The Italian Job
Encyclopedia
The Italian Job is a 1969
British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin
, produced by Michael Deeley
and directed by Peter Collinson
. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom
.
Its soundtrack was composed by Quincy Jones
, and includes "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. Lead actor Michael Caine
is among its singers.
In November 2004, Total Film
named The Italian Job 27th greatest British film of all time. The line "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" by Caine was voted favourite film one-liner in a 2003 poll of 1,000 film fans.
The popularity of the film has led to parodies and allusions in other films and productions.
drives through the Italian Alps, enters a tunnel, crashes and explodes. A bulldozer pulls the remains from the tunnel and dumps them down a steep alpine gorge. Some time later dapper mobster Charlie Croker
(Caine
) is released from prison. He soon meets with the widow (Goldoni
) of his friend and fellow thief Roger Beckermann (Brazzi
), victim of the Miura crash. She gives Croker her husband's plans for the robbery that attracted the attention of the Italian Mafia
. The plans outline a way to rob the payroll of Turin
-based automaker Fiat
, and spirit it out of Italy.
Croker decides to continue the plan despite the risks, but needs a large, well-equipped gang. He breaks into jail to meet Mr Bridger (Coward
), a criminal who runs a gangland empire from prison. Croker explains "the Italian Job" but Bridger dismisses the plan out of hand, and indeed orders Croker be given "a good going-over" for disturbing his privacy.
Bridger changes his mind shortly after, when it is announced that China
is delivering a consignment of gold to Turin, as down-payment to Fiat for the building of a car factory. With this backing, Croker assembles a group including computer expert Professor Peach (Hill
), electronics handler Birkinshaw (Emney
) and several getaway drivers. The plan calls for Peach to infect Turin's computerised traffic control to create a paralyzing traffic jam that will prevent the police from recapturing the gold. Three Mini Cooper S
s, able to navigate the gridlock in unconventional ways, will follow Beckermann's route through Turin to evacuate the gold.
After planning and training, Croker and crew set out for Turin. Mafia boss Altabani (Raf Vallone
) is waiting at an Alpine pass with a front-end loader. It damages their two Jaguar E-Type
s and flips Croker's Aston Martin DB4
into the gorge, but Croker talks their way out of being killed by promising the Italian community in Britain will suffer reprisals if anything happens to them. He gathers the gang and has Peach load his guerrilla software into the traffic control computer the night before the heist. The next day Birkinshaw jams the closed circuit television that monitors traffic, just before Peach's software goes off and the city comes to a horn-honking standstill. The gang converge on the gold convoy, overpower the guards, pull the armoured car
into the entrance hall of the Museo Egizio
, and lock the doors.
Inside, the gang transfer the gold to the Minis. Mafioso Altabani recognises that "If they planned this [traffic] jam, then they must have planned a way out of it." The three Minis race through the shopping arcades of the Via Roma, up the sail-like roof of the Palazzo a Vela
, around the rooftop test track of the Fiat
Lingotto
factory and down the steps of the Gran Madre di Dio church while a wedding is in progress. The gang escapes by driving through large sewer
pipes, throwing off the police. The gang make their final getaway on a six-wheeled Harrington Legionnaire
-bodied Bedford VAL
coach, driving up a ramp on the back while the coach is travelling. Once the gold has been unloaded, the gang push the Minis out of the coach as it negotiates hairpin bends in the Alps.
Charlie and the Mini crews meet the rest of the gang, who had sneaked out of the city disguised as English football fans in a minivan. On their way to Switzerland
on a winding mountain road, the celebration grows raucous as beer flows. When driver Big William sends the coach into a skid, the back of the bus is left teetering over a cliff and the gold slides 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, or its occupants survive—a literal cliffhanger
. Croker's last line is "Hang on a minute, lads, I've got a great idea! Err..." The camera zooms out, still showing the bus on the edge of the cliff as the credits roll.
Noël Coward
, who played Bridger, was godfather of the director, Peter Collinson. Bridger's fellow convict and confidant, Keats, was played by Graham Payn
, Coward's long-time partner. Lana Gatto was the nom de crédit of Hazel Collinson, a.k.a. Mrs. Peter Collinson. Michael Caine's brother Stanley Caine
also appears as one of Croker's gang. The gang also included Robert Powell
, in his first film role. American distributors Paramount
wanted Robert Redford
to play the lead.
In interviews in 2003 and 2008, Michael Caine revealed that the ending would have had Croker "crawl up, switch on the engine and stay there for four hours until all the petrol runs out... The van bounces back up so we can all get out, but then the gold goes over." The bus containing the gold would crash at the bottom of the hill where the Mafia would pick it up. The sequel would then have Croker and his men trying to get it back.
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 not use a helicopter. The idea was to promote greater understanding of science, and to highlight the 100th anniversary of the periodic table
, of which gold is one of the 117 elements.
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; keep 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) and he deflates all the bus's front tyres, to reduce the bus's rocking movement about its pivot point. Drain the fuel tank, which was aft of the pivot point; that 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, and hijack it and carry the gold away in it.
