The Reward (1965 film)

The Reward
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	September 15, 1965;
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.^[1] based on a novel by Michael Barrett.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.^[4]

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!^[5]

According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $4,400,000 in rentals to break even and only made $1,615,000.^[6]

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

This 1960s Western film–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article related to an American film of the 1960s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[The_Reward-1] "The Reward". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 3, 2016.

[2] "The Reward". IMDb. September 24, 1965.

[3] 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

[4] Variety staff (December 31, 1964). "The Reward". Variety.com. Variety.

[5] Lisanti, Tom. "Mini-Review: The Reward (1965)". SixtiesCinema.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.

[6] 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.

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