The Power (1968)

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

Frank M. Robinson (novel)
John Gay (writer)

Release Date:

21 February 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

YOU feel it until you can't feel anything at all!

Plot:

One by one members of a special project team are being killed by telekinesis - the ability to move things with the power of the mind alone. The race is to determine which of the remaining team members is the murderer and to stop them.

Plot Keywords:

Telekinesis | Mind Control | Party | Hunt | Scientist

Cast

George Hamilton	...	Professor Jim Tanner
Suzanne Pleshette	...	Professor Margery Lansing
Richard Carlson	...	Professor Norman E. Van Zandt
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Mrs. Sally Hallson
Earl Holliman	...	Professor Talbot Scott aka Scotty
Gary Merrill	...	Mark Corlane
Ken Murray	...	Grover
Barbara Nichols	...	Flora
Arthur O'Connell	...	Professor Henry Hallson
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Professor Carl Melnicker
Aldo Ray	...	Bruce
Michael Rennie	...	Arthur Nordlund
Miiko Taka	...	Mrs. Van Zandt
Celia Lovsky	...	Mrs. Hallson
Vaughn Taylor	...	Mr. Hallson

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Company:

George Pal Productions

Trivia:

MGM announced plans to produce the movie with George Pal as producer/director during it's 40th anniversary celebration in 1964. Unlike many of the announced projects, this one actually got made but wasn't released until 1968.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tanner is being bombarded on the firing range, the aircraft shown change from F-104 Starfighters, to a F-100 Super Sabre, to (apparently) an F-86 Sabre.

Quotes:

Professor Jim Tanner: They say that power corrupts - and that absolute power - I wonder...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The King of the Duplicators (1968)

It's all in the mind, you know.

This thriller from director Byron Haskin and producer George Pal is a fairly understated effort considering some of their other features were "The Naked Jungle" and "War of the Worlds." The terror here is implied and there are precious few special effect sequences. The story concerns super intelligence, telekinisis and the ability to kill with thoughts. As one reviewer stated earlier, it will remind you of "Scanners."

Miklos Rosza's eerie score is quite effective in enhancing the tension and paranoia through the use of a hammer dulcimer. This instrument actually appears onscreen twice during the film.

As with all of Pal's features the photography in "The Power" is outstanding although the film does suffer a bit when cropped for television. Try to catch it on TCM in letterbox.

There are a couple of clever animation sequences that will remind you of Pal's Puppetoon shorts from the '40s.

"The Power" is a taut psychological drama that commands your attention throughout.