This seldom seen classic is often considered a forerunner of Citizen Kane. Preston Sturges's script tells the rags-to-riches story of railroad executive Tom Garner (Spencer Tracy) through a series of flashbacks narrated by his longtime friend Henry (Ralph Morgan). The studio coined the term "narratage" to describe the use of flashbacks with narration over them. Contemporary audiences should enjoy speculating to what extent the film's nonlinear construction, plot, and innovative cinematography (by James Wong Howe) influenced Orson Welles. The Power and the Glory was loosely based on the life of C. W. Post, the cereal tycoon and grandfather of Sturges's second wife, Eleanor Hutton. Spencer Tracy keenly adapts his carriage, mannerisms, and energy level to portray both the confident, carefree youth and the world-weary old man. Like the Hearst figure in Citizen Kane, Tom Garner symbolizes the best and worst of industrialization. But Tracy's depiction is more sympathetic and less menacing than Welles's. Silent film star Colleen Moore gives a sensitive performance as Garner's first wife Sally. With her natural acting style, it's surprising and disappointing that she didn't experience greater success in talking films.-Donna RossPreservation funded by 20th Century Fox.