The Power and the Glory

film by Howard [1933]

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July 16, 2026

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The Power and the Glory is a 1933 American drama film directed by William K. Howard. The film is noted for its innovative narrative structure, employing a multiple-flashback technique that is thought to have influenced later filmmakers like Orson Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz in their script for Citizen Kane.1

The story centers on the rise and fall of a powerful railroad tycoon, portrayed by Spencer Tracy. The film was written by Preston Sturges and featured cinematography by James Wong Howe. Howard, known for his visual style and ability to create exciting action sequences, directed approximately 50 films during his career, with The Power and the Glory being one of his most significant works.1

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Preston Sturges
Early life and work
Howard’s The Power and the Glory (1933), employing a theme and an elaborate flashback structure that some critics have identified as influences on Orson Welles’s landmark film Citizen Kane (1941). Sturges then scripted We Live Again (1934), The Good Fairy (1935), and Easy Living (1937), the…
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Howard’s The Power and the Glory (1933), employing a theme and an elaborate flashback structure that some critics have identified as influences on Orson Welles’s landmark film Citizen Kane (1941). Sturges then scripted We Live Again (1934), The Good Fairy (1935), and Easy Living (1937), the…
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William K. Howard
Sound era
In 1933 Howard directed The Power and the Glory, a searing account of the rise and fall of a powerful railroad tycoon (Spencer Tracy). The groundbreaking film, which was written by Preston Sturges, employed a multiple-flashback structure that is believed to have influenced Orson Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz…
Read More
In 1933 Howard directed The Power and the Glory, a searing account of the rise and fall of a powerful railroad tycoon (Spencer Tracy). The groundbreaking film, which was written by Preston Sturges, employed a multiple-flashback structure that is believed to have influenced Orson Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz…
Read More

Colleen Moore
…notably with Spencer Tracy in The Power and the Glory (1933). Under the tutelage of her second and third husbands, both of whom were stockbrokers, she became rich from investments. She wrote the autobiography Silent Star (1968) and the investment guide How Women Can Make Money in the Stock Market…
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…notably with Spencer Tracy in The Power and the Glory (1933). Under the tutelage of her second and third husbands, both of whom were stockbrokers, she became rich from investments. She wrote the autobiography Silent Star (1968) and the investment guide How Women Can Make Money in the Stock Market…
Read More