''A Prize of Gold'' is a 1955

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

film noir crime film directed by Mark Robson partly filmed in

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

. The film stars

Richard Widmark Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death'' (1947) ...

as a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

Air Police The United States Air Force Security Forces (SF) are the ground combat force and military police service of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. USAF Security Forces (SF) were formerly known as Military Police (MP), Air Police (AP), and Sec ...

Master Sergeant motivated by love and compassion to begin a life of crime. It was based on the 1953 novel of the same title by Max Catto.

Plot

Master Sergeant Joe Lawrence (

) is stationed in

occupied Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

shortly after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He encounters a group of German orphans when one of them tries to steal his Jeep. Joe finds Maria (

Mai Zetterling Mai Elisabeth Zetterling (; 24 May 1925 – 17 March 1994) was a Swedish film director, novelist and actor. Early life Zetterling was born in Västerås, Sweden to a working class family. She started her career as an actor at the age of 17 at D ...

), one of the orphans' caretakers, very attractive. Maria is trying to take the children to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, where they can start life anew. It is being arranged by her employer, Hans Fischer, a very successful German contractor. Hans tells Joe not to return. After thinking it over, Joe disregards him and soon falls in love with Maria. Maria breaks up with Joe, but Joe persists. When he sees Maria returning home and reluctantly submitting to her boss's kisses, he fights with Hans, ending Hans's assistance with the travel arrangements. His buddy, British

Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...

Sergeant Roger Morris ( George Cole), has hinted about stealing part of a fortune in a recently discovered

Reichsbank The ''Reichsbank'' (; 'Bank of the Reich, Bank of the Realm') was the central bank of the German Reich from 1876 until 1945. History until 1933 The Reichsbank was founded on 1 January 1876, shortly after the establishment of the German Empi ...

gold bullion being transferred to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

via military transport in a series of four shipments. Joe plans a daring hijacking of the airplane, aided greatly by the fact that he works for the Air Provost Marshal, who shares the security responsibility for the shipments with the British. Roger's uncle Dan puts them in touch with Alfie Stratton, a semi-retired crook who can dispose of the gold. Alfie insists that they use ex-

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

pilot Brian Hammell (

Nigel Patrick Nigel Patrick (born Nigel Dennis Patrick Wemyss-Gorman; 2 May 1912 – 21 September 1981) was an English actor and stage director born into a theatrical family. During the late 1940s and 1950s, he became known as a debonair leading man in Brit ...

), to protect his interests. The plan works up to a point. They hijack the C-47 and land at an abandoned airstrip in England. However, the crew manage to retake control of the airplane after only part of the bullion has been unloaded, and try to take off, only to crash into Alfie's car (used to light the runway) and burn. After the gang leave, the crewmen manage to get out unobserved. Thinking they have killed three men, Joe decides to return the gold and turn himself in. Roger and Dan agree. Alfie is regretting getting back into a life of crime, so Joe has no trouble letting him out, in exchange for £5000 to be given to Dan. Brian, who shot at the escaping aircraft and has no qualms against murder, is the only obstacle. Alfie and Dan leave. When Brian wakes up, he does not like the new arrangement. In the ensuing fight, Roger falls to his death and Joe is knocked out. Joe comes to and chases Brian. In his desperation to get away (with a few gold bars), Brian ends up clinging to the edge of a rising drawbridge, finally losing his grip and plummeting into the water far below. When Joe is brought back to Berlin for his court-martial, he sees Maria and the orphans leaving for Brazil.

Cast

as Sergeant Joe Lawrence *

as Maria *

as Brian Hammell * George Cole as Sergeant Roger Morris *

Donald Wolfit Sir Donald Wolfit, KBE (born Donald Woolfitt; Harwood, Ronald"Wolfit, Sir Donald (1902–1968)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, January 2008; accessed 14 July 2009 20 April 1902 ...

as Alfie Stratton *

Joseph Tomelty Joseph Tomelty (5 March 1911 – 7 June 1995) was an Irish actor, playwright, novelist, short-story writer and theatre manager. He worked in film, television, radio and on the stage. starring in Sam Thompson's 1960 play ''Over the Bridge''. ...

as Uncle Dan Watson *

Andrew Ray Andrew Ray (31 May 193920 August 2003) was an English actor who was best known as a child star. Biography He was born Andrew Olden (Ray was his father's stage name) in Southgate, Middlesex, the son of the radio comic Ted Ray and his wife, sh ...

as Conrad *

Karel Stepanek Karel may refer to: People * Karel (given name) * Karel (surname) * Charles Karel Bouley, talk radio personality known on air as Karel * Christiaan Karel Appel, Dutch painter Business * Karel Electronics, a Turkish electronics manufacturer * Gr ...

as Dr. Zachmann * Robert Ayres as Tex *

Eric Pohlmann Eric Pohlmann (german: Erich Pohlmann; born Erich Pollak; 18 July 1913 – 25 July 1979) was an Austrian theatre, film and television character actor who worked mostly in the United Kingdom. He is known for voicing Ernst Stavro Blofeld, th ...

as Fischer *

Olive Sloane Olive Sloane (16 December 1896 – 28 June 1963) was an English actress whose film career spanned over 40 years from the silent era through to her death. Sloane's career trajectory was unusual in that for most of her professional life she was e ...

as Mavis *

Alan Gifford Alan Gifford (born John Lennox; March 11, 1911 – March 20, 1989) was an American-born actor from Taunton, Massachusetts, who worked mainly in the UK, where he died in Blairgowrie, Scotland at age 78. Known best for his role in '' 2001: A ...

as Major Bracken * Ivan Craig as British Major *

Harry Towb Harry Towb (27 July 1925 – 24 July 2009) was an actor from Northern Ireland. Early life and career Towb was born in Larne, County Antrim, to a Russian-Jewish father and an Irish-Jewish mother; he once claimed he was the only Jew ever born ...

as Benny

Joan Regan Joan Regan (born Joan Bethel or Siobhan Bethel; 19 January 1928 – 12 September 2013) was an English traditional pop music singer, popular during the 1950s and early 1960s. Biography Regan was born in either Romford, Essex, or West Ham, London ...

sings the title song.

Production

Warwick bought film rights to the novel in April 1953 and originally announced they wanted

Montgomery Clift Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''. He is best remembered ...

for the lead. R.C. Sheriff was assigned the screenplay and Mark Robson, who had just made ''Hell Below Zero'' for Warwick, was to direct. Alan Ladd had made three films for Warwick and he was in discussions to play the lead as well. The movie was part of a new three-picture deal Warwick signed with Columbia (the others being ''

The Cockleshell Heroes ''The Cockleshell Heroes'' is a 1955 British Technicolor war film with Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, Christopher Lee, David Lodge and José Ferrer, who also directed. The film depicts a heavily fictionalised version of Operation Frankton, the ...

'' and ''Safari''.) John Paxton was brought in to rewrite Sheriff's script. In early 1954 Richard Widmark signed to star opposite Nigel Patrick. Filming began in July 1954 and took place at Shepperton Studios and on location in Germany."These Are the Facts", ''Kinematograph Weekly'', 31 May 1956 p 14

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prize of Gold, A 1955 crime films 1955 films American aviation films American crime films Columbia Pictures films Films based on British novels Films directed by Mark Robson Films set in 1948 Films set in 1949 Films set in airports Films set in Berlin Films set in London American heist films Films shot at Shepperton Studios Films shot at MGM-British Studios 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Plot

Cast

Production

See also

References

External links