The Italian Job (1969)

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

Director:

Peter Collinson

Writer:

Troy Kennedy-Martin

Stars:

Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Charlies' got a 'Job' to do. Having just left prison he finds one of friends has attempted a high risk job in Italy, right under the nose of the Mafia. Charlies friend doesn't get very far, so Charlie takes over the 'Job'. Using three Mini Coopers, a couple of jaguars and a bus, he hopes to bring Torino to a standstill, steal the Gold and escape.

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Plot Keywords:

gold | prison | mini cooper | car chase | sewer | 

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Taglines:

This is the self preservation society

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

3 September 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charlie staubt Millionen ab

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Oakhurst Productions, Paramount Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The deleted "Blue Danube" sequence was filmed in the Exhibition Hall designed by Pier Luigi Nervi and completed in 1949 after only eight months of construction. It was updated for use as a hockey rink for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin.

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Goofs

The bonnet of Charlie's Aston Martin is hinged at the nose of the car. When the car gets thrown off the cliff, the hinges are near the cockpit. This is because the car which was thrown off the cliff was in fact a Lancia Flavia convertible

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Quotes

Mr. Bridger: We've come here to pay our respects to Great Aunt Nellie. She brought us up properly and taught us loyalty. Now I want you to remember that during these next few days. I also want you to remember that if you don't come back with the goods, Nellie here will turn in her grave, and, likely as not, jump right out of it and kick your teeth in.

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Connections

Referenced in Pointless: Episode #3.7 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"God Save the Queen"
(uncredited)
Music & Lyrics by Henry Carey

User Reviews

A cultural masterpiece

The Italian Job is one of the best-loved British classics ever made. Most people in my home country of Britain have seen the film many times (most of those times spent drinking tea and speaking like the queen, of course), but there's more than enough for audiences from other countries to like about this delightful thriller as well. As you almost certainly already know, The Italian Job stars Michael Caine as the criminal at the centre of the job, dubbed 'The Italian Job' (would you believe). Caine is iconic in this film; his voice and mannerisms are often imitated, and it is this film that is probably most responsible for that. The plot follows Charlie Croker (Caine), a freshly released crook that, with a tip off from a deceased friend, decides to steal £4 million from Italy. However, it's not an easy job and there are many risks involved, so the job must be astutely planned and flawlessly executed for it to work right - and it is there that the film really takes off.

The Italian Job is well remembered for two things, the first of which is the Mini's. This is the film that made Mini's cool, so as you might expect, there is a fair amount of stunt work involving the Mini, a lot of which is truly spectacular - these little cars can be seen driving up stairs, onto and across roofs, through shopping centres, flying over various chasms etc and it's all very exciting. The second thing that it is remembered for is, of course, the line - "you were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!", which is one of the most quoted of all time. The film's impact on popular culture has been immense, and that line's impact in particular is legendary; people that don't know the film know that line, and I dare say that a lot of them quote it even. It's up there with 'I'll be back' or 'that' line from Dirty Harry. The film also highlights a lot of British culture, most notably the reaction to something going right. English patriotism is a little different to the American version - while in America, the whole country may be united under the stars and stripes, very apple pie-like; England is much more content to chant a little inside of a prison. I know which version I prefer.

I could waffle on all day about this film, but we've both got better things to do, I'm sure so I'll finish by commenting on the ending; which is, simply, sublime and a perfect way to end the film; funny, well executed and absolutely genius. Well played.