The Italian Job

Here's my tote:5 points for Michael Caine, playing the young "Michael Caine."0 points for most of his supporting players, given no personalities and little to do, with the exception of5 points for Noël Coward, in his last movie role, while subtracting5 points for his needless toupee.0 points for the first hour's pacing, in which we learn next to nothing about the gang's members and their plans.5 points for the second hour, well directed and edited, featuring spectacular feats of human skill behind automobiles' steering wheels. No CGI foolery; genuine danger—so much so that top stunt drivers walked away from a particular rooftop leap across a chasm.3 points for shrewd Fiat product placement, while a fleet of Union Jack Minis did most of the work.0 points for a script that makes no logical sense, with5 points for willing our suspension of belief, while giving Mr. Caine5 points for each of two of the most memorable lines in British comedy—including the movie's closer.4 points for Quincy Jones's wide-ranging, humorous score.4 points for one of cinema's great closing images.10 points for the movie's inspiring annual children's charities, which since 1990 has raised £3,000,000.00 and counting.Let's give this one a 4/5. The second hour is one great romp: cheerful, Mack Sennett escapism in a time when we need it.

The Italian Job (1969) is a British comedy caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, & directed by Peter Collinson. It tells the story of Charlie Croker (Michael Caine), the leader of a cockney criminal gang released from prison with the intention of doing a "big job" in Italy. This film is a true cliffhanger & is way better the 2003 remake (1 star). Here are the pros & cons as I see it, I hope this helps you.Pros:1. Fun & lively & I am not even an action film fan2. Good soundtrack3. Pretty good cinematography for the time4. Some nice & beautiful classic cards5. Acting is good overall6. If you like British 60's genre films, then this is a treatCons:1. Although this is overall a fun film it would not inspire to me to watch it again2. It is a shame they destroyed some beautiful cars just for the effect

Let's start at the beginning, 1969-small downtown theatre, Texas. The marquee reads "The Italian Job" and Michael Caine. And that was virtually all the promotion this film got. The producers on the bluray talk of the failure of the movie in the USA and it was no wonder with how it was just dumped into theaters with no aplomb. Lucky for me the theatre included Michael Caine in the title because at 14, I thought he was the coolest dude in cinema at the time (I felt blessed by the gods that I had wavy hair like him). I still remember clearly the sign and the serendipity of seeing two new Jaguar XKEs parked out front presumably owned by the fighter pilots from the nearby AFB. Seeing The Italian Job then and there made it one of my favorite movies of all time. This was a zeitgeist experience. If you are not of those times, then the movie may be enjoyable, but its magic is just a mystery to you. I mention all this because most reviewers of older movies don't capture that first love experience that original fans have. I can appreciate Gable, Cooper, and Flynn, but not on the level of a 1930's or '40's filmgoer. So that makes the extras on the bluray so enjoyable as fortunately, most of the participants were still around in 2009. And despite what the Amazon description says, my US bluray Has been playing all the features. It was good to see that such a major Hollywood player as Robert Evans was a big supporter of Italian Job and is still fan enough to contribute his interview.I don't need to go into plot, critiquing, etc. Because that is well covered ground. In closing, this is a must have for those who love this movie. For a lonnng time it was unavailable, and then came out on EXTENDED play video tape (the cheapest format in VHS-thank God those daysare over). Then the DVD (just had to make sure I was ordering the real Italian Job and not that new crap-name stealer) came out. If they canever convert it to 3D, I'd buy that. But the truth is soon no one will be around that grew up with this movie and the zeitgeist, like the morning mist will have vanished and no one will put up the money to polish up this gem and put it on display. So buy it now while you can.

Fun from beginning to end. The English Underworld against the Italian mafia as Charlie Crocker (played by Michael Caine), recently released from prison, now plans a big kill in Italy with the financial backing of crime lord, and true boss of the prison where he lives, Mr. Bridger (played by Noel Coward). The film probably belongs to that antihero genre where crooks play against crooks, like Ocean Eleven or The Sting. Nevertheless, the Italian Job is a superb film on its own merits. I loved Caine’s Crocker, a James Bond type playing for the bad guys, never missing a chance with women, and keeping his cool even while watching two of his sports car being smashed and thrown off cliffs under orders of his Italian counterpart. Noël Coward plays against type here, enjoying every bit of it, including a final scene where he’s about to taste a banquet to celebrate his success.Other than these delightful characters, the planning and execution of that plan, this film also has my favorite car-chasing scene. And the conclusion to the film, not only is a surprise, but it is also deliciously funny and outrageously hilarious, keeping up with the spirit of the film until its last second.The direction is perfect, producing a film that moves with speed enough to compete with the getaway cars in the car-chasing scene; and the soundtrack by Quincy Jones effectively contributes to the humor and action in this film. Watching some of the gang move to the rhythm of the soundtrack as they replace tapes that will jam the traffic the next day is delightfully funny. All in all, this film is perfectly enjoyable.

