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:

Miscellaneous: Nobel prize ceremony is held annually on Dec 10th. The weather, light and dresses in Stockholm would be different from those observed in the movie.

Quotes:

Andrew Craig: You speak very good English for a non-drinker, Miss?
Emily Stratman: Greta Garbo.
Andrew Craig: Hmm. Mind if I call you Ingrid?

Movie Connections:

References The 39 Steps (1935)

Soundtrack:

Winter Garden

Turning an Irving Wallace story into a homage to Hitchcock?

If you have read the book, what the film has to offer is unfortunately a replay of what Hitchcock created in 1959.

Ernest Lehman was the script writer for Hitchcock's "North by northwest." I was surprised that two scenes from the classic were modified by Lehman for "The Prize". The famous scene of Cary Grant being almost killed by a plane in the open field is replayed here with Paul Newman being terrorized by a car on an empty bridge at night. A few minutes later into the film Lehman replaces the auction sequence in the Cary Grant film with Newman in a nudist conference. If you have seen the Hitchcock film you know what follows. Was it a homage to Hitchcock or was Lehman suffering a bout of creativity loss? Or was Director Mark Robson a die hard Hitchcock fan?

The book, pulp fiction at its best, made good casual reading. The film is good to pass the time, watching Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson re-enacting roles similar to what they have enjoyed playing so often. The wisecracks (thanks to Irving Wallace) make the otherwise dumb and predictable film worth your time.