The Prize (1963)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Irving Wallace (novel)
Ernest Lehman (writer)

Release Date:

25 December 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

He ordered a martini...kissed a girl...and was plunged into a nightmare of danger (USA Theatrical)

Plot:

As the Nobel Prize winners come to Stockholm to receive their awards, their lives are overturned and perturbed in various ways.

Plot Keywords:

Nobel Prize | Man Wearing Towel | Spy | Nudism | Based On Novel

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Andrew Craig
Elke Sommer	...	Inger Lisa Andersson
Edward G. Robinson	...	Dr. Max Stratman / Prof. Walter Stratman
Diane Baker	...	Emily Stratman
Micheline Presle	...	Dr. Denise Marceau
Gérard Oury	...	Dr. Claude Marceau
Sergio Fantoni	...	Dr. Carlo Farelli
Kevin McCarthy	...	Dr. John Garrett
Leo G. Carroll	...	Count Bertil Jacobsson
Sacha Pitoëff	...	Daranyi, Dark Henchman (as Sacha Pitoeff)
Jacqueline Beer	...	Monique Souvir, Dr. Claude's 'Secretary'
John Wengraf	...	Hans Eckhart
Don Dubbins	...	Ivar Cramer, Light Henchman
Virginia Christine	...	Mrs. Bergh, Chaperon
Rudolph Anders	...	Mr. Bergh, Chaperon

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | German | Swedish

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:M | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:TV-PG | Finland:K-12 | Portugal:17 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Grand Hotel, Norrmalm, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Roxbury Productions Inc.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Andrew is pushed down off the top of the Katarina elevator. Luckily, he does not hit the ground 35 meters below, but instead falls into the water a couple of hundred meters away.

Quotes:

Emily Stratman: Am I keeping you awake?
Andrew Craig: Just barely.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs North by Northwest (1959)

Soundtrack:

Love Theme

Light-hearted adventure

The Prize is a deft mix of action, suspense and humor.

It stars Paul Newman as a Nobel prize winning novelist who travels to Stockholm to accept his award. Soon after his arrival, he starts to suspect that there is more going on than meets the eye. He gets caught up in a dangerous web of intrigue, and at times the film is very Hitchcock-esque. Paul Newman oozes charisma in the lead role and Edward G Robinson plays a good dual role. There are good location shots of Stockholm and good use of light-hearted moments to contrast with the suspense. Highly recommended!