, in Stoke Aldermoor
, filmed from the back of a Mini Moke
. The person on the far side who closes the gate at the end of sewer tunnel is the director, Peter Collinson. Collinson also appeared in the scene on the highway when the ramps get jettisoned: it is he (on the right) clinging to the back door of the coach as the Minis entered at speed.
The jail that held Bridger was Kilmainham Gaol
in Dublin, Ireland
. The meeting at the misty funeral was set in Cruagh Cemetery, in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains. The office block that doubled as the Turin traffic control centre was the Hanworth
, Middlesex
head office of the television rental chain DER
.
The training sessions shown for the Mini drivers were at the Crystal Palace
race track in Sydenham
, South London. The attempt to blow the doors off the bullion van, which led to its destruction and Croker's line, took place at Crystal Palace Sports Centre. The Crystal Palace transmitter can be seen in the background.
A portion of the car chase, a dance between the Minis and police cars, was inside Pier Luigi Nervi
's Exhibition Building with a full orchestra playing 'The Blue Danube
'. It was cut from the final version and appears as an extra on the DVD
.
The final escape from Turin and bus crash was the 'dead end' road from Turin via Ceresole Reale
, Lago Agnel
and the Colle del Nivolet
. The road does not lead to France or Switzerland.
in the opening scene is actually two cars. The first was a Miura P400 that was sold as new afterwards. The car tumbled down the chasm by the Mafia bulldozer was another Miura that had been in a serious accident and was not roadworthy.
According to the director's commentary on the DVD, despite the publicity the film would give to the Mini, the car's maker, BMC
, only provided a token fleet of Minis and the production company had to buy the rest at trade price. Fiat
offered the production as many super-charged Fiat cars as they needed, several sports cars for the Mafia confrontation scene, plus $50,000, but the producers turned down the offer because it would have meant replacing the Minis with Fiats.
As Croker walks through the garage where the Minis are being prepared, we hear that "Rozzer's having trouble with his differential" and the back of the red Mini Cooper is jacked up and Rozzer is working. This is an inside joke since the Mini is a front-wheel drive and does not have a rear differential. In the early 1960s, front wheel drive cars were new and asking a car mechanic to repair a Mini's rear differential was a popular snipe hunt
.
Gold cost $39 per troy ounce
in 1968 so four million dollars in gold bars would have weighed about 3200 kg (7000 lb), requiring each of the three Minis to carry about 1070 kg (2300 lb) in addition to the driver and passenger. Since a 1968 Mini only weighs 630 kg (1400 lb), each of these vehicles would have had to carry 1½ times its own weight in gold.
The coach at the end of the film was a 1964 Bedford VAL
with Harrington Legionnaire
Body, distinctive for its twin front steering axles. Following the filming, the coach had its improvised rear doors welded and was used on a Scottish school bus route until the mid 1980s and was scrapped according to the Legionnaire register.
Charlie Croker picks up his Aston Martin DB4
convertible from a garage after release from prison. The scene was mostly improvised, which caused visible lighting irregularities since the crew didn't know where the actors would be. The original Aston belongs today to a private English collection.
According to several sources, the "Aston" pushed off the cliff was a Lancia Flaminia
mocked up as an Aston. The two E-type Jaguar
s that suffered from the Mafia's revenge were restored to original condition. The black Fiat Dino
coupé of Mafia boss Altabani was bought by Peter Collinson but became so rusty that only its doors remain.
The Italian
police cars seen around Turin
were Alfa Romeo Giulia
s.
A Land Rover Series
IIa Station Wagon was used to get to the convoy before attacking and was modified with window bars and a 'jib
'.
A Ford Thames 400E van was used for the football fans' decorated van; this was referred to as the Dormobile, the name of a common camper-van conversion coachbuilder
.
. The main theme "On Days Like These" was by Matt Monro
, and the final theme "Get a Bloomin' Move On" ('The Self Preservation Society') was performed by the cast. The lyrics consist of Cockney Rhyming Slang. Many incidental themes are based on British patriotic songs, such as "Rule, Britannia!
", "The British Grenadiers
" and the National Anthem
.
and an average of 7.2/10. Most positive reviews focus on the climatic car chase and the acting of both Michael Caine
and Noel Coward
, complimenting Peter Collinson
's directing. It is considered highly evocative of 1960's London
and the era in Britain as a whole. In a modern review Nik Higgins of Future Movies claims that the film makes Austin Powers' wardrobe appear 'drab and grey'. He compliments Michael Caine's ability to effectively portray the character of Charlie and also praises the music of Quincy Jones
. Higgins particularly highlights how the music 'hops between smooth lounges' like the opener "On Days Like These" and the latter "Get a Bloomin' Move On" ('The Self Preservation Society'), which plays near the film's end.
