James Hitchcock "How to Steal a Million" is a heist comedy film, a genre which became fashionable in the late sixties. Such films tell the story of a crime- in this case the theft of a statue from a Paris art gallery- in a light-hearted manner and from the point of view of the criminals. In 1966, however, there was a problem with films like this. The Production Code, which among other things forbade films which showed criminals getting away with it, was still officially in force. (It was not abolished until the following year). Admittedly, it was no longer enforced with the rigour which the Hays Office had shown in the thirties and forties, but this did not mean that film-makers could ignore it altogether.So how do you make a film about stealing a million? Or how did you go about doing so in 1966? Well, the first thing to do is to cast as the main criminal somebody whom the audience could not possibly dislike. And who in the Hollywood of the mid-sixties was more lovable than Audrey Hepburn? It's not just that the divine Audrey, at the age of 37, still held the title of "World's Loveliest Woman" which she had held for well over a decade. Her whole public persona, both on-screen and off, was that of a genuinely decent and kind-hearted person. She had never, as far as I am aware, played a villainess in any of her previous pictures, and, of course, does not do so here.The second thing to do is to establish that the criminals are acting out of a selfless, disinterested motive. Charles Bonnet is well-known as an art collector, but he also has a sideline in forging paintings and selling them to rival collectors. His does it not so much for the money- he is already immensely wealthy- but for the artistic intellectual challenge of being able to produce something indistinguishable from the work of a great master and to fool the experts. Forgery seems to run in the family, because Charles's father was also an expert in the trade, although he specialised in sculpture rather than paintings.Audrey plays Charles's daughter Nicole, who unlike her father and grandfather has moral scruples about forgery. She loves her father deeply, however, and when he takes the risk of lending a forged statue, supposedly by Cellini, to an exhibition, she decides that she will have to protect him from himself. She knows that the statue will be subjected to scientific tests which will reveal its dubious provenance, thereby ruining Charles's reputation. She decides that the only way to do this will be to steal the statue from the museum, and to this end recruits the help of a young Englishman named Simon Dermott, whom she wrongly believes to be a professional art thief. In fact, he is a private investigator tasked with countering fraud in the art world, but he decides to play along because he has fallen in love with the lovely Nicole.The film seems to have been an influence on some later heist movies; the idea of a precious artefact being protected by laser beams which will trigger an alarm if broken was also used in the Sean Connery/Catherine Zeta Jones vehicle, "Entrapment". (Catherine can be considered a successor to Audrey's "World's Loveliest Woman" crown). The differences between the two films are indicative of the way in which the heist genre developed between the sixties and the nineties. In "Entrapment" the thieves' motives are purely self-interested, and the film-makers treat their subject matter semi-seriously, whereas "How to Steal a Million" is a pure comedy.And as a comedy it is a very good one. The way in which Nicole and Simon go about removing the statue from the museum is, looked at logically, pure nonsense, but somehow the cast and director William Wyler make us believe in it. Peter O'Toole as Simon shows an unexpected talent for comedy starring, the splendidly over-the-top Hugh Griffith makes Charles a lovable rogue and there is a nice came from Eli Wallach as a devious American millionaire who pretends to be a suitor for Nicole's hand when he is really far more interested in getting his hands on the "Cellini" statue. But, of course, the main factor contributing to the film's success is Audrey's comedic skills and her ability to convey meanings and emotions by the slightest gestures and inflections. This is a film in the same class as her other great comedy with Wyler, "Roman Holiday". 8/10 A goof. The statue is described as being "29 inches high" when it is nowhere near that size. Perhaps someone meant 29 centimetres.

John S Comeaux (john-comeaux) Who does not love Audrey Hepburn, and those quirky movies she made?! This is another, but it has some special features. Director William Wyler and Writer George Bradshaw have done a delicious job with some special touches you won't see in most films. First, the characters are given time to consider their responses. This is in such contrast to today's rapid-fire delivery. You see the emotions develop on the faces of Peter O'Toole and Audrey. Second, there are some zinger lines, which I cannot divulge but they are so unexpectedly funny we rolled. Third, it is in glorious color as appropriate for a 1960s film. No grainy low- quality transfer here, Lord love you. I will have to mention this, as it is not a crucial plot point but an annoyance, which made me give this 9 stars instead of 10. Audrey goes weak- kneed for the first kiss from the man. I don't know, what this really 1966 standard behavior? I wish I had kissed more strangers in 1966, woulda been a lot more fun than stamp collecting. Ah well, c'est la vie. Watch it with a friend and have a blast!

charmadu First of all, full disclosure: I had a GIGUNDA crush on Peter O' Toole as a young girl, and this film catches him at a moment in his life when he not only looked crazy fabulous, but appears to be having the time of his life with this gossamer wing of a tale with... who else? The Queen of Gossamer Wing Tales herself, Audrey Hepburn. But above and beyond these two knockouts and the delightful chemistry they have together, and their wonderful cast (most notably Hugh Griffiths as Audrey's father), we have Paris, we have that enchanting musical title theme, we have that stunningly gorgeous house they live in, and those cars! Peter's citrine Jaguar XKE has to be the sexiest car that has ever been filmed. I don't even know what Audrey's car was but it is SO adorable and chic - whoever chose the cars should have been nominated for an Oscar for that alone. The script is clever, the Givenchy outfits are lovely, and Wiliam Wyler directs with such a light touch. Come visit the Paris of 1966 and watch Peter and Audrey fall in love!

pathaniav It is exactly what I titled. The movie is a funny and clever little romp. There are many movies centered on museum heists but this is easily among the better ones - the ingenious plot holds your undivided attention. The pace is brisk, and the acting top notch. Of course, it also helps to have the mesmerizing screen presence of two iconic actors. Audrey Hepurb is ethereally beautiful as always, oozing waif-like charm as only she could. And the dashing Peter O Toole puts on rather a droll show. The two share share a crackling chemistry here. This movie is perfect for an entertaining evening watch with friends and family. I guarantee that everyone will laugh a lot, and have a broad smile on their faces at the end. I definitely did.