How to Steal a Million (1966)

The daughter of an art forger teams up with a burglar to steal one of her father's forgeries and protect his secret.

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

George Bradshaw (based on a story by), Harry Kurnitz (screenplay)

Stars:

Audrey Hepburn, Peter O'Toole, Eli Wallach

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Audrey Hepburn	...	Nicole Bonnet
Peter O'Toole	...	Simon Dermott
Eli Wallach	...	Davis Leland
Hugh Griffith	...	Charles Bonnet
Charles Boyer	...	DeSolnay
Fernand Gravey	...	Grammont
Marcel Dalio	...	Senor Paravideo
Jacques Marin	...	Chief Guard
Moustache	...	Guard
Roger Tréville	...	Auctioneer (as Roger Treville)
Edward Malin	...	Insurance Clerk (as Eddie Malin)
Bert Bertram	...	Marcel

Storyline

In Paris, wealthy Charles Bonnet is well known in the art world as a collector of rare pieces, mostly of the impressionist masters. He will on occasion sell paintings from his collection at auction. In reality, he is an art forger, he only reproducing those pieces known to have gone missing. His daughter, Nicole Bonnet, wants him to stop this business fearing that some day soon he will get caught. She is most concerned about he loaning out his Cellini Venus statue to the Kléber-Lafayette Museum, as she knows that technology can now test for things such as material age which would prove that the statue and by association he is a fraud. He ends up causing a problem for himself when he signs a $1 million insurance policy for the statue for the museum, which unwittingly allows them to test the piece for its authenticity. To save her father from jail, Nicole feels the only thing she can do is try to steal the statue from the gallery which may not be the easiest thing to do especially as ...

---

Plot Keywords:

forger | burglar | heist | museum | police | 

---

Taglines:

Having a Wonderful Crime! Wish You Were Here!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Romance

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

While Nicole and Simon are hiding in the closet, a guard (Moustache) making his rounds stops by the closet and inserts a key into a round device hanging from his neck. The device is a watchclock. Specific keys are placed at various guard stations so when the guard inserts the key into his watchclock it records the time he reported to that station.

---

Goofs

When Simon and Nicole are inspecting the area around the broom cupboard and key-rack the door is clearly shown being shut and locked by the museum staff. However, when Simon returns to Nicole and the pair walk away, the door is clearly wide open. When the camera changes point of view again the door is shown firmly closed again.

---

Quotes

Nicole Bonnet: I would like to remind you, Mr. Dermott; ours is a business relationship.

---

Connections

Featured in Madness: My Girl 2 (2012)

---

Soundtracks

Two Lovers
(1966) (uncredited)
Written by John Williams and Leslie Bricusse

User Reviews

"You don't think I'd steal something that didn't belong to me, do you?"

HOW TO STEAL A MILLION is a romantic crime drama film which, through an illusion of fiction, merges art and fraud. A clumsy fraud, mixed with a pleasant romance, can quickly enter in our hearts.

Charles Bonnet is well-known as an art collector, but actually he copies famous works of art. His daughter Nicole disapproves his "work" and is also afraid that he may get caught. His replica of a famed Cellini sculpture is inadvertently displayed in an art museum, and he begins to worry that he'll lose his reputation once the experts evaluate the statuette. Nicole decides to steal sculpture from the museum with the help of a mysterious burglar. However, her assistant is actually a well-known private detective who investigates frauds of her father...

A simple story with lot flaws is enriched with a very thrilling twist. The film is full of fictional tricks, through which it develops a delicious romance. Mr. Wyler has managed to create a frivolous version of double deception. He has, through a healthy dose of humor, emphasized Mrs. Hepburn style. A scene with a key is probably one of the most memorable. I think that a key has a double meaning in this case. This is a key to the heart and the truth.

Audrey Hepburn as Nicole Bonnet is, as always, a magic woman, this time in the role of a romantic rich girl and morally sensitive daughter at the same time. Peter O'Toole as Simon Dermott is a calm seducer, between an eccentric detective and inexperienced burglar. All for love. There's good chemistry between the two of them.

Hugh Griffith as Charles Bonnet is funny an art counterfeiter. Eli Wallach as Davis Leland is crazed collector, who effectively shows the characteristics of a sexual perversion.

Every art is a kind of deception!? Each theft is a form of art!? However, it is very difficult to mislead or steal one's heart.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

19 August 1966 (UK)

Also Known As:

William Wyler's How to Steal a Million

Filming Locations:

Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

World Wide Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Color by Deluxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1