The Prize

To say that this is an Alfred Hitchcock movie made by Mark Robson is not a put down, it’s just a fact of life. Look at the framing and you’ll know immediately that we’re not in Hitchcockian territory. But the the Hitchcockian ingredients are there even if not mixed or cooked at the wrong temperature, or something. Paul Newman, absolutely gorgeous and funnily enough he’ll make a spy film with Hitchcock set in Sweden during the Nobels. Elke Sommer is like an imitation Hitchkcock ice blonde made in Germany. Diane Baker was the brunette in Hitchcock’s Marnie and she’s a real delight. Edward G Robinson, of course, always a pleasure but then Mr Robson casts Micheline Presle, Micheline Presle from “Devil And The Flesh” and ignores her. She is framed as if Robson didn’t know who she was. Another unforgivable bit of business, Sergio Fantoni’s Italian mamma. What was he thinking. All that aside. It’s entertaining and Paul Newman can take me anywhere, anytime.

The Prize by Mark Robson is a hugely underrated but very entertaining movie. In fact this movie is so enjoyable that I count it among my twenty (or so) favourite movies of all time. Paul Newman (witty and recalcitrant as always) plays an American writer who is about to receive the Nobel Prize for literature in Stockholm. Although his work is highly praised, he has to make a living by writing detective novels. Known for his drinking problem and his aversion to authority the Swedish Nobel organisation provides Newman with a personal host (Elke Sommer looking prettier than ever!) to keep him from doing foolish things… and ofcourse that’s exactly what happens! Newman, with his fine nose for crime, discovers a case of mistaken identity (Edward G. Robinson in a fine double role) and witnesses a murder. What happens next is very similar to other great movies from the same period of time like North By Northwest or Charade.