The Power and the Glory

The Power and the Glory (1963)

Out of Graham Greene's novel that made the world gasp--the drama of a priest who somehow stumbled onto the road to martyrdom

Based on Graham Greene's novel about a flawed but devoted priest in 1930s Mexico who attempts to perform his duties while eluding a police lieutenant determined to capture him.

Date of release
1963-05-31
TMDB
9.0 / 10 (1)
Runtime
1h 30m
Genres
Drama, TV Movie
Director
Marc Daniels

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Based on: The Power and the Glory

The Power and the Glory is a 1961 American TV film based on the 1940 novel The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. It was produced by David Susskind at Talent Associates-Paramount for CBS. The production was shot for American TV but also distributed theatrically overseas.

Production

It was Olivier's second performance for American television following an acclaimed production of The Moon and Sixpence which won him an Emmy.

Playwright Dale Wasserman wrote the script in seven days.

David Susskind originally wanted Richard Burton to co star with Olivier. The project was announced in April 1961 and the cast finalised in May. It was going to be CBS's "major dramatic production" for the year. The budget was a reported $500,000.

A Mexican township worth $125,000 was built for the production, which was shot at NBC studios, in two studios (although broadcast by CBS). It was one of the most elaborate productions shot for TV at the time.

Taping started 30 May 1961 over a four-week period between the end of Olivier's run in Becket and his return to England. The budget eventually blew out to $746,000 and the running time was 132 minutes. According to makeup artist Dick Smith, the production was "gruelling," with filming often taking over 20 hours a day.

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