Topkapi (1964)

Topkapi
Directed by Jules Dassin
Written by Monja Danischewski from a novel by Eric Ambler
1964/USA
Filmways Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental

Elizabeth Lipp: Do you mind that I am a nymphomaniac?
Walter Harper: It’s your most endearing quality.

Despite some excellent performances I was underwhelmed by this heist movie.

Master criminals Elizabeth Lipp (Melina Mercouri) and Walter Harper (Maximilian Schelll) plan an elaborate scheme to steal a valuable emerald dagger from the seemingly impregnable Topkapi museum in Instanbul.  Small-time con man Arthur Simpson (Peter Ustinov) inadvertently gets caught up in the plot at the behest of the Turkish security services.

Arthur gets much closer to the robbery itself than he had dreamed of being.

It’s not really fair for me to review this movie.  I had a cold bad enough to take the luster off the most sparkling dialogue.  Certainly everybody involved in the film looked like they were having a much better time than I was.

Peter Ustinov won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.