It has also received some negative reviews, focusing on what is perceived as a a predictable chase and a lack of real emotion. 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 felt that the film spent too much time focusing on the film's caper as opposed to building the characters, also criticising the car chases as 'dull and deafening'.
Although it received a Golden Globe
nomination for "Best English-Language Foreign Film", the film was not a success in America. Caine blamed its failure on unattractive and misleading advertising. As a result, plans for a sequel were shelved.
The film remains popular, however, and is considered one of the greatest British films in modern polls. James Travers' of Films de France believes that the film's enduring appeal rests in the 'improbable union' of Michael Caine, Noel Coward and Benny Hill
, who he considers 'three of the best known [British] performers... in the late 1960's'. He states that the film has a cult status
and stands as a 'classic of its genre'.
A remake was released in 2003, also called The Italian Job
, set in Los Angeles
and starring Mark Wahlberg
as Charlie Croker. It features Donald Sutherland
as John Bridger, played as more a father figure to Croker. It employs the updated Mini Cooper
for a chase towards the end. There is also 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
.
1969 in film
The year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin
Troy Kennedy Martin
Troy Kennedy Martin was a Scottish-born film and television screenwriter best known for creating the long running BBC TV police series Z-Cars, and for the award-winning 1985 anti-nuclear drama Edge of Darkness...
, produced by Michael Deeley
Michael Deeley
Michael Deeley is a British film producer who has helped create notable films such as The Italian Job, Blade Runner and The Deer Hunter. He is also a founding member and Deputy Chairman of The British Screen Advisory Council....
and directed by Peter Collinson
Peter Collinson (film director)
Peter Collinson was a British film director probably best known for directing the 1969 movie The Italian Job.- Early life :...
. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Its soundtrack was composed by Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, and includes "On Days Like These
On Days Like These
"On Days Like These" is a song sung by Matt Monro, with music by Quincy Jones and lyrics by Don Black. It was written in 1969 for the British caper film The Italian Job, where it is played prominently in the opening credits, uninterrupted by background sound....
" sung by Matt Monro
Matt Monro
Matt Monro was an English singer who became one of the most popular entertainers on the international music scene during the 1960s...
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. Lead actor Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
is among its singers.
In November 2004, Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
named The Italian Job 27th greatest British film of all time. The line "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" by Caine was voted favourite film one-liner in a 2003 poll of 1,000 film fans.
The popularity of the film has led to parodies and allusions in other films and productions.
Plot
A Lamborghini MiuraLamborghini Miura
The Lamborghini Miura was a sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1966 and 1972. The car is widely considered to have begun the trend of high performance, two-seater, mid-engined sports cars...
drives through the Italian Alps, enters a tunnel, crashes and explodes. A bulldozer pulls the remains from the tunnel and dumps them down a steep alpine gorge. Some time later dapper mobster Charlie Croker
Charlie Croker
Charlie Croker is a fictional character from the film The Italian Job. The role was played by Michael Caine in the 1969 film, and by Mark Wahlberg in the 2003 remake. In both films, Croker led a group of thieves to steal a lorry load of gold...
(Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
) is released from prison. He soon meets with the widow (Goldoni
Lelia Goldoni
Lelia Goldoni is an American actress who appeared in a number of motion pictures and television shows starting in the late-1940s, beginning with uncredited cameo roles in Joseph L...
) of his friend and fellow thief Roger Beckermann (Brazzi
Rossano Brazzi
-Biography:Brazzi was born in Bologna to Adelmo and Maria Brazzi. He attended San Marco University in Florence, Italy, where he was raised from the age of four...
), victim of the Miura crash. She gives Croker her husband's plans for the robbery that attracted the attention of the Italian Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
. The plans outline a way to rob the payroll of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
-based automaker Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
, and spirit it out of Italy.
Croker decides to continue the plan despite the risks, but needs a large, well-equipped gang. He breaks into jail to meet Mr Bridger (Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
), a criminal who runs a gangland empire from prison. Croker explains "the Italian Job" but Bridger dismisses the plan out of hand, and indeed orders Croker be given "a good going-over" for disturbing his privacy.
Bridger changes his mind shortly after, when it is announced that China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
is delivering a consignment of gold to Turin, as down-payment to Fiat for the building of a car factory. With this backing, Croker assembles a group including computer expert Professor Peach (Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
), electronics handler Birkinshaw (Emney
Fred Emney
Frederick Arthur Round "Fred" Emney was an English character actor and comedian.Emney was born in Lancashire, the son of Blanche and Fred Emney , a music hall entertainer. His uncle was the actor Arthur Williams. Emney junior grew up in London.He made his film debut in 1935, having previously...
) and several getaway drivers. The plan calls for Peach to infect Turin's computerised traffic control to create a paralyzing traffic jam that will prevent the police from recapturing the gold. Three Mini Cooper S
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
s, able to navigate the gridlock in unconventional ways, will follow Beckermann's route through Turin to evacuate the gold.
