THE PRIZE OF GOLD

UK, 1955, 98 minutes, Colour.
Richard Widmark, Mai Zetterling, Nigel Patrick, George Cole, Donald Wolfit, Joseph Tomelty, Andrew Ray.
Directed by Mark Robson.

Prize of Gold is a colourful entertaining thriller set in post-war Berlin. It shows the darker side of the occupation with military personnel involved in a spectacular gold robbery - with rather spectacular results. The motivation is of the best - the helping of orphans. Richard Widmark and Mai Zetterling are an attractive couple. There is good supporting work especially from Nigel Patrick. Direction by Mark Robson, the maker of many thrillers and adaptations of best sellers.

1. The quality of the film as an adventure, robbery caper?

2. The importance of the post-war atmosphere, the cold war of the fifties, military occupation in Germany, Berlin and its atmosphere, crises and situations governed by a post-war situation? The colour, the music and the songs, the stars? A British production?

3. How plausible were the circumstances, the situations? How well did the film blend its sentiment and crime?

4. The importance of the Berlin atmosphere, the remains of the bombings, the atmosphere of suffering, American attitudes and the occupation, British attitudes, the Germans and their defeat, the plight of refugees, children wandering the streets, schools and the need for emigration?

5. Jay Lawrence and Richard Widmark’s performance: an American type, his role in the army, his attitude towards the occupation, his casual approach to things, stopping with the jeep, his reaction to its being stolen? A sentimental man, the attraction of Maria, his changing his attitude towards the boy, his falling in love? How ordinary a type of citizen? His lack of scruple, his involvement in the plan for the robbery, his motivation? His toughness? The fact that ultimately he was unprofessional as a criminal? His risking violence but not wanting to indulge it? The reason for his giving up? His motivation for the future? A credible character in these kinds of circumstances?

6. How attractive a heroine was Maria? Her place in the school, her attitude toward the children? The protection of the school and the hold that it had over her? Her work with the doctor? The credibility of her falling in love with Joe? The tenderness in her character? Her not asking questions about Joe because of her love for him, her hopes with the money and the emigration? The importance of her seeing him at the end and his hopes and her hopes?

7. Roger as an English-type criminal, his connection, his place in the occupying army, his greed and the risk of crime? The irony of his death? The importance of the sequences of recruiting, Dan and his background and character? Alf and his criminal background, his wife and respectability, his car and not wanting to be involved? Brian and his playing darts and earning money around the pubs, the upper English-type war hero and his going to seed after the war? The blending of these attitudes for the crime? Brian and his continual banter, his behaviour in Berlin? Alf and his anxiety?

8. How interesting was the plan, its build-up, the tension for Joe and the uniforms, getting Brian on the plane? The irony of things going wrong especially with Dan and the car, Alf’s presence?

9. The increasing of tension by the upsets, the plane and its takeoff, the crash of the plane?

10. Comment on the audience wanting the plan to succeed, the flight, the clash, the landing, the taking off of the gold? Audience response to the sudden change of power and the violence? Brian’s lack of scruple, Joe's scrupulosity?

11. The presentation of the thieves and their clashes amongst themselves? Their fighting Alf and his escape but supplying the money, Roger and his death?

12. The build up to the final conflict between Brian and Joe? The melodrama of the chase? Brian and his desperate greed? The melodrama of his spectacular death?

13. The importance of seeing Joe and his plan for telling the truth, his imprisonment? The final meeting with Maria?

14. How satisfying in this kind of sentimental crime film as enjoyment, as an exploration of the values of good and evil, right and wrong?