Misleading product description... NOT the 50th anniversary edition, as shown on the cover of the DVD, but rather the (10 year old) 40th anniversary....I sent it back for a replacement and they sent me exactly the same one again! Poor service!

THE ITALIAN JOB [1969(40th Anniversary Special Edition] [Blu-ray]The film, a comic caper telling of how an odd-ball team strung together by wide-boy Charlie Croker (Micheal Caine) and financed and overseen by imprisoned but resourceful crime-lord Mr Bridger (Noel Coward) plan and execute a $4,000,000 gold heist in Turin, from under the noses of the local-mafia led by Altabani (Raf Vallone)Charlie who himself has just been released from prison learns of the heist plans from a film given to him by friend Roger Beckermann's widow (Roger having been killed by the mafia)Charlie will approach Mr Bridger to help set up the heist, at first the plan is rejected by the crime-lord.When given the go-ahead Charlie sets out to assemble a team, the plan is to cause a catastrophic traffic-jam in Turin isolating the gold-shipment convoy enabling the heist.To do this they'll need the close-circuit camera's to be shut down and the traffic control system to go into melt-down, to assist the technical side of things Charlie recruits the curiosity that is computer-expert Professor Simon Peach (Benny Hill)What unfolds in the tale will give one of the best car chase sequences ever screened with the three mini-coopers carrying the gold giving the local police the runaround.Coupled with unlikely snippets that'll have you rocking with laughter.This a nostalgic classic with the terrific line-up of well-known faces of the British film and TV industry of the time including cameos from Irene Handl and John Le Mesurier.A must see or re-visit.

