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| The Reward | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Serge Bourguignon |
| Screenplay by | Serge Bourguignon Oscar Millard |
| Based on | The Reward 1955 novel by Michael Barrett |
| Produced by | Aaron Rosenberg |
| Starring | Max von Sydow Yvette Mimieux Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Gilbert Roland |
| Cinematography | Joseph MacDonald |
| Edited by | Robert L. Simpson |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
| Production company | Arcola Pictures |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Reward is a 1965 American Western film directed by Serge Bourguignon and starring Max von Sydow, Yvette Mimieux, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Gilbert Roland. based on a novel by Michael Barrett.
Plot
El Paso crop duster Scott Svenson accidentally flies his plane into a shallow pipe hidden just below the dirt landing area across the Mexican border. The disturbed pipe causes a water tower to collapse. By chance he spots a friend, Frank Bryant, in a car with a woman.
Svenson then notices Bryant's face on a $50,000 reward poster. Since he must pay for the damage to the tower, Svenson offers to assist a local law enforcement official, Capt. Carbajal, in tracking down and capturing Bryant, whereupon they would split the reward.
A posse is formed that includes Sgt. Lopez and two other men, Joaquin and young Luis, who dreams of becoming a bullfighter. Bryant and the woman, Sylvia, are tracked down, but Lopez—learning of the reward shortly after Bryant's apprehension—now wants a percentage of the reward for his efforts. And as soon as Joaquin makes a decision to help Bryant and the woman escape, Lopez kills both Bryant and Joaquin.
Luis tries to round up the posse's remaining horses, but dies in the attempt. Carbajal then is stricken with malaria and turns seriously ill. There is little left to do for Svenson and the woman except try to get back to town safely on foot.
Cast
- Max von Sydow as Svenson Swenson
- Yvette Mimieux as Sylvia
- Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Frank Bryant
- Gilbert Roland as Capt. Carbajal
- Emilio Fernández as Sgt. Lopez (as Emilio Fermandez)
- Nino Castelnuovo as Luis
- Henry Silva as Joaquin
- Rodolfo Acosta as Patron
- Julian Rivero as El Viejo
Production
The film was made for $2,685,000.
Reception
Variety wrote:
The reward for a fugitive and its effects on a group thrown together by fate comprise the theme of this moody, somewhat uneven, desert meller. Some good acting and excellent production values bolster a plot that fizzes out in final reel.
At SixtiesCinema.com, Tom Lisanti wrote:
The ending fails to provide a satisfying wrap-up, leaving the survivors still lost in the desert. Needless to say, the film was reviled by the critics and bombed at the box office. Despite (Yvette) Mimieux's high hopes for the picture, it did nothing for her career. In fact, the critic from The New Yorker called her "the poor man's Carol Lynley." Ouch!
According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $4,400,000 in rentals to break even and only made $1,615,000.
See also
References
- "The Reward". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- "The Reward". IMDb. September 24, 1965.
- Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1. p254
- Variety staff (December 31, 1964). "The Reward". Variety.com. Variety.
- Lisanti, Tom. "Mini-Review: The Reward (1965)". SixtiesCinema.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
- Silverman, Stephen M (1988). The Fox that got away : the last days of the Zanuck dynasty at Twentieth Century-Fox. L. Stuart. p. 324. ISBN 9780818404856.
External links
- The Reward at IMDb
- The Reward at the TCM Movie Database
- The Reward at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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- 1965 films
- 1965 Western (genre) films
- 1960s English-language films
- 20th Century Fox films
- CinemaScope films
- American Western (genre) films
- Films directed by Serge Bourguignon
- Films set in Mexico
- Contemporary Western films
- 1960s American films
- English-language Western (genre) films
- 1960s Western (genre) film stubs
- 1960s American film stubs