A Prize of Gold *** (1955, Richard Widmark, Mai Zetterling, Nigel Patrick, George Cole, Donald Wolfit) – Classic Movie Review 8972

Director Mark Robson’s 1955 A Prize of Gold tells a story of spirited high jinks in post-war Berlin. It is produced by Irving Allen and Albert R Broccoli, who formed Warwick Films to produce films in Britain.

Richard Widmark stars as Sergeant Joe Lawrence, an American Army officer trying to liberate some Third Reich gold as a young German woman refugee called Maria (Mai Zetterling) falls for him, a hoary stock plot in Eurothrillers. Nevertheless, this one is a tensely handled thriller that sometimes explodes into excitement.

There is strong acting from the two stars and from co-stars Nigel Patrick, George Cole, Donald Wolfit, Eric Pohlmann and Andrew Ray, and the exuberant support performances from a fine crop of over-actors help to add lustre.

There is little finesse in Robson’s direction, but he does keep the film tense and fast moving, and it is all quite flavourful, with a bunch of real German actors fleshing out the largely British cast.

Robert Buckner and John Paxton’s screenplay is based on Max Catto’s novel.

Also in the cast are Karel Stepanek, Joseph Tomelty, Robert Ayres, Olive Sloane, Alan Gifford, Carol White, Ivan Craig, Harry Towb, Leslie Linder, Monika Kossmann, Nelly Arno, Arnold Bell, Erich Dunskus, Marvin Kane, Edelweiss Malchin, Joel Riordan and John Witty.

A Prize of Gold is directed by Mark Robson, runs 96 minutes, is made by Warwick Film Productions, is released by Columbia Pictures, is written by Robert Buckner and John Paxton, based on Max Catto’s novel, is shot in Technicolor by Ted Moore, is produced by Irving Allen (executive producer) and Albert R Broccoli (executive producer) and Phil C Samuel (producer) and is scored by Malcolm Arnold, with Art Direction by John Box.

The film’s premiere at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London was in aid of the Royal London Society for the Blind. It was released in the US on 14 October 1955.

Allen and Broccoli disagreed over filming the James Bond books. Broccoli was interested and they met author Ian Fleming in 1957, but Allen said his novels weren’t ‘good enough for television’.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8972

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