disappointment for Fox. By the end of 1940, it had grossed a little over $500,000, which meant that Sturges had received only about $2,000 over his advance. By 1957, it had grossed around $1 million. Sturges' innovative narrative structure was singled out by critics, and the praise was so great, the studio put a bronze plaque up on the New York movie theater where it had its world premiere. The bronze tablet hailed The Power and the Glory as "the first motion picture in which narratage was used as a method of telling a dramatic story." Sturges' screenplay was widely praised. It was published in book form in 1934, and he received the 1933 Hollywood Reporter Award of Merit for Best Original Story. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 86% from 42 reviews. Temporarily lost film When film critic Pauline Kael wrote "Raising Kane", her 1971 New Yorker article on the genesis of Citizen Kane, The Power and the Glory was virtually a "lost film". After writing about how Hollywood had praised the movie back in 1933 by putting up a bronze plaque on the New York movie theater where it had its premiere, she chided the movie industry for failing to preserve it. "Hollywood, big on ballyhoo but short on real self-respect, failed to transfer the nitrate negative to safety stock, and modern prints of The Power and the Glory are tattered remnants." The movie was later restored and is now complete. References External links The Power and the Glory essay by Aubrey Solomon at National Film Registry 1933 films 1933 drama films Fox Film films American drama films American black-and-white films Films directed by William K. Howard Films about suicide United States National Film Registry films Films with screenplays by Preston Sturges 1930s English-language films 1930s American films