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Special Features
- A&E Biography: Audrey Hepburn
- Theatrical trailer
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What Nicole dreads the most occurs when the museum announces that one Professor Bauer will be conducting tests to determine the statue's authenticity. To that end, Nicole enlists the aid of Simon Dermott, a burglar she caught in her father's house trying to steal a Van Gogh (fake, of course), to steal her father's sculpture to save him from being jailed for fraud. She doesn't tell him the real reasons, of course. Dermott thinks it's a crazy idea, given the high-tech security devices and the numerous police detail milling around the museum, but combined by Nicole's persistence and her charm, finally gives in. But just what does he hope to accomplish with a toy boomerang?
The actual heist and scenes in the museum are worth waiting for, as that's where the exciting parts are. The cramped quarters in the broom closet underlines the tension of two people scared that they'll be caught, although it furthers the budding romantic storyline. And Dermott's ingenuity is well demonstrated. As he says, "wait for normal human reaction." A particular comical touch comes in the form of a portly museum guard who has a large mustache and quite a fondness for the bottle. Oh, and that alarm is pretty annoying, so beware!
Audrey's Givenchy fashions become ridiculously funny, such as the pillbox hat and large-rimmed sunglasses in her opening scene, and even becomes a point of parody when Dermott remarks at Nicole dressed as a cleaning woman, "It Givenchy a night off." As it turned out, one night turned into thirteen years, as Givenchy was pressed back to work for Bloodline.
The last comedy Audrey acted in, How To Steal A Million, originally titled Venus Rising, was the third and last film Audrey did for William Wyler, after Roman Holiday and The Children's Hour. It was also the first time Hepburn acted with a leading man closer to her own age since Anthony Perkins in Green Mansions, Peter O'Toole being three years her junior. Her wide expressive eyes and that winning smile are put to good use here. And she does have a great line: "You don't think I'd steal something that didn't belong to me?"
Hugh Griffith is fun to watch as the rascally Charles Bonnet, with the same bulging eyes, funny hair, and goatee. O'Toole (Simon) is also an asset, suave, calm, clever, and quick with one-liners. So is Eli Wallach (Leland), an excitable and impulsive millionaire with his sights on the Venus. And Jacques Marin, who is the befuddled senior museum guard, previously appeared with Ms. Hepburn in Charade, as the chief of police.
Panned when it first came out, I'm not sure why this doesn't hold out even today. Hepburn herself acted in it because she felt indebted to Wyler, who made her what she became, but at least she had fun with O'Toole, as the two were gigglers and many takes had to be required, especially in the broom cupboard scene. It's an enjoyable and frantic caper film, a genre popularized by Topkapi six years ago.
I'm an Audrey fan and she's her usual delightful self in this movie, no longer the ingenue but every bit as lithe and fetching as ever. She was a dazzler, but in Peter O'Toole she met her match. He is something else -- the Jude Law of his day, I suppose! (The highest of high compliments I give). In "How To Steal A Million" O'Toole is suave and self-assured but never arrogant ... spectacularly good looking (hey, it's not his fault) ... witty but flawed, not what he seems and in the end, you're glad of it. He can burgle my objects d'art any day!
The movie also has that very "1960's" look and feel to it that allow you to time travel, but not so far back you feel as though you've been whiplashed when it ends. The '60's were in many ways more modern than the '70's, and played against the backdrop of Paris those burgeoning modern sensibilities find an excellent foil. Audrey is her usual "au courant" self, except for one scene in which she has to play a cleaning lady. Like Liza Doolittle, she would shine through a burlap sack.
O'Toole and Hepburn are very, very winning here. The assorted cast of characters are daffy but mostly harmless, and if I'm not completely mistaken, the movie does poke gentle fun at the French. (Not that terribly difficult to do, but then again we re-elected ... oh, never mind).
