The Power (1968)

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 how to stop them.

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

John Gay (screenplay), Frank M. Robinson (novel)

Stars:

George Hamilton, Suzanne Pleshette, Richard Carlson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Hamilton	...	Professor Jim Tanner
Suzanne Pleshette	...	Prof.essor Margery Lansing
Richard Carlson	...	Professor Norman E. Van Zandt
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Mrs. Sally Hallson
Earl Holliman	...	Professor Talbot Scott
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

Storyline

Contains spoilers: A man slowly realizes two things: that he has telekinesis - the power to move things with the power of his mind alone - and that another man who shares this power wants to kill him.

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Plot Keywords:

hairy chest | manhunt | guardhouse | psychotronic film | telekinesis | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Thriller | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aivojen sota

Filming Locations:

Lancaster, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

George Pal Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

The initial establishing shot of the movie shows a low shot of a building complex, including a guarded entrance. a matte shot of several buildings is shown straight ahead in the distance. after a shot of the guard checking michael rennie's id, the car moves forward, showing nothing in the distance. though the same area in the distance is shown, the buildings have disappeared.

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Quotes

Arthur Nordlund: [in the human testing lab at the Institute] Tell me, is the pain really that intense?
Professor Jim Tanner: We almost hit the limit just now.
Arthur Nordlund: You mean from just a small spot over the forehead?
Professor Jim Tanner: It's not the size of the exposure, Mr. Nordlund. Size has nothing to do with it. In fact, uh, two areas of pain are no more intense than one.
Professor Jim Tanner: [motions to the test chair] Now, would you care to try it?
Arthur Nordlund: No, thank you!

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Connections

Referenced in The King of the Duplicators (1968)

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Soundtracks

Grover's Rock
(uncredited)
Music by Harold Gelman

User Reviews

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.