The Italian Job (1969)

Director:

Peter Collinson

Writer:

Troy Kennedy-Martin (written by)

Release Date:

3 September 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Introducing the plans for a new business venture: "The Italian Job."

Plot:

Comic caper movie about a plan to steal a gold shipment from the streets of Turin by creating a traffic jam.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Gold | Sewer | Car Chase | Mini Cooper

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Charlie Croker
Noel Coward	...	Mr. Bridger (as Noël Coward)
Benny Hill	...	Professor Simon Peach
Raf Vallone	...	Altabani
Tony Beckley	...	Freddie
Rossano Brazzi	...	Beckerman
Margaret Blye	...	Lorna (as Maggie Blye)
Irene Handl	...	Miss Peach
John Le Mesurier	...	Governor (as John le Mesurier)
Fred Emney	...	Birkinshaw
John Clive	...	Garage Manager
Graham Payn	...	Keats
Michael Standing	...	Arthur
Stanley Caine	...	Coco
Barry Cox	...	Chris

Also Known As:

Charlie staubt Millionen ab (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Az olsz meló (Hungary) [hu]
Den vilda biljakten (Sweden) [sv]
Den ville biljakten (Norway) [no]
Dobar posao u Italiji (Serbia) [sr]
Italyan Usulü Soygun (Turkey: Turkish title) (Pay-TV title) [tr]
L'or se barre (France) [fr]
Listeia... ala italika (Greece) [el]
Maxi-job i mini-biler (Denmark) [da]
Riehakas ryöstö (Finland) [fi]
Um Golpe à Italiana (Brazil) [pt]
Un colpo all'italiana (Italy) [it]
Un trabajo en Italia (Spain) [es]
Wloska robota (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

South Korea:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12 (original rating) | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (cinema version) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:U (original rating) | USA:G | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Alembic House - 93 Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, London, England, UK

Company:

Oakhurst Productions

Trivia:

Noel Coward was not in good health and had a hard time learning lines for the movie, so his longtime companion/partner Graham Payn had a cameo role as Bridger's assistant so he could be on hand to help with any problems.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end, as the coach swings round over the edge, you see a full vapour trail from a plane. Moments later, a shot of the stationery coach from the same camera shows the plane and a partial trail. Presumably the coach was positioned first, then swung back onto land, and the film reversed in the film to make it seem like it was swinging off, rather than on.

Quotes:

Mr. Bridger: You must learn, Keats, there are more things to life than breaking and entering.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Something's Cookin'

Mamma Mia! Classic crime caper still looks good today.

Now this is more like it! Having bought this movie (and getting the wretched 2003 remake free with it), I waited until last night before I refreshed my memory. And despite being more than thirty years older, it scoops up the remake in a snowplough and tosses it down the side of a mountain. This is the superior film and not just because of the whole "English" thing.

Michael Caine plays Charlie Croker, a lovable cheeky Cockney rogue who is given plans for the biggest gold heist of the century after being released for prison. Assembling his finest team of experts, the group head off to Italy to pull off the seemingly-impossible - steal $4'000'000 worth of gold from under the noses of the Italian Mafia and escape through the crowded streets of Turin and dash for the Swiss border. Only, it's not as easy as that...

Caine shines as Croker, turning what could have been a dark character into this almost comedic gem. He has all the best lines for the simple reason that nobody else comes close. Even the great Noel Coward seems to be sleep-walking in his role as Mr Bridger, Croker's Imperialistic mentor who's still behind bars. So the first half of the film belongs to Caine which is just as well because the Mini's steal the second half. Like "From Dusk Til Dawn", this is a movie with a definite switch halfway through as the cars take over and leave the audience struggling to remember anything from the first half.

And even so long after the initial release, the Mini Coopers are still mind-blowing to watch. By far and away the most inventive part of the film, the car chase is what everybody remembers and rightly so. It is a shame because the build-up to the heist is rather funny. This isn't a serious crime movie - no dour detectives or rainy city scenes here. This film is bright, colourful and a joy to watch, even if you will have forgotten the first half by the end of it. And what an ending, possibly the greatest cliffhanger of all time. Literally.

There is much to admire about "The Italian Job". It's an amusing crime caper, a family version of "Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels", which has plenty to involve young and old. It also harks back to a time when it was great to be British - we had won the World Cup, we had the Beatles and the Rolling Stones blazing a new trail throughout the world. We had flower power and the summer of Love. Watching this film, it is impossible for any Englishman to not feel his blood pumping in patriotic fervour. The characters, the story, the cars, the annoyingly catchy soundtrack - everything is geared towards celebrating England and poo-pooing the rest of the world. And quite frankly, it's about time too! Forget "Austin Powers" - this is the real Swinging Sixties and it's just groovy, baby!