The Italian Job [DVD] [1969]

I ripped the shrink-wrap off this little gem this morning with the glee of a six-year old delinquent given a day pass to Cadburys. I then sat down to watch it and emerged two hours later with the grin of a 51-year old Cheshire cat on Viagra.

We all know "The Italian Job" is a Sixties classic, but what you don't know is that this 40th Anniversary reissue of it (issued today 15 June 2009) is simply off the charts good...

First up is the print - which is GLORIOUS - as pristine as you could hope for and a joy from start to finish. And although it doesn't state it on the outer box, this is the fully restored British Film Institute version, which has been cleaned up frame-by-frame (and those clean shots are used in the "Making Of" extras too). One of those features is the 30th Anniversary reissue trailer from 10 years ago, which uses the famous "...doors off..." van sequence. Untouched - it's covered in scratches and has no definition whatsoever - it allows you see what the film stock did look like as opposed to how beautiful it looks now after restoration.

There are so many scenes that now stand out - as Matt Monro's cheesy song "On Days Like These" plays and the car drives through the Alps in the opening credits - when Charlie comes out of prison as he walks through the gates and Maggie Blye greets him in a stolen car from the Pakistani Embassy - when the three Mini Coopers climb the roof of the football stadium with the Italian cops in pursuit - it's just all BEAUTIFUL. The BFI have also done "Zulu", "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner" and "Saturday Night And Sunday Morning" and this is up there - done to the same stunning standard as they were (see my reviews).

The extras are generous too (nearly two hours worth):
1. Commentary with Screenwriter Tony Kennedy Martin and Author Matthew Field
2. Commentary by Producers Michael Deeley and Author Matthew Field
3. Mini Adventures (in HD)
4. "Self Preservation Society: The Making Off The Italian Job" (in HD) - features new interviews with the cast, writers, producers including Michel Caine, Maggie Blye, Troy Kennedy Martin, Michael Deeley, reminiscences on Noel Coward, the Director Peter Collinson, Quincy Jones on the cool score etc...
5. Music Video (in HD)
6. The Deleted Scene With Commentary by Author Matthew Field
7. Theatrical Trailer
8. Re-release Trailer

The casting of course was a mixture of luck, fate and genius - Caine perfect as Charlie Croker the likely lad, Benny Hill as the groping computer boffin, the suave yet deadly Raf Vallone as the Turin Mafia boss and Tony Beckley as the dandily dressed Camp Freddy. But the biggest coup of all was Noel Coward as Mr. Bridger - the master-criminal doing time in her Majesty's prison service. He has tea and scones, worries about the British economy and has his cell plastered with pictures of the Queen. Coward is just priceless as he lords about the decking of the prison block, "Rule Britannia" played behind him by a string quartet - it's enough to make you howl with laughter...

You see you forget how funny The Italian Job is - the catty gay tailor saying Charlie's pre-prison clothes could now be part of a museum exhibit, Coward standing beside two prison guards as they hand him his two newspapers and a toilet roll. Prison Governor John Le Mesurier's look of astonishment as Coward complains that 'his' toilet was invaded by Michael Caine (pitching the heist to him) - a man's toilet is his castle... The snooty garage manager played beautifully by John Clive counting the money Michael Caine has just given him for looking after his Aston Martin DB - it's been in his garage for two years while Caine was away in `India'. "I was shooting tigers old boy..." Garage owner counting the fifties, " ...there must have been an awful lot of tigers sir..."

The Turin locations are wonderfully colourful, the mountain scenes as crisp as those in the James Bond reissues and Caine's freckles clearer than ever - all of it - what a peach!

I've reviewed a lot of oldies on the new BLU RAY format of late - some successful, some woeful - but this is up there with the very best. In fact, I suspect that it'll tickle Michael Caine pink that his films "Zulu" and "The Italian Job" will go a long way towards establishing BLU RAY as 'the' format to restore old movies to and preserve them properly. Onwards to David Lean boys...

As you can tell - and if you'll forgive the pun - I was blown away.

Loved it, loved it, loved it. Recommended - big time.

How anyone can give this classic film a mere one or two star rating is beyond me, i can only assume they are confused with the truely dire remake that was set in L.A. because frankly that version was a complete waste of time, especially as the original (which i am reviewing) is such a classic.

The storyline which does take time to build up (like all good stories do) is set around the often used scenario of a loveable english ganster mob performing a blag and getting away with it (almost). The script contains much subtle british humour, and the shots of 60's London with empty streets and classic cars are a joy to behold. All the usual ingredients for films of this genre are there, the initial doubt, the bungled rehersals, and the most unlikely looking bunch of crooks ever seen in the same room that somehow on the day, manage to pull it off. The dialogue is sharp and witty and full to the brim with superb one liners, phrases and sayings, some of which have entered the english language, and how many films script can have that claim to fame?

Michael Caine is peerless as Charlie Crocker, with his unique voice and acting style proving to the be the icing on the cake for this classic British caper. It is his acting and the script that provided an undeniable template for many a British gangster\mob film to follow i.e. Lock Stock \ Snatch \ Layer Cake...

What is worth bearing in mind is that at the time of it's original release (1969) England were very much on a high with the sixties still swinging, we were football world champions, and as a country we were looking forward with optimism to the common market and europe, hence the almost celebratory atmosphere throughout, and the light hearted us against them feel of the whole film.

This is not only a truely classic film, it is solid family entertainment with the loveable Mini Coopers providing the 'rule brittania' ending that we all remember so well. Do they ever get the bullion into the Geneva bank ? "Hang on Lads, i've got a great idea..."

By the number of voters on each review of this film, I have the impression that maybe a lot of younger people (ie students, possibly?) have heard a lot about this film but are unsure whether to buy it, because of its age. Well, as a 22 year old, let me tell you: it is DEFINITELY worth buying.
Like a lot of you, I imagine, I was sceptical that the film's age (it was made in 1969) would detract from its quality. It doesn't at all. The Italian Job is one of the funniest, sharpest and exciting films ever made.
The plot centres around Charlie Croker (Michael Caine) and his motley crew who plan to steal $4m worth of gold bullion by causing a huge traffic jam in Turin. The Turin scenes in particular are fantastically shot and very picturesque. Caine, surprisingly, does not steal the show but is merely an important component in the brilliance of this film. Benny Hill's preoccupation with the larger woman is very amusing, as are the subtle one liners ("they went thataway", "you're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off", etc.). The lovely Britt Ekland is a nice distraction from the chaos of the film. Much is made of Noel Coward's performance in this film as the corrupt police officer, Bridger, but he does not really add much to the film.

The pace of the film is always at a good tempo, where you think that if you miss a scene you've missed an important part, although the story is easy to understand.

As for the car chase scene...utterly hilarious and brilliant. It shows that big money effects are not always needed to make a good action film.

The cliffhanger (literally!) is amusing as well, and from the car chase to the end you will have a broad grin on your face. The scenery, the dialogue and the music have a very decadent Sixties feel about them.

This is a film that you will watch over and over again. It also annoys you when you think a dumbed-down American version is currently being made. The Englishness of this film is what makes it. Ritchie, Statham, Jones...on your bike you muppets.