How to Steal a Million
Directed by William Wyler
Written by Harry Kurnitz based on a story by George Bradshaw
1966/USA
World Wide Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Simon Dermott: There’s the bathroom, take off your clothes.
Nicole Bonnet: Are we planning the same sort of crime?[/box]
Fans of Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole should be entertained by this pleasant rom-com/caper movie.
The setting is modern day Paris. Nicole Bonnet (Hepburn) comes from a long line of art forgers. Her father Charles (Hugh Griffith) agrees to loan out a “Cellini Venus”, actually a statuette crafted by his father, to a prestigious art museum. The authenticity of the object must be verified for insurance purposes. When Nicole surprises burglar Peter O’Toole in her father’s apartment, she begins planning to take the heavily guarded Venus before it can be scrutinized. No bonus points for guessing what else happens in the movie.
This is utterly predictable but so charmingly done that I didn’t mind.
