The Italian Job
The Italian Job | |
---|---|
Directed by | Peter Collinson |
Written by | Troy Kennedy Martin |
Produced by | Michael Deeley |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Douglas Slocombe |
Edited by | John Trumper |
Music by | Quincy Jones |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
better source needed ] |
The Italian Job is a 1969 British
, in an armoured security truck.In addition to Caine, the cast also included Benny Hill, Raf Vallone, Tony Beckley and Noël Coward; the film was Coward's last before his retirement from acting. The soundtrack was composed by Quincy Jones, featuring the 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, which featured Caine among its singers.[2]
The film proved a success upon its release, earning critical acclaim amongst critics for the performances by Caine and Coward, the film's reflection of British culture from the period, and the climactic car chase. The Italian Job became a cult symbol of British filmography and was ranked favourably in the top 100 British films by the British Film Institute. Several elements became symbolic cult features, including a rare never-resolved cliffhanger ending,[3][4] and Caine's famous line about only blowing the doors off.
The popularity of The Italian Job led to several parodies and allusions in other films and productions, including the 2005 episode of
Plot
Driving through the
for a car factory.Croker breaks back into prison to ask British nationalist crime lord Mr. Bridger for financial backing. Initially unconvinced, Bridger soon offers support when he learns of the heist's target. With help from Bridger's organisation, run by his right-hand man Camp Freddie, Croker recruits a crew of specialists, including Lorna and computer expert Professor Peach – the latter needed for sabotaging Turin's traffic control system. After finalising preparations, Croker and his team are summoned by Bridger to a fake funeral ceremony, where he informs them that the Mafia killed Beckermann because of his planned heist, advising them to be careful, but not to return without the gold.
After leaving for Italy, Croker and some of his crew split off from the others while en route to Turin, to avoid raising suspicion. However, the small group soon encounters the Mafia, led by their boss Altabani, who ambushes them in the Alps and destroys their cars the same way he did to Beckerman's. Croker narrowly manages to talk his way out of getting him and his crew murdered. Later that night, his crew successfully infiltrates the Turin traffic control centre and Peach replaces one of the computer's magnetic-tape data storage reels with a duplicate designed to sabotage Turin's traffic control system on the day of the heist. The next day, as the gold arrives at the airport and the crew prepares for the heist, Croker sends Lorna to Geneva to protect her and the plan. At the same time, Peach absconds from the crew and is later arrested for molesting a woman on a tram.
With the city's
During a reckless celebration while driving through the Alps, the coach driver loses control of the vehicle and ends up spinning out, with the rear of the coach teetering precariously over a cliff. The crew stand at the front of the coach in an attempt to balance the weight of the gold at the rear. Croker slowly crawls towards the gold which slides ever further from him. Finally, he turns to the crew and declares: "Hang on a minute lads. I've got a great idea."
Cast
- Michael Caine as Charlie Croker
- Noël Coward as Mr. Bridger
- Benny Hill as Professor Simon Peach
- Raf Vallone as Altabani
- Tony Beckley as Camp Freddie
- Rossano Brazzi as Roger Beckerman
- Maggie Blye as Lorna
- Irene Handl as Miss Peach
- John Le Mesurier as the Prison Governor
- Fred Emney as Birkinshaw
- John Clive as Garage manager
- Graham Payn as Keats
- Michael Standing as Arthur
- Stanley Caine as Coco
- Barry Cox as Chris
- Harry Baird as Big William
- George Innes as Bill Bailey
- John Forgeham as Frank
- Robert Powell as Yellow
- Derek Ware as Rozzer
- Frank Jarvis as Roger
- David Salamone as Dominic
- Richard Essame as Tony
- Mario Valgoi as Manzo
- Renato Romano(in Italian) as Cosca
- Franco Norvelli as Altabani's driver
- Robert Rietti as Police chief
- Timothy Bateson as Dentist
- David Kelly as Vicar
- Arnold Diamond as Senior computer room official
- Simon Dee as Shirtmaker
- Alistair Hunter as Warder
- Lana Gatto as Mrs. Cosca
- Louis Mansias Computer room official
- Henry McGee as Tailor
- Lelia Goldoni as Mrs Beckerman
- Valerie Leon as Hotel Receptionist
Production
Writing
According to producer Michael Deeley the film started "as a modest concept for a TV drama concerning a robbery set in and around a traffic jam in London's hectic Oxford Street thoroughfare," that was originally conceived by Ian Kennedy Martin. Ian's brother Troy would eventually buy the idea from him "with the vision of creating a feature film set in Italy."[10]
Ending
According to a "Making Of" documentary,
