The Power and the Prize

Director: Henry Koster Henry Koster

Overview

In this film, based on a novel by Howard Swiggert, Robert Taylor stars as a American business executive working in England. Taylor wants to marry European refugee Elizabeth Mueller but is warned by his boss that such things just aren't done.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/21/2013
UPC:	0883316753262
Original Release:	1956
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	48,259

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Taylor	Cliff Barton
Burl Ives	George Salt
Elisabeth Mueller	Miriam Linka
Charles Coburn	Guy Eliot
Cedric Hardwicke	Mr. Carew
Mary Astor	Mrs. George Salt
Nicola Michaels	Joan Salt
Cameron Prud'Homme	Rev. John Barton
Richard Erdman	Lester Everett
Ben Wright	Mr. Chutwell
Jack Raine	Mr. Pitt-Semphill
Thomas Browne Henry	Paul F. Farragut
Richard Deacon	Howard Carruthers
Elisabeth Müller	Actor

Technical Credits

Robert Ardrey

Henry Koster	Director
Robert Ardrey	Screenwriter
Nicholas Nayfack	Producer
A. Gillespie	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

While it's not one of the "big guns" of the corporate drama cycle (such as Patterns), The Power and the Prize is still an interesting and engaging look at the way in which America was beginning to look at the conflict between the needs of the corporation and the conscience of the individual in the 1950s. Robert Ardrey's screenplay is not as original or incisive as it could have been, and the issues it raises are handled a bit too pat a manner, but it works just fine as melodrama. In the lead role, Robert Taylor is a bit long in the tooth, but otherwise quite convincing and plays the role with the requisite commitment. The same cannot be said of his co-star, Elisabeth Muller, who certainly lights up the screen with her beauty but whose acting is pedestrian and rather dull. Nichola Michaels is also a disappointment, overplaying her role and coming across as too artificial. By contrast, Mary Astor in a small supporting role nearly steals the film, and there's also excellent support from Charles Coburn and Burl Ives. Henry Koster directs with finesse, and the film has the glossy sheen associated with high finance dramas of the period.