After planning and training, Croker and crew set out for Turin. Mafia boss Altabani (Raf Vallone
Raf Vallone
Raffaele "Raf" Vallone was an Italian footballer, actor and an international film star.Born in Tropea, Calabria, the son of a lawyer, Vallone attended Liceo classico Cavour in Turin, and studied Law and Philosophy at the University of Turin and entered his father's law firm...
) is waiting at an Alpine pass with a front-end loader. It damages their two Jaguar E-Type
Jaguar E-type
The Jaguar E-Type or XK-E is a British automobile, manufactured by Jaguar between 1961 and 1975. Its combination of good looks, high performance, and competitive pricing established the marque as an icon of 1960s motoring...
s and flips Croker's Aston Martin DB4
Aston Martin DB4
The DB4 is a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1958 until 1963. It was an entirely different car from the DB Mark III it replaced, though the 3.7 L engine was externally visually related to the 2.9 L unit found in that car....
into the gorge, but Croker talks their way out of being killed by promising the Italian community in Britain will suffer reprisals if anything happens to them. He gathers the gang and has Peach load his guerrilla software into the traffic control computer the night before the heist. The next day Birkinshaw jams the closed circuit television that monitors traffic, just before Peach's software goes off and the city comes to a horn-honking standstill. The gang converge on the gold convoy, overpower the guards, pull the armoured car
Armored car (valuables)
A common meaning of armored car is as an armored van or truck, used in transporting valuables, such as large quantities of money . The armored car is a multifunctional vehicle designed to protect and ensure the well being of the transported individuals and/or contents...
into the entrance hall of the Museo Egizio
Museo Egizio
The Museo Egizio is a museum in Turin, Italy, specialising in Egyptian archaeology and anthropology. It houses the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of Egyptian antiquities outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo...
, and lock the doors.
Inside, the gang transfer the gold to the Minis. Mafioso Altabani recognises that "If they planned this [traffic] jam, then they must have planned a way out of it." The three Minis race through the shopping arcades of the Via Roma, up the sail-like roof of the Palazzo a Vela
Torino Palavela
Palavela, formerly known as Palazzo delle Mostre and Palazzo a Vela is an arena in Turin, Italy, on the bank of the River Po. It was designed by engineer Franco Levi and architects Annibale and Giorgio Ricotti. The arena is 130 metres in diameter...
, around the rooftop test track of the Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
Lingotto
Lingotto
Lingotto is a district of Turin, Italy, that named the Lingotto building in Via Nizza, which once was a huge automobile factory, constructed by Fiat. Built from 1916 and opened in 1923, the design was unusual in that it had five floors, with raw materials going in at the ground floor, and cars...
factory and down the steps of the Gran Madre di Dio church while a wedding is in progress. The gang escapes by driving through large sewer
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
pipes, throwing off the police. The gang make their final getaway on a six-wheeled Harrington Legionnaire
Harrington Legionnaire
The Harrington Legionnaire was an passenger coach body built by Thomas Harrington Ltd in Hove, Sussex between 1963 and 1965. It was built on three-axle Bedford VAL, two-axle Ford Thames 570E and two specials on Guy Victory trambus chassis....
-bodied Bedford VAL
Bedford VAL
The Bedford VAL was a type of coach chassis built by Bedford Vehicles in the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. It was unusual at the time for its multi-axle design, in a "chinese six" wheelplan, i.e. with two front steering axles....
coach, driving up a ramp on the back while the coach is travelling. Once the gold has been unloaded, the gang push the Minis out of the coach as it negotiates hairpin bends in the Alps.
Charlie and the Mini crews meet the rest of the gang, who had sneaked out of the city disguised as English football fans in a minivan. On their way to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
on a winding mountain road, the celebration grows raucous as beer flows. When driver Big William sends the coach into a skid, the back of the bus is left teetering over a cliff and the gold slides 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, or its occupants survive—a literal cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
. Croker's last line is "Hang on a minute, lads, I've got a great idea! Err..." The camera zooms out, still showing the bus on the edge of the cliff as the credits roll.
Cast
- Michael CaineMichael CaineSir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
as Charlie Croker - Noël CowardNoël CowardSir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
as Mr. Bridger - Benny HillBenny HillBenny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
as Professor Simon Peach - Raf ValloneRaf ValloneRaffaele "Raf" Vallone was an Italian footballer, actor and an international film star.Born in Tropea, Calabria, the son of a lawyer, Vallone attended Liceo classico Cavour in Turin, and studied Law and Philosophy at the University of Turin and entered his father's law firm...
as Altabani - Tony BeckleyTony BeckleyTony Beckley was an English character actor. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Beckley went onto carve out a career on film and television throughout the 1960s and 1970s often playing villainous roles, as well as being a veteran of numerous stage productions.-Film career:He made his...
as Camp Freddie - Rossano BrazziRossano Brazzi-Biography:Brazzi was born in Bologna to Adelmo and Maria Brazzi. He attended San Marco University in Florence, Italy, where he was raised from the age of four...
