The Italian Job
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- This article is about the 1969 movie starring Michael Caine. For the 2003 remake, see The Italian Job (2003 film).
Template:Infobox Film The Italian Job is a British comedy caper film, directed by Peter Collinson and written by Troy Kennedy Martin. It was released in 1969 and was very popular in Britain; subsequent television showings and outings on video have established it as something of a national institution in the UK, with a cult following elsewhere.
In 2004 the magazine Total Film named The Italian Job the 27th greatest British film of all time.
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Plot summary
The film stars Michael Caine as dapper mobster Charlie Croker, with Noel Coward as Mr Bridger, an incarcerated criminal mastermind who nonetheless runs a gangland empire from within jail. The plot revolves around Croker's attempt to stage a gold bullion robbery in Turin, to be achieved by sabotaging the traffic-control computer and escaping, in spite of the resulting traffic jam, in nippy Mini getaway cars along a carefully planned route. In the first half of the film Croker assembles his gang, which includes computer expert Professor Peach (Benny Hill), and a very minor character played by Robert Powell. Set in London and Turin and filmed in Technicolor and Panavision, the film remains an iconic evocation of the swinging sixties, although its rose-tinted view of London's criminal underworld was in sharp contrast to the brutal reality. In fact, Caine has stated that he took the lead role in Get Carter (which portrays the same underworld with brutal realism) largely in order to correct the overly romantic picture of organized crime painted in The Italian Job. One of the most entertainingly absurd aspects of the film is that Mr Bridger's gang is run by an effeminate dandyman named Camp Freddie.
Apart from the colourful vision of a certain time and place, the film is also notable for its inventive and exciting car chases and stunts. Its distinctive soundtrack was composed by Quincy Jones, and includes two songs, "On Days Like These" sung by Matt Monro over the opening credits, and "Getta Bloomin' Move-On" (usually referred to as "The Self Preservation Society", after its chorus) during the climactic car-chase. Kennedy Martin's screenplay is sharp and witty, with several memorable lines. After an over-exuberant explosives test obliterates an armoured vehicle, Croker's reaction is an exasperated "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!", delivered to perfection by Caine.
The film's city-based stunts were arranged by Rémy Julienne, and did much to ensure the continuation of British Leyland's Mini, by then ten years old. The film's cars were almost as much part of the cast as the people; the ill-fated Lamborghini Miura in the opening sequence, various Aston Martin and Jaguar sports cars, a Land Rover, and an array of police Alfa Romeos which are out-driven by the heroic British Minis. The stunning Alpine setting through which some of the chases passed was another memorable aspect of the film.
The getaway sequence is the film's highlight, however. It was arranged to take in as many sights of Turin as possible, and in fact makes no sense in terms of the city's geographical layout. After the heist, the gang transfer the gold to the Minis in the entrance hall of the Museo Egizio. The three Minis then race through the stylish shopping arcades of the Via Roma, up the sail-like roof of the Palazzo Vela, around the rooftop test track of the famous Fiat Lingotto factory building and even down the steps of the Gran Madre di Dio church while a wedding is in progress. The gang finally escapes the city by driving through large sewer pipes, throwing off the police in the process. (This part of the stunt action was, mundanely, filmed at a large waterworks on the outskirts of Coventry). The gang make their final getaway on a six-wheeled Bedford VAL coach (actually used to transport the crew)—driving up a ramp on the back whilst the coach is still travelling at speed. The getaway Minis are then pushed out of the still-moving coach as it negotiates hairpin bends.
Successfully on their way to Switzerland along a winding mountain road, the gang celebrate in the back of the bus. A mistake by the driver sends the coach into a skid, with the back end of the bus teetering over the edge of the cliff, the gold slipping towards the rear doors. As Croker attempts to reach the gold, it slips further, and the audience is left not knowing whether the coach, its contents, and its occupants survive—a literal cliff-hanger ending. Croker's last line, "Hang on lads, I've got a great idea!", left the film open for a sequel, although none emerged. The ending was apparently intended to show that crime does not pay, and that the film's heroes are essentially armed robbers (earlier, they are shown gassing and clubbing security guards). In subsequent interviews Michael Caine has suggested that Croker simply ran the engine until the fuel tank—located in the back of the bus—ran down, an ingenious solution.