In 2008, the Royal Society of Chemistry held a competition for a solution that had a basis in science, was to take not more than 30 minutes and did not use a helicopter.[13] The idea was to promote greater understanding of science, and to highlight the 100th anniversary of the periodic table, on which gold is one of the 118 elements.[12] The winning entry, by John Godwin of Surrey, was to break and remove two large side windows just aft of the pivot point and let the glass fall outside to lose its weight; break two windows over the two front axles, keeping the broken glass on board to keep its weight for balance; let a man out on a rope through the front broken windows (not to rest his weight on the ground) who deflates all the bus's front tyres, to reduce the bus's rocking movement about its pivot point; drain the fuel tank, which is aft of the pivot point, which changes the balance enough to let a man get out and gather heavy rocks to load the front of the bus. Unload the bus. Wait until a suitable vehicle passes on the road, hijack it, and carry the gold away in it.[14]
Locations
The interior of the prison that held Bridger was Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, Ireland. The exterior, seen when Croker leaves, is HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs in west London. Upon his release, Croker stays at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in Bayswater, London. Denbigh Close, Notting Hill, W11, was used as the location for Croker's home.[15]
The training sessions shown for the Mini drivers were at the
The chase sequences were filmed in Turin, except for the chase through the sewer tunnel, which was shot in the Sowe Valley Sewer Duplication system in the Stoke Aldermoor district of Coventry in the English Midlands, filmed from the back of a Mini Moke.[11] The person on the far side who closes the gate at the end of the sewer tunnel is the director, Peter Collinson. Collinson also appeared in the scene on the highway when the ramps get jettisoned, clinging to the right-hand rear door of the coach as the Minis enter at speed.[11]
A portion of the car chase was filmed as a dance between the Minis and police cars with a full orchestra playing "The Blue Danube" inside Pier Luigi Nervi's Palazzo Esposizioni, usually used for the Turin Motor Show (and now a hospital library).[11]
The final escape from Turin was filmed on the road from
Vehicles
Roger Beckermann's orange Lamborghini Miura in the opening scene is actually two cars. The first was a Miura P400 that was sold as new afterwards. In 2015, it was located and authenticated by classic car expert Iain Tyrrell.[16] The second car, tumbled down the chasm by the Mafia bulldozer, was another Miura that had previously been in a serious accident and was not roadworthy. Lamborghini confirmed in May 2019 that the Italian Job Miura had chassis number 3586.[17]
The Minis featured in the climactic chase were 1275cc Austin Mini Cooper S models. Production took place just as the manufacturer, the British Motor Corporation was preparing for the introduction of the Mk2 Mini, which was launched just before the film's public release. The Minis used were 1967 Mk1 models, fitted with future-dated 1969 G-suffix number plates to match the year of the film's intended release, despite that any 1969-registered Mini would be a Mk2, not a Mk1. BMC provided six new Minis (two of each colour) to the production at cost price. A further 25 were bought on the secondhand market via BMC's agent in Switzerland. Ten of these secondhand cars were Cooper S models and the remainder were standard 848cc models which were modified to various degrees to match the genuine 'star cars' as required for filming. All 16 Mini Coopers were destroyed or rendered unroadworthy in the course of filming, along with nine of the replica cars, leaving six 848cc replicas surviving intact. These were abandoned in the film crew's storage unit in Turin when filming concluded and their subsequent history is unknown.
Gold cost $38.69 per
The original DB4 belongs today to a private English collection. According to several sources, the "Aston" pushed off the cliff was a Vignale Lancia Flaminia mocked up as an Aston. The two E-type Jaguars that suffered from the Mafia's revenge were restored to original condition.[20]
A
The black Fiat Dino coupé of Mafia boss Altabani was bought by Peter Collinson but became so rusty that only its doors remain.[22]
The bus used to transport the three Mini Coopers was a Bedford VAL with Harrington Legionnaire bodywork, registration ALR 453B, new in April 1964 and specially converted for the film.[23]
Music
The music for the soundtrack was written by
Release
The film opened at the Plaza Cinema in London on 5 June 1969.[1]
Reception
On
In 1999, it was ranked No. 36 on the
Vincent Canby, writing at the time of the film's release, felt that the caper film had been made before and much better as well. He complimented the film's technological sophistication, only criticising what he saw as an "emotionally retarded" plot. Canby also expressed concern that Coward's appearance in the film, although intended to be kind, "exploits him in vaguely unpleasant ways" by surrounding his character with images of the royal family, which had not knighted him at the time. A contemporary review in Time magazine felt that the film spent too much time focusing on the film's caper as opposed to building the characters; it also criticised the car chases as "dull and deafening".[33]
The movie was the 14th most popular at the UK box office in 1969.
