The Prodigal (1955)

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Joseph Breen (adaptation) and
Samuel James Larsen (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

6 May 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A wealthy young Hebrew traveling in Damascus renounces his faith after is seduced by an alluring pagan priestess and cheated of his fortune by the High Priest as well.

Plot Keywords:

Hebrew | Priestess | Faith | Pagan | High Priest

Cast

Lana Turner	...	Samarra
Edmund Purdom	...	Micah
Louis Calhern	...	Nahreeb
Audrey Dalton	...	Ruth
James Mitchell	...	Asham
Neville Brand	...	Rhakim
Walter Hampden	...	Eli
Taina Elg	...	Elissa
Francis L. Sullivan	...	Bosra
Joseph Wiseman	...	Carmish
John Dehner	...	Joram
Sandy Descher	...	Yasmin (as Sandra Descher)
Cecil Kellaway	...	Governor
Philip Tonge	...	Barber-Surgeon
David Leonard	...	Blind man

Also Known As:

Le fils prodigue (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
De verloren zoon (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Den förlorade (Sweden) [sv]
Der verlorene Sohn (Austria) [de]
El hijo pródigo (Spain) [es]
Il figliuol prodigo (Italy) [it]
O Filho Pródigo (Brazil) [pt]
Skøgen fra Damaskus (Denmark) [da]
Tempel der Versuchung (West Germany) [de]
Tuhlaajapoika (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

112 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Ava Gardner and Vittorio Gassman were originally cast as Edmund Purdom's co-stars.

Quotes:

Micah: [referring to his first sight of Samarra] Nahreeb, you said that everything has its price.
Nahreeb: She is not for a follower of Jehovah!
Micah: I mean to have her one way or the other!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Lana Turner... a Daughter's Memoir (2001) (TV)

lackluster mini-epic

Lana Turner always shown in strong contemporary dramas but for some reason was cast in this silly bible epic. She hated the whole thing and snipped pieces of her costumes off to be more revealing. Posters and publicity pictures had to paint on veils. After his brief shot at stardom in The Eqyptian,replacing Marlon Brando,Edmund Purdom was given another chance to see if he had star quality. He didn't, A competent enough player but obviously no Brando. It's OK if u watch epics for the sets and costumes but beware the overripe dialogue and tedious but efficient direction of Richard Thorpe. Thorpe's main claim to fame was he was replaced as director on the Wizard of Oz for lack of originality. He also helmed a lot of Esther Williams' swim pics. She dismissed him as a studio hack and tried unsuccessfully to have him replaced. Still,Lana looks great,manages to infuse what life she could into the proceedings,