The Power (film)
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The article is about the 1968 film. For other uses of the term power, see Power (disambiguation).
| The Power | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Byron Haskin |
| Produced by | George Pal |
| Written by | John Gay based on the novel by Frank M. Robinson |
| Starring | George Hamilton Suzanne Pleshette |
| Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
| Cinematography | Ellsworth Fredericks |
| Editing by | Thomas J. McCarthy |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | 1968 |
| Running time | 108 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Power is a 1968 film based on the science fiction novel of the same name by Frank M. Robinson. Its protagonist, a researcher named Tanner, discovers evidence of a person with psychic abilities among his coworkers. As he tries to uncover the superhuman, his existence is erased and his associates murdered, until he faces a showdown with an apparently undefeatable opponent.
Produced by George Pal and directed by Byron Haskin, it was substantially changed in the John Gay screenplay, moving the location to San Marino, California, changing most of the characters' names (although retaining the surnames of Tanner, Nordlund, and department head Professor Van Zandt), and eliminating several subplots and characters, presumably to fit the story into a 108-minute film. George Hamilton starred as Professor Jim Tanner, Suzanne Pleshette as his teammate and romantic interest Margery Lansing (Marge Hanson in the novel), and Michael Rennie (famous among science fiction movie fans as Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still) as new government liaison Mr. Nordlund. Otherwise, the story proceeds in a fashion similar to the novel, except for a somewhat different twist to the conclusion.
This somewhat obscure movie is memorable for a number of intriguing scenes, including murder by centrifuge, a seemingly possessed "Walk / Don't Walk" sign, toy soldiers firing with real gunpowder, and winking inanimate objects (the last two also in the novel). The soundtrack also memorably features a beating heart to signal the mind-control attempts and eerie music from a cymbalum (a hammered dulcimer-like instrument) accompanying the more suspenseful moments. The music, written by Oscar-winning composer Miklós Rózsa, actually contributes an amusing fourth wall-breaking moment when Tanner, hearing the haunting tune, seems to expect a new disaster, only to be visibly relieved when he finds a cymbalum-violin duet being performed in the hotel lobby.
[edit] Cast
- George Hamilton – Professor Jim Tanner
- Suzanne Pleshette – Professor Margery Lansing
- Michael Rennie – Arthur Nordlund
- Arthur O'Connell – Professor Henry Hallson
- Earl Holliman – Professor Talbot Scott
- Nehemiah Persoff – Professor Carl Melnicker
- Richard Carlson – Professor Norman E. Van Zandt
- Gary Merrill – Policeman Mark Corlane
- Yvonne De Carlo – Mrs. Sally Hallson
- Barbara Nichols – Flora (Joshua Falls diner)
- Aldo Ray – Bruce (Joshua Falls mechanic)
- Celia Lovsky – Mrs. Hallson (Henry's mother)
- Vaughn Taylor – Mr. Hallson (Henry's father)
- Ken Murray – Fred Grover (man at party)
- Miss Beverly Hills – Sylvia (woman at party)
- Miiko Taka – Mrs. Van Zandt
- Lawrence Montaigne – Briggs
- Forrest J Ackerman – Hotel clerk (uncredited)
[edit] External links and references
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