Main Cast: Robert Taylor, Elisabeth Müller, Burl Ives, Charles Coburn, Cedric Hardwicke
Release Year: 1956
Country: US
Run Time: 98 minutes
Plot
Based on a novel by Howard Swiggert, The Power and the Prize sets up a premise that had far more relevance in 1956 than it does today. 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 (Burl Ives) that such things just aren't done. Taylor digs in his heels, and at the end is supported in his marital decision by his less hidebound fellow executives. Power and the Prize was one of the last of the "corporate drama" cycle sparked in 1954 by 20th Century-Fox's Woman's World. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
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. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
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; Tom Browne Henry - Paul F. Farragut; Richard Deacon - Howard Carruthers
Credit
William Horning - Art Director, Hans Peters - Art Director, Helen Rose - Costume Designer, Robert Saunders - First Assistant Director, Henry Koster - Director, George Boemler - Editor, Bronislau Kaper - Composer (Music Score), William J. Tuttle - Makeup, George Folsey - Cinematographer, Nicholas Nayfack - Producer, Richard A. Pefferle - Set Designer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Arnold A. Gillespie - Special Effects, Robert Ardrey - Screenwriter, Howard Swiggett - Book Author