THE ITALIAN JOB [1969 / 2009] [40th Anniversary Special Edition] [Blu-ray] A Film That Exuberantly Celebrates The Fact That It’s Ace Being British!Join Sir Michael Caine and his gang of crooks for the ultimate British caper movie packed with fast cars, beautiful girls and swinging 60’s action. In his final screen appearance, Sir Noel Coward joyfully sends up his own patriotic persona, and there are small though priceless cameos from the likes of Irene Handl and John Le Mesurier.‘The Italian Job’ 40th Anniversary Special Edition blows the doors off with astonishing array of BRAND NEW extras, including EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH SIR MICHAEL CAINE, QUINCY JONES and others, as the tell us what really happened making ‘The Italian Job.’ PLUS HOST OF STUNTS, MINIS and MORE, in this thrilling set of DEFINITIVE DOCUMENTARIES and COMMENTARIES.FILM FACT: The music for the soundtrack was written by Quincy Jones. The opening theme, "On Days Like These", had lyrics by Don Black and was sung by Matt Monro. The closing theme, "Get a Bloomin' Move On" (aka "The Self Preservation Society"), was performed by the cast and had lyrics featuring Cockney Rhyming Slang. Many incidental themes are based on British patriotic songs, such as "Rule, Britannia!", "The British Grenadiers" and "God Save the Queen," and lead actor Sir Michael Caine is among its singers. Although it received a Golden Globe® nomination for "Best English-Language Foreign Film," the film was not a success in America. Sir Michael Caine blamed its failure on unattractive and misleading advertising. As a result, plans for a sequel were shelved.Cast: Sir Michael Caine, Sir Noël Coward, Benny Hill, Raf Vallone, Tony Beckley, Rossano Brazzi, Margaret Blye, Irene Handl, John Le Mesurier, Fred Emney, John Clive, Graham Payn, Michael Standing, Stanley Caine, Barry Cox, Harry Baird, George Innes, John Forgeham, Robert Powell, Derek Ware, Frank Jarvis, David Salamone, Richard Essame, Mario Valgoi, Renato Romano, Franco Norvelli, Robert Rietti, Timothy Bateson, David Kelly, Arnold Diamond, Simon Dee, Alastair Hunter, Lana Gatto, John Morris, Louis Mansi, Hazel Collinson (uncredited), Lelia Goldoni (uncredited), Frank Kelly (uncredited), Valerie Leon (uncredited) and Henry McGee (uncredited)Director: Peter CollinsonProducers: Michael Deeley, Robert Porter and Stanley BakerScreenplay: Troy Kennedy MartinComposer: Quincy JonesCinematography: Douglas SlocombeVideo Resolution: 1080pAspect Ratio: 2.35:1 [Anamorphic]Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, English: Dolby Digital Mono, French: Dolby Digital Mono, German: Dolby Digital Mono, Italian: Dolby Digital Mono and Spanish: Dolby Digital MonoSubtitles: English, English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish and SwedishRunning Time: 95 minutesRegion: All RegionsNumber of discs: 1Studio: Paramount PicturesAndrew’s Blu-ray Review: In this classic crime film, small-time crook Charlie Croker [Sir Michael Caine] organises a motley group of thieves to steal four million worth of gold bullion from an armoured car in Turin, Italy. The mastermind of the heist is Mr. Bridger [Sir Noel Coward], an experienced convict who has come up with the idea, but can't take part in its execution because he's in jail. To pull off the plan, the gang must tie up traffic in the centre of the city to divert attention from the robbery, and ultimately make off with their booty undetected. The caper leads to one of the most exciting and fantastic automobile chases ever filmed.I can’t stress enough how wonderfully, quintessentially ‘60s ‘The Italian Job’ is. The cars, the clothes, the music, the camera work, the exuberance. And the women, ironed down hair, goofy underwear, and every one of them as beautiful as a Bond girl, with even less dialogue. Because the film is essentially quirky British attitude, the robbery is not simply a capitalist venture. The heist comes across, however vaguely and misguidedly, as the last hurrah of some youthful social rebellion. The films light-hearted tone turns briefly revolutionary as the lad's club police officers and smash pickaxe handles through cop car windshields. ‘The Italian Job’ also makes light of the antagonism Britain has always had with the rest of Europe, especially with “bloody foreigners” one of the crooks mutters as he wanders Italy. Words and phrases like “anarchy” and “angry young man” would not be inappropriate. This was the 1960s, after all, when even action movies were allowed to have social commentary.Enter the legendary Sir Michael Caine, in one sharp suit after another, whose name is deservedly painted like the Union Jack in the re-release trailer. He plays Charlie Croaker, fresh from prison with absolutely no compunction about turning to crime again. The prize is a half-ton of gold being transported through a giant traffic jam in Turin during an Italy-UK soccer match. To this end, Croaker enlists a small army of Cockney crooks, and soon it’s “bloomin’” this and “bloody” that as the lads soup up three mini Coopers. There’s bugger-all we can do about it as we’re off to Italy where our heroes can short out computerized video cameras, cross the Mafia, and walk nonchalantly past jaw-dropping Renaissance architecture. The movie doesn’t bother developing the gang too much; Tony Beckley is the prissy one, Stanley Caine (Michael’s brother) is the lummox, and Benny Hill is… well, Benny Hill, and let’s all thank God for that.Blu-ray Video Quality – This is a 100% top of the shelf image from Paramount Pictures on this classic brilliant British film. All the stunning 1080p encode image and with the breath taking 2.35:1 [Anamorphic] aspect ratio has a stunning bright, happy colours, and impressively high detail for a film celebrating its 40th Anniversary, which you would thought was filmed today. It shows some depth, strong contrast and black levels. It looks almost brand new and seems to have greatly benefited from the move to hi-def. The visuals approach the spectacular with over 26 Gig being filled on the dual-layered disc for the feature film. All in all Paramount Pictures has done a sterling impressive job.Blu-ray Audio Quality – On the English language front we have a brilliant 5.1 TrueHD Master Audio Surround mix or you have the option for the restored mono track. The disc starts by giving you a choice of about a dozen different languages for menus and optional DUBs and subs. I'm usually a fan of the original but I switched to the 5.1 TrueHD mix as it gives you a much more natural sound and it suited the film well with so many more subtle effect noise and sympathetic music tones sounding crisp and clean. The car chase scenes are dramatic and evenly separated with some action to the rear speakers.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:Audio Commentary: Commentary with screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin and Mathew Field, author of "The Making of The Italian Job": A great, very informative commentary. The two gentlemen discuss the history of the film, what it took to get it made, how it resonated with critics and audiences.Audio Commentary: Commentary by producer Michel Deeley and Matthew Field, author of "The Making of The Italian Job": A new commentary recorded for the special edition of the film. Once again, a wealth of information is supplied.Special Feature: Self-Preservation Society: Making of The Italian Job [2003] [1080p] [89:00] A selection of behind-the-scenes episodes where many of those who were involved with the film talk about its history, legacy, appeal, style, etc. and is a terrific brilliant supplemental feature. Contributors include Don Black, John Clive, Hazel Collinson, Michael Deeley, Frank Jarvis, Disley Jones, Troy Kennedy-Martin, Douglas Slocombe, John Trumper, Derek Ware and Philip Wrestler. Narrated by Lancelot Narayan. Directed by Lancelot Narayan and Matthew Field. Screenplay by Lancelot Narayan and Matthew Field. Music by Quincy Jones. Cinematography by John Hazell.Special Feature: Mini Adventures [2009] [1080p] [17:00] A celebration of what many regard as the true star of The Italian Job, the Mini, which is enthused over by stunt driver Russ Swift, whose career as the leader of a Mini display team was inspired by his love affair with the film, ‘The Italian Job’ director Peter Collinson's son and self-confessed Mini fanatic Tara Collinson, and vehicle suppliers, drivers and actors in the film Barry Cox and David Salamone. Directed by Daniel Skinner and Matthew Field. Music by Quincy Jones. Cinematography by Iain Ovenden and Nick Barnett.Special Feature: Music Video [1080p] [4:00] The Self-Preservation Society. Get a Bloomin' Move On (aka The Self-Preservation Society as it is sometimes referred to) originated from old East End tunes like My Old Man's a Dustman. Quincy had a fascination with Cockney rhyming slang, he found it very funny and apparently created it for the amusement of the production team.Special Feature: The Deleted Scene with Commentary by author Matthew Field [480i] [2:00] The only deleted scene from the film is deconstructed by Matthew Field.Theatrical Trailer [1969] [1080p] [3:14] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for ‘The Italian Job.’ When The Italian Job was released in the UK, it didn't receive many blistering reviews; in fact it was quite the opposite. The British film review press elite thought it to be unpolished and rather rude. Despite the bad press, many individual cinemas put in a lot of work to promote the film displaying Mini Coopers on stairways and even on the roof of foyers. Even though it wasn't a smash hit, it was nominated for a Golden Globe for 'Best English Language Foreign Film' in 1969.Re-Release Theatrical Trailer [1999] [1080p] [1:45] Back in 1969, little did the critics know that The Italian Job would become a full blown cult movie with later reviews of its re-release on the 10th September 1999 being nothing short of fan-bloody-tastic. In an interview with The Sunday Times, writer Troy Kennedy Martin had a stab at explaining why the film had become such a success 30 years on “Much of the reason why it's so fashionable right now is today's "Loaded culture," which has made it alright to be a lad again.”Finally, this is such a fun film and Sir Michael Caine is totally perfect. ‘The Italian Job’ is a fun British Comedy Caper. Excellent performances, and one of the most memorable car chases ever filmed make this a very enjoyable movie. Paramount presents this film in a special collector’s edition with some interesting added features. The menu sequence is also nicely done, with a 3D animated rendering of the three Minis. This Blu-ray is close to perfect impeccable image transfer, great audio options and, possibly, the most complete extras of the year. Super job Paramount and Wow - what a package! The other amazing aspect of this film, is hearing the silky smooth voice of the amazing British Singer Matt Monro singing over the opening credits, that was composed by Quincy Jones, and includes "On Days Like These" and the lyrics were penned by Don Black, another brilliant Brit. Very Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film AficionadoLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom

This film keeps coming back, and quite deservingly so. A film of daring and comical scenes based on a planned raid in Italy where the brilliant Michael Caine and his mob succeeds in robbing gold bars from a large National Bank and make their getaway in Mini Cars, and a single deck coach which they had loaded with gold bars, so much so that the quantity and weight of the gold put the bus off balance as it negotiated the bends of the alps, causing it to partly go over the edge and remain there in a balancing act. Hilarious scenes follow as Michael Cain and his mob try to tip the balance of the overhanging bus in favour of not going over the edge of the road and losing all the gold that is positioned at the rear of the busand keeps sliding on the floor further and further. They are determined not to lose their haul, after all the planning and hard work they has put into the robbery. DO THEY SUCCEED ???....the end of the film leaves you with that question.Great entertainment.....I wouldn't miss watching it for the laughs throughout.

It's true! Some films are best left in the past, no matter how much fun they were back in the day. This, for me, is a prime example. I loved this in the cinema (I was 24 years old) and TV and Video, but I haven't seen it for many years. It fell well short of my expectations. A ridiculous heist plot that would never have worked - ever! Some wild miscasting - Coward and particularly Benny Hill whose character just isn't funny in 2021. Caine shouts "Go Go" a lot and is just himself, which is OK but no great acting stretch. The Turin scenes are great but, again, absolutely impossible. You have to have some believability!, Maggie Blye was lovely, but if that is the only good thing I can find to say.....Then I come to the BLURAY....Good picture...Very poor sound level. I had to crank it up to 95% and it was variable. Not good. Subtitles good and loads of extras. I am sure millions will still enjoy the film. I just wish I still could. Hence the rather sad 3 stars.