as Beckerman - Maggie BlyeMaggie BlyeMaggie Blye is an American actress, also sometimes billed as Margaret Blye.Blye was born October 24, 1942 in Houston, Texas. She appeared in a number of popular television series including Perry Mason, Gunsmoke and Ben Casey early in her career....
as Lorna - Irene HandlIrene Handl-Life:Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the daughter of an Austrian banker father and French mother. She took to acting at the relatively advanced age of 36, and studied at the acting school run by the sister of Dame Sybil Thorndike...
as Miss Peach - John Le MesurierJohn Le MesurierJohn Le Mesurier was a BAFTA Award-winning English actor. He is most famous for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the popular 1970s BBC comedy Dad's Army.-Career:...
as the prison Governor - Fred EmneyFred EmneyFrederick Arthur Round "Fred" Emney was an English character actor and comedian.Emney was born in Lancashire, the son of Blanche and Fred Emney , a music hall entertainer. His uncle was the actor Arthur Williams. Emney junior grew up in London.He made his film debut in 1935, having previously...
as Birkinshaw - John CliveJohn CliveJohn Clive , is an English author and actor. He is best known for his international best selling historical and social fiction, such as "KG200" and "Borossa"....
as Garage manager - Graham PaynGraham PaynGraham Payn was a South African-born English actor and singer, also known for being the life partner of the playwright Noël Coward. Beginning as a boy soprano, Payn later made a career as a singer and actor in the works of Coward and others...
as Keats - Michael Standing as Arthur
- Stanley CaineStanley CaineStanley Caine is the younger brother of actor Michael Caine. He is noted for his role as Coco in the popular 1969 film The Italian Job, which starred his brother.-Filmography:* Softly, Softly...
as Coco - Barry Cox as Chris
- Harry BairdHarry Baird (actor)Harry Baird was a Guyana-born British actor who came to prominence in the 1960s.Baird was born in Georgetown, British Guiana and was educated in Canada and England. He was given his film break in 1954 as a boxer named Jamaica in the Carol Reed film A Kid for Two Farthings...
as Big William - George InnesGeorge InnesGeorge Innes is an English actor.-Stage career:He began his career on the stage with the National Theatre of Great Britain under Laurence Olivier. Before that, he trained at Toynbee Hall and evening classes at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art , where he was awarded the Shakespeare Cup...
as Bill Bailey - John ForgehamJohn ForgehamJohn Forgeham is a British actor who is probably best known for playing businessman Frank Laslett in the ITV series Footballers' Wives....
as Frank
- Robert PowellRobert PowellRobert Powell is an English television and film actor, probably most famous for his title role in Jesus of Nazareth and as the fictional secret agent Richard Hannay...
as Yellow - Derek WareDerek Ware (actor)Derek Ware is an English actor and stuntman, active from the late 1950s through the 1990s. He is best known as a stuntman and fight arranger for the early seasons of Doctor Who, although he also worked on EastEnders, Z-Cars, and other British productions.-External links:...
as Rozzer - Frank JarvisFrank Jarvis (actor)Frank Jarvis was a British character actor.He trained at RADA and made his film debut in Mix Me a Person ....
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 Rietty as Police chief
- Timothy BatesonTimothy BatesonTimothy Dingwall Bateson was a British actor. The son of Dingwall Bateson, a solicitor later knighted, he was educated at Uppingham School and Wadham College, Oxford....
as Dentist - David KellyDavid Kelly (actor)David Kelly is an Irish actor, who has been in regular film and television work since the 1950s.-Acting career:Playing everything from Beckett to Shakespeare, he has appeared in Theatre, TV and film constantly since 1959...
as Vicar - Arnold Diamond as Senior computer room official
- Simon DeeSimon DeeCyril Nicholas Henty-Dodd , better known by his stage name Simon Dee, was a British television interviewer and radio disc jockey who hosted a twice-weekly BBC TV chat show, Dee Time in the late 1960s...
as Shirtmaker - Alistair Hunter as Warder (cinema)
- Lana Gatto as Mrs. Cosca
- John Morris as Standin
- Louis Mansi as Computer room official
- Henry McGeeHenry McGeeHenry McGee was a British actor, best known as straight man to Benny Hill for many years. McGee was also often the announcer on Hill's TV programme, delivering the upbeat intro "Yes! It's The Benny Hill Show!"...
as Tailor
Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
, who played Bridger, was godfather of the director, Peter Collinson. Bridger's fellow convict and confidant, Keats, was played by Graham Payn
Graham Payn
Graham Payn was a South African-born English actor and singer, also known for being the life partner of the playwright Noël Coward. Beginning as a boy soprano, Payn later made a career as a singer and actor in the works of Coward and others...
, Coward's long-time partner. Lana Gatto was the nom de crédit of Hazel Collinson, a.k.a. Mrs. Peter Collinson. Michael Caine's brother Stanley Caine
Stanley Caine
Stanley Caine is the younger brother of actor Michael Caine. He is noted for his role as Coco in the popular 1969 film The Italian Job, which starred his brother.-Filmography:* Softly, Softly...
also appears as one of Croker's gang. The gang also included Robert Powell
Robert Powell
Robert Powell is an English television and film actor, probably most famous for his title role in Jesus of Nazareth and as the fictional secret agent Richard Hannay...
