Man of Conflict

A 1953 independent drama produced and directed by Hal R. Makelim. John Agar stars as Ray Compton, the son of self-made industrial tycoon J.R. Compton (Edward Arnold, in one of his final roles). Raised on his father's ruthless creed that a man must be hard to succeed, Ray returns home torn between the ruthless empire he's expected to inherit and his conscience — a conflict that comes to a head over his father's treatment of workers and the woman Ray loves. A modest, earnest postwar drama about power and principle, the film is in the public domain.