The Power and the Glory (1933)

Director:

William K. Howard

Writer:

Preston Sturges (original screenplay)

Release Date:

6 October 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A man's life is retold just after his funeral. Beginning as a track walker, Tom Garner rose through all sorts of railroad jobs to head the company...

Plot Keywords:

Railroad | Funeral | Stepmother | Suicide | Friendship

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Tom Garner
Colleen Moore	...	Sally Garner
Ralph Morgan	...	Henry
Helen Vinson	...	Eve Borden
Phillip Trent	...	Tom Garner, Jr. (as Clifford Jones)
Henry Kolker	...	Mr. Borden
Sarah Padden	...	Henry's Wife
Billy O'Brien	...	Tom as a Boy
Cullen Johnson	...	Henry as a Boy
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Mulligan

Also Known As:

Power and Glory (UK)

Runtime:

76 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #1789-R: 13 November 1935 for re-release) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

For many years, this was a "lost" film. When critic Pauline Kael wrote her "New Yorker" article "Raising Kane" claiming this film heavily influenced the development of Citizen Kane (1941), she could only reference it from memory as prints had not been available for 30 years. When the film was "rediscovered", it was discovered that Kael had overstated her case: It was not the example of classic cinema she had claimed it was, and its influences on "Kane" likely were minimal.

Goofs:

Continuity: As a boy, Tom cuts the back of his right hand badly. We are shown in a later scene that the scar is prominent as an old man. Yet on scenes showing him in between there is no scar.

Soundtrack:

Nearer My God, To Thee

Power & the Glory- The Glory that Power Didn't Bring ***

A real sudsy soap opera here as Spencer Tracy tackles the role of an illiterate until the age of 20. He marries the woman who teaches him and her ambition and his drive leads him to success.

Success but no happiness here. A n'eer-do-well son and a faltering marriage leads to disaster and tragedy. Tracy buys a railroad and succeeds only to be subjected to a disastrous rail strike and the death of 406 workers.

The film appeared at the beginning to be uneven but is rejuvenated thanks to the excellent use of flashbacks here.

A double separate suicide here. We know that riches can't buy happiness but this is a little too far fetched. Nonetheless, we have riveting performances by Tracy and Colleen Moore. Ms. Vinson, as the 2nd wife, is also quite effective.