Legacy
Since 2000, there have been two remakes of the film. The first was released in 2003 and also called
There is a video game based on the 1969 film, released for the PlayStation game console in 2001 and Microsoft Windows in 2002 and published by Rockstar Games. The film was also the subject of a play, Bill Shakespeare's "The Italian Job", written by Malachi Bogdanov, who used lines from Shakespeare plays to tell the story. It was performed in 2003 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[36]
Michael Caine's performance and "bloody doors" line have been parodied in several British comedies, and in a music video for "Pick a Part That's New" by Stereophonics. Large portions of the car chase scenes were lifted directly from the film for use in the MacGyver episode "Thief of Budapest" (Series 1, Ep 3), with the main characters setting up the story with three Minis visible at the start of the episode. Most of the end of the episode is footage from The Italian Job.[37]
As part of a celebration of British culture at
In September 2016, NBC and Paramount Television began work on a TV series inspired by the original and the remake,[40] though this never surpassed the development stage.[41] In 2001, author Matthew Field released a book The Making of The Italian Job,[42] and to celebrate 50 years since the film's release he has published a new and updated version, The Self Preservation Society.[43]
In February 2021, it was announced that a sequel TV series would be released on Paramount+. It is set to revolve around Croker's grandchildren, who inherit his old safety deposit box, and a quest to find the Italian bullion is reignited. Matt Wheeler will write and executive produce the series, while Donald De Line will produce, after previously doing so for the 2003 remake.[41]
Historic computer security significance
The film depicts an early example of an attack against a computer system, or "
References
- ^ a b "On This Day: The Italian Job". Art & Hue. 5 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
- ^ "The Film – Soundtrack". The Italian Job.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
- ^ "I had a better idea': writer's original finish for 'Italian Job". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- ^ "At last Michael Caine reveals ending to the Italian Job". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
- CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon 28 March 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
- ^ "The Italian Job". The Italian Job. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "The Italian Job 50th anniversary: exclusive interview with David Salamone". British GQ. 2 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ISBN 9781605980386.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link - ^ IMDb
- ^ a b "Caine reveals Italian Job ending". BBC News. 29 November 2008. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- ^ Press Office (20 October 2008). ""Italian Job" cliff-hanger solution sought". Royal Society of Chemistry. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ Adams, Stephen (23 January 2009). "Cliffhanger climax to The Italian Job solved after 40-year wait". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ "Mews News". Lurot Brand. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ "iaintyrrell.co.uk/media". Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ^ "The Italian Job's lost Lamborghini Miura has been found". Sunday Times Driving. 8 May 2019. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
- ^ "Historical Gold Charts and Data". Kitco. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2006.
- ISBN 9781899870608.
- ^ Milloy, David (10 April 2019). "Tempus Fugit: the vehicles of The Italian Job 50 years on". influx. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ Kuris, Jeremy (25 March 2002). "USAF Serial Number Search Results". Aircraft Serial Number Search. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
- ^ https://motor-car.net/film-tv/item/14433-italian-job Italian Job vehicle's
- ^ "Other vehicles". The Italian Job. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ "The Italian Job (1969)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ a b Travers, James. "The Italian Job (1969)". Films de France. Archived from the original on 8 December 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
- ^ Huggins, Nik (15 May 2009). "The Italian Job (1969)". Future Movies. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ "November 2004: Issue 95". Total Film. Future Publishing. Archived from the original on 29 March 2006. Retrieved 29 May 2006.
- ^ Sinclair, Lulu (9 January 2011). "Just The Job: Caine Classic Tops Movie Poll". Sky News. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ Paterson, Michael (10 March 2003). "Caine takes top billing for the greatest one-liner on screen". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
- ^ "I had a better idea': writer's original finish for 'Italian Job". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ "At last Michael Caine reveals ending to the Italian Job". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ "Cinema: Britannia Waives the Rules". Time. 19 September 1969. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
- Sunday Times. 27 September 1970 – via The Sunday Times Digital Archive.
- ^ Bhushan, Nyay (23 November 2010). "India to Remake 'The Italian Job'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ Lathan, Peter (2003). "Fringe 2003 Reviews (20)". The British Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ "#34: Thief of Budapest". The MacGyver Project. 16 February 2015. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- ^ "Italian Job | Meridian". ITV News. Archived from the original on 6 July 2012.
- ^ "London 2012 Olympic Games end with a party". Channel 4 News. Channel 4. 13 August 2012. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- Penske Business Media. Archivedfrom the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- ^ a b Otterson, Joe (24 February 2021). "'Italian Job' Sequel Series, 'Love Story' TV Adaptation in the Works at Paramount Plus". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- OCLC 48972127.
- OCLC 1099316716.
- ISSN 1748-569X.