean Simmons as his seamstress lover Désirée, and Merle Oberon as his wife, Josephine. A Man Called Peter (1955) was better, a stately biopic about
Read More