Self Preservation Society

No one in Europe has seen a heist like The Italian Job (1969). Indeed this film inspires a form of rivalry or competition between Britain and the rest of Europe. From the beginning, the story pits "our lads" against "their lads" and so, allows itself to showcase the brilliance of the British and poke fun at the Italians. This is why it is often referred to as a eurosceptic film.

Fresh off the success of Alfie (1966), Michael Caine joins the cast of The Italian Job as the determined Charlier Croker, a recently released crook with big plans. This character is often categorized as a post-war antihero. He is not a typical hero in the sens that he is a criminal, but he and the rest of the crew are shown in a positive and likable light. Charlie's style and charisma swiftly takes the audience in and allows you to relate with this band of thieves. This is of course an iconic role for Caine and his performance is positively charming.

On the other hand, we have the prestigious Mr. Bridger, played by Noel Coward. His importance in the world of organized crime is sensed immediately. He is treated like royalty and expects everything from his jobs on the go to his accommodations in prison to be just right. Many of his scenes are accompanied by a wonderful piece of classical music which adds a very pompous and often hilarious effect. Coward was at the end of a long career and unfortunately, was having trouble remembering his lines. Thus, some of the script was cut down, but I don't think it shows very much in the finished product. His long time partner, Graham Payn, took a small role so he could be next to him if there was a problem. There is a deep personal relationship between Coward and the film's director Peter Collinson. Collinson is a kind Hollywood orphan, born of parents that were in the business and didn't really want him. When Coward met this sad little boy, he took him on as his godson. Coward later started Collinson off in the film making business and they remained very close. So, for Collinson, to include Coward in this film was like showing him that he had made it. Unfortunately, Coward died soon after making the film and so it is touching that this film would be his last.

What I find unique in this film is the presence of many great comedic actors taking on various small roles. The great talent of these actors makes even the smallest of parts buzz with personality. Most of the crew involved in the heist have very little to say, but their personalities are very distinctive. In the one or two moments they are highlighted, you get a clear idea of what they are like. The technical side of the operation is run by Prof. Peach played by Benny Hill. His love of big women, though not to the comical taste of everyone, makes him out to be a silly comic relief character. His sister, Miss Peach, is played brilliantly by Irene Handl. Though the character is short lived, Handl's impeccable comic timing makes her memorable. Maggie Blye plays the american Lorna, which honestly doesn't really accomplish much in the film. Her character is mainly there to be pretty and appear as some form of love interest for Charlie. Rossano Brazzi, an Italian film star, has a cameo appearance as Beckerman. His interventions are very interesting since most of his scenes are film projections.

The wonderful Italian actor Raf Vallone appears as the film's villain, even though technically speaking, the main characters are villains as well. You get a feel for the Italian mobsters right from the beginning. Even though they are killing people and destroying cars, there is an elegance and class to it. Their actions are not done at random; there is a method to it and a respect. I find this particularly shows at the beginning when they throw a wreath down the mountain after killing Beckerman.

Interestingly, Peter Collinson would mention his wife, Hazel, in some way or another, in each of his films for luck. Sometimes he would hang a picture of her in a scene or have someone mention her name. In the Italian Job, when Charlie takes out a crow bar from under his bed, he says to it: "Hazel, my lovely". 

The film opens in the picturesque swerving mountains of Turin. The wonderful ballad that accompanies the scene evokes a calm romantic car ride, which makes it especially surprising when the car crashes. The scene is really pertinent since it does foreshadow the events that happen towards the end of the film. The song even appears again as Charlie and the others are driving down the same road and get stopped by the mob. There are many great moments in the film, but there is a delightful scene between Caine and John Clive when Charlie returns to a garage to get his car. This has a slightly different feel than the rest of the film, mainly because it is mostly improvised. There is a real energy and dynamism to the scene that gives off a sketch vibe and is very funny. Because it is improvised, the scene is not particularly well-lit since the crew didn't know where the actors were going to be. A scene that remains a coup de coeur for me is the "funeral". It's incredibly creative to hold a "funeral" to get out of prison and speak with his crew. Mr. Bridger gives a wonderful speech about great aunt Nelly. 

Also very intriguing, the prison scenes were shot in an unused Irish prison that has since been transformed into a museum. Apparently, it was a slightly eerie place that still had some markings on the walls from past prisoners. It was a very economical shoot. Practically every scene that was shot was used in the final cut. I enjoy that the film rarely translates what is said in Italian. The characters' body language and the context is information enough to grasp what they are saying.The explosion of the van in the test run sequence really ended up being much bigger than anticipated. A quick escape had to be made afterwards so as not to get into trouble. I guess the famous line "You were only suppose to blow the bloddy doors off!" is really appropriate.

Besides the actors, the many classic cars featured in the film are characters themselves. Honestly, this is the best advertisement Mini Coopers could have ever gotten. The blue, red and white Mini Coopers have reached iconic status. It's a shame the company didn't want to be involved in the production. You can hear many hearts breaking as many classic cars are crushed and destroyed during the course of the film. Luckily, theses cars were junkyard finds that were motorless and dented on the sides that weren't shot. However, these scenes are nothing without the fantastic stunt team lead by Rémy Julienne. This film required a lot of stunt driving through hallways, cafés, down flights of stairs and on rooftops, so I tip my hat to those drivers that made it look effortless. Interestingly, there is very little music throughout the chase scene except at the very end when "Get a Bloomin' Move On (The Self Preservation Society)" chimes it with a sound very different from the rest of the music in the film. It's a wonderful song full of cockney slang that I don't even come close to understanding and adds a lot of fun at the end of the film.

In terms of the heist itself, the plan on paper sounds more intricate than it looks when executed. The traffic jam in Turin is impressive, mainly because some parts of it is real. Certain parts of the streets were blocked off and so the normal flow of traffic streamed into the square and caused the jam that we see on screen. Around 50 to 100 cars were used for the scenes. At the time, Turin had one of the most complexe traffic technology in Europe. As for the actual technical side of the traffic jam, I'm not 100% sure of how it works. I'm sure you if you understand europeen technology from the sixties, it probably makes sens. What's surprising is that the rest of the plan is essentially a smash and grab job. A) Ambush truck, B) Beat up cops, C) Steal gold. You may be thinking: but why doesn't anyone have guns? Well, at the time it was very rare in Britain for criminals to have guns. Something that struck me is how little security surrounds the transportation of 4 Million worth in gold: A few gards and a fragile looking lock that broke with very little difficulty. It seems a little careless doesn't it? Nonetheless, the heist is very entertaining and cleverly done.

The film litteraly has a clifthanger ending. Originally, the ending was designed to be a set up for a sequel that was never made. However, some of the elements that were meant for this sequel, found their way into the 2003 version of The Italian Job. The film would possibly be more satisfying if it had ended a few minutes earlier on the high of the succesful heist, but this ending is not entirely bad. It is simply another challenge that the clever Charlie will have to face. We head off, while they stay in this very uncomfortable perdicament and hope that the Charlie thinks of something.

The Special Collector's Edition DVD includes some nice extras. It features deleted scenes (well, one) as well as a commentary track for them (well, it), the original and the re-release trailer, and a commentary track with producer Michael Deeley and author Matthew Field. Unfortunately, the producer seems to have some trouble recollecting some information and often needs egging on from Field to talk. Thus, most of the precise insight comes from Field. By no means is The Italian Job an accurate picture of the world of crime, but it is a brilliant British classic full of wit and fun.