The original The Italian
Job is a jaunty crime-caper crammed full of the very ingredients that
made Britain the groovy centre of the Universe (ask Austin Powers). It
had Michael Caine spouting the classic line "You're only supposed to blow
the bloody doors!", Mini Coopers driven like demented ants, and a sing-a-long
classic We're The Self-Preservation Society. The story is about
a cheeky bullion robbery in Italy (the style capital of the Universe) using
Minis as getaway vehicles. The audacity of the crime has echoes of The
Great Train Robbery, and the fact that the robbers hide amongst football
supporters reminds us of Britain's recent victory in the World Cup (1966).
About the original Italian
Job
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The Drain the Mini Coopers
race down is actually the Birmingham-Coventry Tithebarn Main Sewer, which
was under construction at the time
-
The lettering on the side
of the coach says ‘Croker Coach Tours’ (should read Crocker)
-
Michael Caine did not learn
to drive until the mid-eighties
-
Approximately 16 Mini Coppers
were used during filming
-
All of the Coopers used in
the film were wrecked
-
The racetrack the Coopers
end up on is at the top of the Fiat factory in Turin
-
The Turin Fiat Factory is
a giant spiral production line with raw material entering at the bottom
of the building and progressing to the track at the top where they are
tested
-
For the infamous 3-Mini jump
the cars had to travel at 50mph to make the jump. All of the Fiat
employees turned out as extras and said goodbye to the stuntman because
they thought he was going to be killed
-
A missing scene was uncovered
in 1998 showing the Coopers being chased onto an ice-rink. The scene
was cut because it reduced the tension of the chase.
Fans of the original
will be pleased that the 'new' The Italian Job is not a remake of
the classic original. Certainly, the new movie draws its inspiration from
its legendary namesake, with the new Mini likely to steal the show just
as it did back in 1968 in a series of action packed car chase scenes and
jaw dropping stunts. This is a relief since there was talk of VW Beetles
replacing the Mini in this new version. With the VW's elbowed out perhaps
they can use them to star in 'new' versions of the popular Herbie
movies? That sounds so far-out that I'm sure a movie mogal is already turning
the idea over at some undisclosed pool-side location.
Supporting
the Mini Coopers in the 2003 film are Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, Charlize
Theron, Jason Statham, Seth Green, Moss Def and Donald Sutherland. Surely
there should have been a role for Minnie Driver - alright no more gags.
Before the cast were allowed to get their hands on a Mini, the film's director
F. Gary Gray insisted on sending his actors to a driving school so they
could better understand how to work with new Mini.
True to the Italian-based
original, the opening scenes of the film are shot in Venice and the Italian
Alps but then the film moves swiftly to LA where the Mini brought the city
to a standstill - two blocks of Hollywood Boulevard were closed down in
order to allow filming of what promises to be the most exhilarating and
exciting car chase of the year. "We literally controlled those streets
for a week, and that's a big deal" said producer Donald De Line. "We had
300 cars and several armoured trucks on the ground, helicopters flying
low overhead, and motorcycles and Minis driving over the stars on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame Sidewalk."
Minis
are used as getaway cars in L.A to carry stolen bars of gold. Weaving in
and out of traffic, performing spectacular jumps and even driving down
the Hollywood Boulevard subway entrance, the Minis survive a series of
narrow escapes and prove themselves to be the real heroes of the film.
Trevor Houghton-Berry,
general manager Mini UK said "Making a new film called The Italian Job
is bound to draw comparisons with the classic film. The new Italian
Job is definitely inspired by the classic film, but in no way seeks
to compete with a movie that is undoubtedly one of the great icons of British
cinema. However one thing both films do have in common is a love of the
Mini and what a Mini can do, both on and off the road. The car chase scenes
are fantastic and it's worth going to see the film just for the Minis alone."
Three Minis appear in
the film one Chili Red Mini Cooper S, one Pepper White Mini Cooper and
one Indi Blue Mini Cooper. BMW Group provided Paramount with 32 Minis for
filming.
The Italian Job will
be released in the U.S.A at the end of May and will arrive in the UK in
September.
Nigel
Watson
