Les grands de ce monde

I notice that THIS time when asked if he knew of any Commies Rat Fink Bob said "no". Guess art does not imitate life, huh? Then again, at no point should this dull, talky, ploddingly directed film be confused with art.

"Executive Suite" this ain't. THE POWER AND THE PRIZE falls short on several counts already mentioned in previous critiques (I fully agree with the somewhat poorly acted female leads, but they are severely hampered by weakly written characters, especially Taylor's young fiancee; look at her disappointment at her wedding being delayed and compare that to being dumped). The one mildly interesting twist is the the concern over the vague political past of Taylor's new love interest. The fact that she's a concentration camp survivor is of little empathy compared to the doubts various people have of whether she's a commie! Given Robert Taylor's known ultra-conservative bent, it's strange to see him act sympathetic and even unconcerned about her politics. Fact is, Taylor seems to be sleepwalking through this one--- and despite only being in his mid-40's he looks old. The final confrontation between Ives (a part that begs for real-life proto-fascist Adolph Menjou) and Taylor is anti-climatic, lacking any real tension or drama (unlike EXECUTIVE SUITE'S boffo final board meeting). All the production values are present, it's just the script should have been sent back for a re-write. A 3/10--- interesting only as a snapshot at what our priorities were 47 years ago.

While there are some flaws in this movie, it has held up well over the years.

The plot inter-weaves a love story with a morality allegory -- no easy task. This movie does a credible job at both.

Miriam Linka, played by Elisabeth Mueller, is convincing and charming as she evolves from a frightened but strong concentration camp refugee torn between anger, hate, and disillusionment with an inner desire to love and be loved, while at the same time striving to maintain an inner idealism.

I suspect there were significant cuts in the story line between Mueller & Taylor that makes some of the scenes a bit jittery as Mueller moves from anger, bitterness, and hostility emerging from baseless prejudices to an almost adolescent romanticism. Maybe a bit over the top, but that's also a fallibility of the directing and screen writing. Still, her performance, in a difficult role, is laudable.

Sadly, Hollywood didn't call upon Mueller's charming and energetic talents after this movie.

Does this movie meet some important criteria for success?

It has aged well. It is reasonably well-written. It has credible characters that we can love or hate (or both simultaneously). The casting is well orchestrated. There is a dynamic tension between conflicting characters. There are no dull moments -- the story doesn't drag. There are sufficient plot twists to keep the viewer curious for the denouement. There are several very memorable lines worth quoting. It's worth seeing twice to capture its nuances.

Robert Taylor has to evaluate "The Power and the Prize," a 1956 film also starring Elisabeth Mueller, Burl Ives, Mary Astor and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. Taylor plays Cliff Barton, second in command to George Salt (Burl Ives) - he's also engaged to marry Salt's niece. Assigned to close a difficult deal in England, Cliff is unhappy about his boss' instructions, but tries to carry them out anyway. Salt wants him to withhold part of their demands until the very end of the negotiation. He warns Salt that doing things his way will blow this important deal, but Salt insists.

While in London and checking on a charity for Mrs. Salt, Cliff meets a German refugee, Miriam Linka (Mueller). They fall in love, and Cliff wants to marry her. Meanwhile, sure enough, the deal is blown, and Salt blames Cliff. Complicating things is Cliff's cancellation of the wedding (though his bride-to-be is just as happy about it as he is) and some nasty rumors that have been circulated about Miriam. Back at the office, it appears there is going to be a power struggle.

This is a grand MGM drama about conscience and following what you know to be honest and right versus just "following orders." There are some good moments, but all in all, it's pretty routine. The character of Miriam seems off the wall, lecturing Cliff as soon as he walks into her agency. Mueller in fact gives a very hyperactive performance which isn't a good match with Taylor's deliberate, steady portrayal. For me, the best acting comes from Charles Coburn as one of the officers in Salt's company and Mary Astor as Salt's wife. Sir Cedric Hardwicke, who has such a magnificent speaking voice, is excellent but alas, it's neither a big role nor a showy one.

Certainly not a bad movie but all of these actors have appeared in better.

Hollywood put a great cast of veteran actors into this film, everyone of them performed to perfection and lets remember, it was made in 1956, and many of these actors were under contract to the studio to perform in certain films. Most of these actors were getting old and even Robert Taylor, (Cliff Barton),"D-Day the Sixth of June",'56 was 44 years of age appearing with a new star, Elisabeth Muller,(Miriam Linka) and had intentions in the film to marry her. Elisabeth Muller made this film her Swan Song and never appeared in an American film after this film. Burl Ives,(George Salt),"Ensign Pulver",'64, was the CEO of a company in New York and considered Cliff Barton his son and planned on him to carry out a great business deal in England. Charles Coburn, (Guy Eliot),"Town on Trial", Cedric Hardwicke, (Mr. Careu),"The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel",'51, and Mary Astor,(Mrs. George Salt),"The Maltese Falcon",'41 gave great supporting roles. This is a rather interesting film about big business years ago and still seems to apply in the business world today, ONLY WORSE. If you love great veteran actors and love the many films they performed in over the years, this is the film for you.