Les grands de ce monde

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.

"The Power and the Prize" is very much a movie of its time. Released in 1956, it reflects both the international situation of the mid fifties and the changing power structure at M-G-M.

Amalgamated World Metals is, on the surface, the perfect liberal paradigm for America. It is a huge international corporation run by unscrupulous men whose only interests are power and wealth. The Chairman, George Salt (of the earth? Burl Ives) is determined on destroying a small English metals company by forcing it into a disadvantageous deal. He sends Cliff Barton, the Vice-Chairman (Robert Taylor) to London negotiate the deal by pulling a fast one on the Brits.

Taylor, however, is to be the exception to the American-power-lust stereotype. When we meet him he seems pleasant but weak, going along with his boss's plans, even planning to marry the boss's niece. In London he meets a young woman (Elisabeth Mueller) who is administering a refugee agency for displaced artists. Since the agency is financed by Mrs. Salt, Barton is asked to verify its integrity while he is in London.

Mueller is emotional, almost hysterical, most of the time. She is artsy, hates Americans, hates businessmen, hates everything Barton stands for. Of course they fall in love. And, of course, Barton finds his true self by being exposed to her noble European sensibility. Within a week he turns his life around.

"Power and the Prize" was released in September 1956, two years after the notorious Army-McCarthy hearings into communism in America. The film emphasizes the "red scare" culture of the times, with various people inquiring into Mrs. Linka's (Mueller's) possible "commie" background.

M-G-M was undergoing significant changes at this time. In 1951 Dore Schary had maneuvered the legendary Louis B. Mayer out of the company. Mayer's last production was "Quo Vadis," representing the grand vision of quality entertainment that he had pursued for decades. Schary, while not rejecting entertainment, believed that movies should have a message. His films were tougher, grittier and didn't always have a happy ending. Schary himself left the studio in 1956.

Robert Taylor worked for M-G-M longer than any other top ranked player. He had a relationship with Mayer that was close to that of a father and son. Mayer looked after his protégé while exploiting him at the same time. Robert Taylor and Cliff Barton have similar histories—both men who worked loyally for a large company and prospered by doing so. While Taylor and Schary weren't close, the studio continued to support him while it dropped many others. Barton and Taylor are also decent, honorable men who can, with a little nudging in Barton's case, be counted on to do the right thing.

The anti-communism theme is also relevant to the actor. In October of 1947, Taylor testified, albeit under duress, before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He did not call anyone a communist but made his opposition to communism in general very clear. The film even refers specifically to testifying before a congressional committee.

"The Power and the Prize," is, then, a movie with layers. It is well acted by all of the principals. Sir Cedric Hardwicke is particularly effective as the beleaguered head of the British company that Amalgamated tries to con. Burl Ives blusters and bullies with gusto. Mueller throws herself into her part and has good chemistry with Taylor. Taylor, as always, brings a combination of restraint, glamor and goodness to his character. The other characters bounce off him like waves on a rock.

For some reason the film was filmed in black and white and in Cinemascope, which seems a waste. It would have been better in color or not in Cinemascope since it is essentially an interior oriented drama. Nonetheless it is visually sumptuous with a sort of East coast "Dallas" ambiance. Well worth a look.

Before filming The Power and the Prize, MGM had two years before done another and better film on the corporate business culture with Executive Suite. It's not that The Power and the Prize is a bad film, but Executive Suite was better and surely had more star quality.

In Executive Suite the head of a corporation that manufactures furniture dies suddenly with no groomed successor to move in. The whole film is about the struggle for power to succeed.

The Power and the Prize has the head very much alive in Burl Ives and he's got a successor in mind in Robert Taylor. Taylor is also the fiancé of Ives's niece so real control won't be leaving his hands. He's given Taylor an assignment in Great Britain to complete a merger of a British firm with their's. And he's to do it on Ives's terms which means total control.

Mrs. Ives, who's played by Mary Astor, gives Taylor an additional assignment to check out some charities she's been contributing to in Europe.

Taylor develops a conscience about what he's doing and additionally falls in love with Elizabeth Mueller who works for the charity. He breaks it off with the niece and fails in the assignment.

The rest of the film is a struggle between the bitterly disappointed Ives and Taylor who Ives tries to destroy.

Taylor, no longer the callow matinée idol of the thirties, really developed into a fine player and some of his best performances on screen are in the fifties. Ives's part is a pre-cursor of his Big Daddy role in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof without the southern ambiance.

It's a good film, but I think the issues were far better done by MGM in Executive Suite.

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.

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.