The film has been criticised for being nationalistic in tone, although this seems so exaggerated as to be self-conscious parody; the Minis and the getaway coach coloured red, white and blue, for example, and the imprisoned crime boss played by Noel Coward almost seems a parody of the Royal Family.
Sequels and remakes
- Main article: The Italian Job (2003 film)
Although it received a Golden Globe nomination (for "Best Foreign Film in the English Language") the film was not a success in America. Michael Caine blamed its failure there on an unattractive and misleading advertising campaign. As a result, plans for a sequel were shelved. Producer Michael Deeley discussed plans for the sequel. One plan had envisaged helicopters coming in to save the cliff-hanging bus from the end of the first film. The grateful gang soon discover that it is the Mafia that has saved them, and the sequel would have been about getting the gold bullion from them.
Another scenario for the sequel would see the occupants of the coach starting the engine and leaving it running, thereby burning off fuel in the tanks and making the vehicle light enough for the occupants to escape. The coach would then plummet into the valley where the waiting Mafia would recover the gold. The sequel would then have been about getting the gold back.
A remake of the movie, set in Los Angeles and starring Mark Wahlberg as Charlie Croker, was released in the summer of 2003. It also featured Donald Sutherland as John Bridger, more of a father-figure to Croker, Edward Norton, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Seth Green, and Mos Def. It made many changes to the original story, replacing the British characters with a primarily American cast, moving the action from Turin to Venice and Los Angeles, adding a new villain, and replacing the ambiguous ending with one that is completely positive. The Minis of the original film were replaced by the new BMW-built MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S with the classic Mini making only a cameo appearance. There is a sequel to the 2003 version in production called The Brazilian Job, to be released in the Summer of 2007.
Trivia
- American distributors Paramount wanted Robert Redford to play the lead role.
- A great deal of the chase sequence was used in the MacGyver episode "The Thief of Budapest", as one might expect set in Budapest rather than Turin.
- The scene where the robbers' Minis are chased through a sewer tunnel were filmed in the Sowe Valley Sewer Duplication system near the English city of Coventry.
- The person on the far side that closes the gate at the end of sewer tunnel is the Director, Peter Collinson.
- Charlie Croker picks up an Aston Martin from a garage after his release from prison. In the 2003 remake, Handsome Rob buys an Aston Martin Vanquish at the end of the movie.
- The jail used in the film that held Mr. Bridger was Kilmainham Jail in Dublin, Ireland.
- A portion of the car chase, a surreal 'dance' between the Minis and the police cars, was filmed inside Pier Luigi Nervi's distinctive Exhibition Building with a full orchestra playing 'The Blue Danube'. It was cut from the final version of the film and appears as an 'extra' on the DVD of the movie.
- Can $4,000,000 worth of gold be carried in three Minis? Definitely not. In 1968, gold cost about $36 an ounce so the three Minis had to transport 1050 kg (2314 lb) of gold each, in addition to a driver and passenger. A 1968 Mini only weighs 635 kg (1400 lb) - so the diminuitive vehicles would each have to carry close to twice their own weight.
- A popular tour guide showing various locations seen in the movie is available that encompasses Turin and the Italian Alps. See The Italian Job Tour.
- The enthusiast's club for the Riley Elf (a variety of Mini) is called "The Elf Preservation Society" in honor of the theme song from the movie.
- As Croker walks through the garage where the Minis are being prepared for the robbery, we hear that "Rozzer's having trouble with his differential" and we clearly see that the back of the red Mini Cooper is jacked up and Rozzer is obviously working hard. This is probably an insider joke since the Mini is a front wheel drive car and does not have a rear differential. In the early 1960's, front wheel drive cars were exceedingly rare and as a result, asking a novice car mechanic to repair a Mini's rear differential was a popular Snipe hunt.
- Despite the huge publicity the film gave to the Mini, the car’s maker, BMC, were not completely committed to the project. BMC only provided a token fleet of Minis and the production company had to buy the remaining number needed for filming, albeit at trade price.
- The line "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!", said by Michael Caine in the film, was voted the favourite movie one-liner in a 2003 poll of 1000 movie fans. Daily Telegraph
- The cross-channel ferry featured in the movie is the Free Enterprise I. This later became the ill-fated Herald of Free Enterprise.