, in his first film role. American distributors Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
wanted Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
to play the lead.
Ending
According to a "Making Of" documentary, producer Deeley was unsatisfied with the four endings written and conceived the current ending as a (literal) cliffhanger appropriate to an action film which left an opportunity for a sequel. The documentary describes how helicopters would save the bus seen on the cliff at the end of the first film. The grateful gang would soon discover that it is the Mafia that has saved them, and the sequel would have been about stealing the gold bullion back from them.In interviews in 2003 and 2008, Michael Caine revealed that the ending would have had Croker "crawl up, switch on the engine and stay there for four hours until all the petrol runs out... The van bounces back up so we can all get out, but then the gold goes over." The bus containing the gold would crash at the bottom of the hill where the Mafia would pick it up. The sequel would then have Croker and his men trying to get it back.
In 2008, the Royal Society of Chemistry
Royal Society of Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...
held a competition for a solution that had a basis in science, was to take not more than 30 minutes and not use a helicopter. The idea was to promote greater understanding of science, and to highlight the 100th anniversary of the periodic table
Periodic table
The periodic table of the chemical elements is a tabular display of the 118 known chemical elements organized by selected properties of their atomic structures. Elements are presented by increasing atomic number, the number of protons in an atom's atomic nucleus...
, of which gold is one of the 117 elements.
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; keep 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) and he deflates all the bus's front tyres, to reduce the bus's rocking movement about its pivot point. Drain the fuel tank, which was aft of the pivot point; that 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, and hijack it and carry the gold away in it.
Locations
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 English city of CoventryCoventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, in Stoke Aldermoor
Stoke Aldermoor
Stoke Aldermoor is a suburb in Coventry, West Midlands, England. An area of Stoke Aldermoor consisting of a small estate alongside the northeast of Pinley Fields is called Pinley.-Industry:...
, filmed from the back of a Mini Moke
Mini Moke
The Mini Moke is a vehicle based on the Mini and designed for the British Motor Corporation by Sir Alec Issigonis. The name comes from "Mini"—the car with which the Moke shares many parts—and "Moke", which is an archaic dialect term for donkey...
. The person on the far side who closes the gate at the end of sewer tunnel is the director, Peter Collinson. Collinson also appeared in the scene on the highway when the ramps get jettisoned: it is he (on the right) clinging to the back door of the coach as the Minis entered at speed.
The jail that held Bridger was Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison, located in Kilmainham in Dublin, which is now a museum. It has been run since the mid-1980s by the Office of Public Works , an Irish Government agency...
in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The meeting at the misty funeral was set in Cruagh Cemetery, in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains. The office block that doubled as the Turin traffic control centre was the Hanworth
Hanworth
Hanworth lies to the south east of Feltham in the London Borough of Hounslow. The name is thought to come from the Anglo Saxon words “haen” and “worth”, meaning “small homestead”....
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
head office of the television rental chain DER
Radio Rentals
Radio Rentals was formed in 1932 to rent out radio sets by Percy Perring-Thoms with a turnover in the first year of £780. It later moved into televisions and ultimately video recorders. In 1965 it merged with RentaSet, Joseph Robinson's similarly formed company...
.
The training sessions shown for the Mini drivers were at the Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace (circuit)
Crystal Palace circuit was a motor racing circuit in Crystal Palace, London, England. The circuit was located within Crystal Palace park. The route of the track can still be seen on maps providing access to the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre that is also located in the park.- History :The...
race track in Sydenham
Sydenham
Sydenham is an area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham; although some streets towards Crystal Palace Park, Forest Hill and Penge are outside the ward and in the London Borough of Bromley, and some streets off Sydenham Hill are in the London Borough of Southwark. Sydenham was in...
, South London. The attempt to blow the doors off the bullion van, which led to its destruction and Croker's line, took place at Crystal Palace Sports Centre. The Crystal Palace transmitter can be seen in the background.
A portion of the car chase, a dance between the Minis and police cars, was inside Pier Luigi Nervi
Pier Luigi Nervi
Pier Luigi Nervi was an Italian engineer. He studied at the University of Bologna and qualified in 1913. Dr. Nervi taught as a professor of engineering at Rome University from 1946-61...
's Exhibition Building with a full orchestra playing 'The Blue Danube
The Blue Danube
The Blue Danube is the common English title of An der schönen blauen Donau, Op. 314 , a waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866...
'. It was cut from the final version and appears as an extra on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
The final escape from Turin and bus crash was the 'dead end' road from Turin via Ceresole Reale
Ceresole Reale
Ceresole Reale is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 km northwest of Turin in the Orco Valley, on the border with France...
