The Prize (1963)

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

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Ernest Lehman (screenplay), Irving Wallace (novel)

Stars:

Paul Newman, Elke Sommer, Edward G. Robinson

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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. Rolfe Bergh - Chaperon

Storyline

For some reason, this year's Nobel prize in literature has been awarded to the young author Andrew Craig, who seems to be more interested in women and drinking than writing. Another laureate is Dr. Max Stratman, the famous German-American physicist who comes to Stockholm for the award ceremony with his young and beautiful niece Emily. The Foreign Department also assigns him an assistant during his stay, Miss Andersson. Craig soon notices that Dr. Stratman is acting strangely. The second time they meet, Dr. Stratman does not even recognize him. Craig begins to investigate.

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Plot Keywords:

nobel prize | physicist | writer | hospital | stockholm sweden | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German Swedish

Release Date:

25 December 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

A díj

Filming Locations:

Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roxbury Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bears many plot similarities, similar scenes, and actors in common with North by Northwest due to both being written by Ernest Lehman .

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Goofs

The film takes place in 1963, but the cars are driving on the right hand side of the road, Sweden did not change to right hand driving until 3 September 1967.

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Quotes

Inger Lisa Andersen: Mr. Craig, I hope you'll forgive me but in matters of sex, compared to the average Scandinavian you would be considered a mere amateur.
Andrew Craig: Miss Andersen will you marry me?
Inger Lisa Andersen: We have a saying in Sweden. Why settle for one dish when there's smorgasbord.

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Connections

Spoofs North by Northwest (1959)

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Soundtracks

"Winter Garden"
(uncredited)
Music by Harold Gelman

User Reviews

Deserves a Prize

I absolutely enjoyed this 2+ hours long movie! And the fact that, as others have mentioned, it's inspired by Hitchcock doesn't matter.

I liked Newman's character. A man who is more interested in women and drink rather than the Nobel Prize, who has a devil-may-care attitude towards everything, decides to endanger his own life when he realises his colleague is in trouble. Maybe he does it partially because he is bored and partially because he has been writing detective stories for the past few years, but it is interesting to watch his behaviour anyway.

Although the plot is pretty simple, there is something that gets you hooked from the very beginning and doesn't let you go until the very last phrase. To characterise the film in one word, I would say it was *interesting*, and the supporting characters play a significant role here.