There was a time when Audrey Hepburn was the talk of the
town. The ton of talent packed in the small package was one that everyone
enjoyed. Guys thought she was attractive and women thought she exuded class.
She was all of those things and more and was in some of the greatest movies
ever made. Like most actors not every movie was a mega success but even those
she was in that didn’t reach that level were made better by her being in them.
Case in point HOW TO STEAL A MILLION.
Hepburn stars as Nicole, the daughter of master art forger
Bonnet (Hugh Griffith), a man who sells his forgeries as real paintings but has
this need to show them off as well. She warns him that there’s no reason to do
so any longer and that one day it will lead to trouble. Which of course it
does.
Passing off a statue of Cellini’s Venus his father forged
years ago as the real thing it is now on display in a prestigious museum in
Paris. With such a huge value for the piece it is insured and the insurance
company is planning on sending an expert in to validate its authenticity. Once
it’s discovered to be a fake all items sold in the past by her father will come
into question. Not sure of what to do her answer comes one late night in their
home.
Nicole comes downstairs in the dark to find a burglar in
their home about to steal a replica her father made and showed to someone
earlier that day. The burglar is Simon Dermott (Peter O’Toole) and his
appearance provides Nicole with a solution to her problem. Rather than turn him
in, she recruits him to use his skills to help her steal the statue and thus
save her father from going to prison. What Nicole doesn’t know is that Simon
actually works as an investigator for a company that looks into forgeries who
was sent to find out if her father’s latest painting was legit or not.
Playing along Simon and Nicole plot out the method to steal
the statue, under heavy guard with tons of security measures in place. The
heist itself becomes the focus of the rest of the film as well as the mutual
yet slow boiling attraction between Nicole and Simon. This is what romantic
comedies were like in their heyday during the sixties. Whether or not they
succeed in their attempt to get the statue is questioned alongside the question
of will these two finally admit their attraction to one another.
The movie is a fun romp for all involved. For Hepburn it
allowed her to play the befuddled young woman that she’d made a career around.
Fresh from a short hiatus after MY FAIR LADY, this was a vehicle for her
return. For O’Toole it gave him a chance to play something a little different
than audiences had grown accustomed to having just come off the success of
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, BECKET and LORD JIM. It was a comedic role that he plays
with ease, turning in a performance that reminds fans of the classic Cary
Grant.
This film reminded me of so many others from the time
period, cloaked in the pop culture and clothing designs of the time that date
it but don’t ruin it in doing so. The interplay between the two leads as well
as the funny performance by Griffith made this one a treat. The heist is
perfectly timed so as to not take too short a time to enjoy and to add a bit of
suspense waiting to see just how they will pull it off, the novice and the
professional working side by side. It’s a movie worth multiple viewings.
Twilight Time presents the film with a beautiful 1080p hi
def print. Extras are interesting this time around as well including an
isolated music track, audio commentary track with actor Eli Wallach who is also
in the film and Catherine Wyler, the original theatrical trailer and AUDREY
HEPBURN: THE FAIREST LADY a documentary that appeared on the Biography channel.
Click here to order.
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