, Lago Agnel
Lago Agnel
Lago Agnel is a lake at Ceresole Reale in the Province of Torino, Piedmont, Italy, near the Colle del Nivolet. The reservoir on the Orco river is located at an elevation of 2300 m, close to lago Serrù....
and the Colle del Nivolet
Colle del Nivolet
Colle del Nivolet is a mountain pass in the Eastern group of the Graian Alps in Italy. It is at the top of the Valle Orco on the road from Turin and Ceresole Reale. Beyond the colle the road terminates in the upper reaches of the eponymous Valsavarenche valley in the Gran Paradiso mountain group,...
. The road does not lead to France or Switzerland.
Vehicles
Roger Beckermann's Lamborghini MiuraLamborghini Miura
The Lamborghini Miura was a sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1966 and 1972. The car is widely considered to have begun the trend of high performance, two-seater, mid-engined sports cars...
in the opening scene is actually two cars. The first was a Miura P400 that was sold as new afterwards. The car tumbled down the chasm by the Mafia bulldozer was another Miura that had been in a serious accident and was not roadworthy.
According to the director's commentary on the DVD, despite the publicity the film would give to the Mini, the car's maker, BMC
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
, only provided a token fleet of Minis and the production company had to buy the rest at trade price. Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
offered the production as many super-charged Fiat cars as they needed, several sports cars for the Mafia confrontation scene, plus $50,000, but the producers turned down the offer because it would have meant replacing the Minis with Fiats.
As Croker walks through the garage where the Minis are being prepared, we hear that "Rozzer's having trouble with his differential" and the back of the red Mini Cooper is jacked up and Rozzer is working. This is an inside joke since the Mini is a front-wheel drive and does not have a rear differential. In the early 1960s, front wheel drive cars were new and asking a car mechanic to repair a Mini's rear differential was a popular snipe hunt
Snipe hunt
A snipe hunt, a form of wild-goose chase that is also known as a fool's errand, is a type of practical joke that involves experienced people making fun of credulous newcomers by giving them an impossible or imaginary task...
.
Gold cost $39 per troy ounce
Troy ounce
The troy ounce is a unit of imperial measure. In the present day it is most commonly used to gauge the weight of precious metals. One troy ounce is nowadays defined as exactly 0.0311034768 kg = 31.1034768 g. There are approximately 32.1507466 troy oz in 1 kg...
in 1968 so four million dollars in gold bars would have weighed about 3200 kg (7000 lb), requiring each of the three Minis to carry about 1070 kg (2300 lb) in addition to the driver and passenger. Since a 1968 Mini only weighs 630 kg (1400 lb), each of these vehicles would have had to carry 1½ times its own weight in gold.
The coach at the end of the film was a 1964 Bedford VAL
Bedford VAL
The Bedford VAL was a type of coach chassis built by Bedford Vehicles in the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. It was unusual at the time for its multi-axle design, in a "chinese six" wheelplan, i.e. with two front steering axles....
with Harrington Legionnaire
Harrington Legionnaire
The Harrington Legionnaire was an passenger coach body built by Thomas Harrington Ltd in Hove, Sussex between 1963 and 1965. It was built on three-axle Bedford VAL, two-axle Ford Thames 570E and two specials on Guy Victory trambus chassis....
Body, distinctive for its twin front steering axles. Following the filming, the coach had its improvised rear doors welded and was used on a Scottish school bus route until the mid 1980s and was scrapped according to the Legionnaire register.
Charlie Croker picks up his Aston Martin DB4
Aston Martin DB4
The DB4 is a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1958 until 1963. It was an entirely different car from the DB Mark III it replaced, though the 3.7 L engine was externally visually related to the 2.9 L unit found in that car....
convertible from a garage after release from prison. The scene was mostly improvised, which caused visible lighting irregularities since the crew didn't know where the actors would be. The original Aston belongs today to a private English collection.
According to several sources, the "Aston" pushed off the cliff was a Lancia Flaminia
Lancia Flaminia
The Lancia Flaminia is a luxury car from the Italian automaker, Lancia, built from 1957 to 1970. It was Lancia's flagship model at that time, replacing the Aurelia. It was available throughout its lifetime as saloon, coupé and cabriolet. The Flaminia coupé and cabriolet were coachbuilt cars with...
mocked up as an Aston. The two E-type Jaguar
Jaguar E-type
The Jaguar E-Type or XK-E is a British automobile, manufactured by Jaguar between 1961 and 1975. Its combination of good looks, high performance, and competitive pricing established the marque as an icon of 1960s motoring...
s that suffered from the Mafia's revenge were restored to original condition. The black Fiat Dino
Fiat Dino
The Fiat Dino is an exotic front-engined, rear-drive sports car manufactured between 1966 and 1973. It was an intermediate step towards creating Ferrari's "Dino" and the two are often confused...
coupé of Mafia boss Altabani was bought by Peter Collinson but became so rusty that only its doors remain.
The Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
police cars seen around Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
were Alfa Romeo Giulia
Alfa Romeo Giulia
The Alfa Romeo Giulia is an Alfa Romeo automobile. Alfa was one of the first manufacturers to put a powerful engine in a light-weight car for mainstream production. The Giulia weighed about . The car was equipped with a light alloy twin overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine, similar to that of...
s.
A Land Rover Series
Land Rover Series
The Land Rover Series I, II, and III are off-road vehicles produced by the British manufacturer Land Rover that were inspired by the US-built Willys Jeep...
IIa Station Wagon was used to get to the convoy before attacking and was modified with window bars and a 'jib
Jib
A jib is a triangular staysail set ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bow, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast...
'.
A Ford Thames 400E van was used for the football fans' decorated van; this was referred to as the Dormobile, the name of a common camper-van conversion coachbuilder
Coachbuilder
A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...
.
Music
The soundtrack was by jazz specialist and record producer Quincy JonesQuincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
. The main theme "On Days Like These" was by Matt Monro
Matt Monro
Matt Monro was an English singer who became one of the most popular entertainers on the international music scene during the 1960s...
, and the final theme "Get a Bloomin' Move On" ('The Self Preservation Society') was performed by the cast. The lyrics consist of Cockney Rhyming Slang. Many incidental themes are based on British patriotic songs, such as "Rule, Britannia!
Rule, Britannia!
"Rule, Britannia!" is a British patriotic song, originating from the poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740...
", "The British Grenadiers
The British Grenadiers
The British Grenadiers is a marching song for the grenadier units of the British and Commonwealth militaries, the tune of which dates from the 17th century. It is the Regimental Quick March of the Grenadier Guards, Corps of Royal Engineers, the Honourable Artillery Company and the Royal Regiment of...
" and the National Anthem
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
.
Reception and Legacy
The film has received generally positive reviews, holding an 84% on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
and an average of 7.2/10. Most positive reviews focus on the climatic car chase and the acting of both Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
and Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
, complimenting Peter Collinson
Peter Collinson
Peter Collinson may refer to:* Peter Collinson , English scientist and horticulturalist* Peter Collinson , film director...
's directing. It is considered highly evocative of 1960's London
Swinging London
Swinging London is a catch-all term applied to the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in London, in the 1960s.It was a youth-oriented phenomenon that emphasised the new and modern. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution. One catalyst was the recovery of the...
and the era in Britain as a whole. In a modern review Nik Higgins of Future Movies claims that the film makes Austin Powers' wardrobe appear 'drab and grey'. He compliments Michael Caine's ability to effectively portray the character of Charlie and also praises the music of Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
. Higgins particularly highlights how the music 'hops between smooth lounges' like the opener "On Days Like These" and the latter "Get a Bloomin' Move On" ('The Self Preservation Society'), which plays near the film's end.
It has also received some negative reviews, focusing on what is perceived as a a predictable chase and a lack of real emotion. Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
, 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 felt that the film spent too much time focusing on the film's caper as opposed to building the characters, also criticising the car chases as 'dull and deafening'.
Although it received a Golden Globe
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
nomination for "Best English-Language Foreign Film", the film was not a success in America. Caine blamed its failure on unattractive and misleading advertising. As a result, plans for a sequel were shelved.
The film remains popular, however, and is considered one of the greatest British films in modern polls. James Travers' of Films de France believes that the film's enduring appeal rests in the 'improbable union' of Michael Caine, Noel Coward and Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
, who he considers 'three of the best known [British] performers... in the late 1960's'. He states that the film has a cult status
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
and stands as a 'classic of its genre'.
A remake was released in 2003, also called The Italian Job
The Italian Job (2003 film)
The Italian Job is a 2003 heist film directed by F. Gary Gray. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Jason Statham, Mos Def, and Donald Sutherland. It is an American remake of a 1969 British film of the same name, and is about a team of thieves who plan to steal...
, set in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and starring Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of...
as Charlie Croker. It features Donald Sutherland
Donald Sutherland
Donald McNichol Sutherland, OC is a Canadian actor with a film career spanning nearly 50 years. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, , MASH , and Kelly's Heroes , as well as in such popular films as Klute, Invasion of the...
as John Bridger, played as more a father figure to Croker. It employs the updated Mini Cooper
MINI (BMW)
Mini is a British automotive marque owned by BMW which specialises in small cars.Mini originated as a specific vehicle, a small car originally known as the Morris Mini-Minor and the Austin Seven, launched by the British Motor Corporation in 1959, and developed into a brand encompassing a range of...
for a chase towards the end. There is also a video game
The Italian Job (2001 video game)
The Italian Job is a video game based on the original 1969 The Italian Job film. It was first released for PAL-based PlayStation markets in 2001, and in North America for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows in 2002. The game features a story mode based on the movie and a multiplayer mode where the...
based on the 1969 film, released for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
in 2001 and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
in 2002 and published by Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games is a major video game developer and publisher based in New York City, owned by Take-Two Interactive following its purchase of UK video game publisher BMG Interactive. The brand is mostly known for Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, L.A...
.