Themes: Rise and Fall Stories, Infidelity, Suicide
Main Cast: Spencer Tracy, Colleen Moore, Ralph Morgan, Helen Vinson, Clifford Jones
Release Year: 1933
Country: US
Run Time: 76 minutes
Plot
Frequently cited as the precursor to Citizen Kane, Power and the Glory is the first major Hollywood film to extensively utilize narrated flashbacks to tell its story. At the funeral of a powerful railroad executive (Spencer Tracy), the exec's best friend (Ralph Morgan) recalls the dead man's colorful but tragic life. We see Tracy's early years as a trackwalker and his marriage to Colleen Moore, who helps him rise to the top. At first, Tracy is a kindly man, a fair minded employer and a devoted husband and father, but his ever-increasing power corrupts him. He leaves Moore for an adventuress (Helen Vinson), whereupon his wife commits suicide. Tracy later kills himself as well when he learns that his second wife has been unfaithful with his grown son. The "narrative" technique used to relate the plotline of Power and the Glory is interesting, though the film itself is a bit too cut-and-dried (suicide seems to be a logical solution rather than a last desperate move) and far too short (76 minutes) to do justice to its central character. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Long considered one of the great lost classics of Hollywood's Golden Age, The Power And The Glory has recently resurfaced, marking a coup for lovers of cinema history. Although the new prints available are not of the greatest quality, the film itself still proves to be a landmark. First of all, it is the first screenplay produced by the great writer (and future director) Preston Sturges, modeled on the family of his then-wife. Sturges has crafted a powerful drama about the life of the wealthy in America. Second, it is a remarkable foreshadowing of Citizen Kane, itself still eight years in the future. The film tells the tale of a man's life after his death, portraying his rise from a humble railworker to a railroad magnate and how he deals with those around him during his ascent. This element is also very prevalent, indeed it's the centerpiece, of Kane. Third, this is the film that put Spencer Tracy on the map of Hollywood stardom, propelling him to the legendary status that he enjoys even to this day. He plays the character of Tom Garner with utter believability, including the character's faults. This is unusual, particularly for 1933, and the credit for that can fall to Sturges. Colleen Moore plays Sally Garner and the only word to describe her performance, without danger of overstatement, is magnificent. She gives Tracy a sure-handed run for his money. The film also features Ralph Morgan, better known for his portrayal of villains in B-movies, who here produces another excellent role for his large canon. Anyone who is interested in the genesis of the great Hollywood film, particularly fans of Orson Welles and Citizen Kane, should try their utmost to find this film now that it's back in circulation, albeit a limited one. ~ Dan Friedman, All Movie Guide
Max Parker - Art Director, Rita Kaufman - Costume Designer, William Howard - Director, Paul Weatherwax - Editor, Peter Brunelli - Composer (Music Score), Louis de Francesco - Composer (Music Score), J.S. Zamecnik - Composer (Music Score), Louis de Francesco - Musical Direction/Supervision, James Wong Howe - Cinematographer, Jesse Lasky - Producer, Preston Sturges - Screenwriter
The Power and the Glory is a 1933 film starring Spencer Tracy and Colleen Moore, written by Preston Sturges, and directed by William K. Howard. It was Sturges' first script, which he delivered complete in the form of a finished shooting script, for which he received $17,500 and a percentage of the profits. Though this is now a common practice in Hollywood, it was unusual at the time and garnered much attention.[1]
The film, told through flashbacks, is often cited as the prototype for Citizen Kane. Tracy's powerful performance in a boardroom scene is widely considered one of his most thrilling sequences as an actor.
The film was loosely based by Sturges on the life of C.W. Post, his second wife's grandfather, who founded the Postum Cereal Company, which later became General Foods. Like Tom Garner, the lead character in The Power and the Glory. Post worked his way up from the bottom, and ended his own life, but otherwise, according to Sturges, their lives did not correspond.[2]
After the funeral service for Tom Garner (Spencer Tracy), a powerful and much-hated railroad tycoon who committed suicide, his best friend, Henry (Ralph Morgan), recalls Garner's life, his family problems, and his rise from track walker to president of the railroad.
Four hundred extras were used in the railroad roundhouse scene.[2]
Production
Preston Sturges originally wrote the script as a freelance project after being let go by Universal Pictures. He told the story to producer Jesse L. Lasky, who had his own unit at Fox, who requested a treatment. Sturges refused to do a treatment, and instead delivered a finished shooting script, which Lasky said was "the most perfect script I'd ever seen," with nothing that needed to be trimmed.[2] Sturges offered the script to Lasky for $62,475, but Lassky instead structured a deal in which Sturges got $17,500 upon signing, 3 1/2% of the first $500,000 in receipts, 5% of the next $500,000, and 7% of all receipts over $1,000,000. Such a percentage deal was highly unusual at that time, and caused an uproar among producers and writers.[2]
Both director William K. Howard and Spencer Tracy were supposed to have worked on Marie Galante[3], but when it was postponed, they were transferred to The Power and the Glory.[2]Irene Dunne and Mary Astor were both considered for the part of "Sally Garner," eventually played by Colleen Moore. Moore was lent to Fox by MGM, as was Helen Vinson, and had not appeared in a film since 1929.[2][4]
The film was in production from 23 March to late April 1933, with some re-shooting in June 1933.[5] It had originally been set to begin in late February 1933, but was postponed several times.[2]
During filming, Sturges acted as the dialogue director, working with the actors much as he had done in stage rehearsals as a playwright.[2][6]
Detail from the theatrical poster
The film was previewed in Los Angeles on 17 June1933, and after objections from the Hays Office about the sexual nature of the relationship between a stepmother ("Sally Garner") and her stepson ("Tom Garner Jr."), some re-editing was done. When this did not satisfy the censors, reshooting and more extensive re-editing was done to alleviate their concerns. The film was premiered in New York City on 16 August1933, and was generally released on 6 October of that year.[5] Fox coined the word "narratage" to describe the non-chronological narration of the story.[2]
Response
Although the film was well received by critics, and Spencer Tracy's performance was especially praised, the film did not do well at the box office, except in New York City. By the end of 1940, it had grossed a little over a half-million dollars, which meant that Sturges had only received about $2000 over his advance. By 1957 it had grossed around a million.[2]
Sturges' screenplay was widely praised. It was published in book form in 1934, and he received the 1933 Hollywood Reporter Award of Merit for Best Original Story.[2]
