Italian Job, The (1969) (4K UHD Review)

• Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
• Review Date: Jul 16, 2024
• Format: 4K Ultra HD
• 

Director

Peter Collinson

Release Date(s)

1969 (January 21, 2023)

Studio(s)

Oakhurst Productions/Paramount (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)

• Film/Program Grade: A-
• Video Grade: B+
• Audio Grade: B
• Extras Grade: A+

Review

“You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!”

The ultimate fate of 1969’s The Italian Job was to be considered one of the greatest British films ever made, in any genre, from any period. Poorly marketed in the US at the time of its release, it was a bust upon arrival here while, unsurprisingly, it was a much more successful film in its native land. While it’s thought of today as among one of many cinematic feathers in the cap of Michael Caine, it’s also of the finest heist movies ever to cross American shores, or elsewhere for that matter. Its cult status has improved with age, especially the US, and holds up tremendously as a (mostly) straightforward piece of action/adventure escapism, with a fabulously dry British wit to match.

Recently released from prison, master thief and ladies man Charlie Croker (Michael Caine) is given the job of stealing $4 million dollars in gold bullion from a secret convoy in Italy. Croker turns to his former warden, covert crime boss Mr. Bridger (Noël Coward), for financial assistance. They must avoid crossing up with Italian mafia boss Altabani (Raf Vallone) and his men, as well as the Italian police, and steal the gold in a heavily-populated and busy section of Turin—requiring a large crew and multiple escape vehicles, including three Mini Coopers and an oversized bus. Other members of the cast include Benny Hill, Tony Beckley, Rossano Brazzi, and Maggie Blye, among others.

At the heart of The Italian Job is a sense of controlled chaos, mostly thanks to the occasional unpredicatibility of director Peter Collinson. Rarely, if ever, had anybody attempted the kind of car stunts that the French stunt crew, led by Rémy Julienne, impressively carried out for the film. The majority of the main characters are fairly two-dimensional, even Charlie Croker to some degree, but the three red, white, and blue Mini Coopers that take part in the incredible car chase throughout the streets of Turin and across the rest of the Italian countryside have just as much personality and screen presence. They feel more like characters than getaway vehicles, and because of their onscreen exploits, they gained much more notice outside of the United Kingdom.

There’s also the matter of the score by Quincy Jones, an outside choice by Peter Collinson, who thought the legendary composer would give the film a different kind of flavor. Since Jones was adept at learning Cockney rhyming slang and infusing his own sensibilities into what sounds almost entirely like a British-born musical score (which he found humorous), the results, including the songs On Days Like These performed by Matt Monro that opens the film and Getta Bloomin’ Move On! (The Self Preservation Society) performed by Michael Caine and his crew popping up toward the end of the film, are as memorable and entertaining as anything else in The Italian Job.

Interestingly, the F. Gary Gray remake from 2000 starring Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Jason Statham, Seth Green, Mos Def, and Donald Sutherland uses the main plot of the original as its setup before launching into an entirely new story. In the remake, Charlie and Co. lose the gold to the Italian mafia and must retrieve it, which was one of many story ideas for a sequel to the original film. Famously or infamously (depending on one's reaction to it), a literal “cliffhanger” ending was devised for the original on a whim by producer Michael Deeley, which could have led into a sequel had the film been successful. Sadly, it didn’t happen. Opinions have always been split about the ending, even among the filmmakers behind it; but one can’t deny that it’s one of the ballsiest endings to any type of all audience-friendly caper, forever spurring discussion and debate as to what Charlie and his crew might have done to get themselves out of their situation.

Today, The Italian Job is still nowhere near as popular a film in the US as it perhaps should be, but its cult status, thanks to re-releases and frequent appearances on home video, have kept it alive for generations of fans while simultaenously maintaining its legendary status in the UK.

The Italian Job was shot by cinematographer Douglas Slocombe on 35mm film using Arriflex 35 IIA and Panavision Super PSR R-200º cameras & Panavision B- and C-Series lenses, finished photochemically on Eastmancolor stock, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics brings the film to Ultra HD with a new 4K scan of the original camera negative by Paramount Pictures, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a triple-layered 100GB disc. While this is certainly a step up over non-US Blu-ray and worldwide DVD releases of the past in terms of the sheer amount of data on the screen, it’s not quite the UHD upgrade that die-hard US fans and aficionados might be expecting. Grain is extremely minimal and the bitrate sits primarily between 70 and 80Mbps, sometimes spiking above that, but still low enough to notice at times. Detail ranges from excellent to merely very good, depending on the encode at any given moment—which consequently doesn’t take up enough disc space as it perhaps should. In terms of color and contrast, the latter is mostly satisfactory with deep shadows, though sometimes details can disappear a bit when the frame gets too dark. The HDR color grades range from beautiful to perplexing, especially in terms of flesh tones, which are very uneven. That all said, the image is stable and clean from end to end, and for many this presentation will more than suffice. Others will find varying faults with it along the way, wishing for a higher encode and a more even color palette. Most assuredly, your mileage will vary here.

Audio is included in English 5.1 and “restored” 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. The multi-channel track offers some immersion, but also adds in modern sound effects, which is not exactly preferable. Having the original soundtrack with good support for dialogue, score, and sound effects, even in a narrow container, feels more appropriate. Both are decent tracks, but there’s still room for improvement here.

The 4K UHD of The Italian Job sits in a black Amaray case alongside a Region A-locked 1080p Blu-ray with a reversible insert, featuring the (superior) UK theatrical poster artwork on the front and the US theatrical poster artwork on the rear. Everything is housed in a slipcover featuring the same UK theatrical poster artwork. The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE

• Audio Commentary by Troy Kennedy Martin and Matthew Field
• Audio Commentary by Michael Deeley and Matthew Field

DISC TWO

• Audio Commentary by Troy Kennedy Martin and Matthew Field
• Audio Commentary by Michael Deeley and Matthew Field
• The Self Preservation Society: Making The Italian Job (SD – 86:36)
• The Great Idea: The Making of The Italian Job (SD – 23:25)
• Getta Bloomin’ Move On! (SD – 24:22)
• Mini Adventures! Celebrating 40 Years of The Mini & The Italian Job (HD – 17:17)
• Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Matthew Field (SD – 2:08)
• Trailer (SD – 3:12)
• Re-Release Trailer (SD – 1:43)
• The Ipcress File Trailer (HD – 3:07)
• Gambit Trailer (HD – 1:13)
• Billion Dollar Brain Trailer (SD – 2:44)
• The Black Windmill Trailer (SD – 2:17)
• The Destructors Trailer (SD – 2:51)
• The Wilby Conspiracy Trailer (HD – 2:16)
• Dressed to Kill Trailer (HD – 2:12)
• The Holcroft Covenant Trailer (SD – 2:49)
• The Whistle Blower Trailer (SD – 2:30)

Matthew Field, the author of both The Making of The Italian Job and Michael Caine “You’re a Big Man”: The Performances That Made the Icon, moderates a pair of very good commentaries from 2002 and 2009, respectively. The first features screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin, and the other producer Michael Deeley. There are occasionally silent passages, but both tracks manage to delve well enough into each man’s memories of the making of the film while stating their feelings on how it all turned out.

Dan Skinner’s and Matthew Field’s excellent 9-part 2009 documentary, The Self Preservation Society, features retrospective interviews with Michael Deeley; Troy Kennedy Martin; studio producers Robert Evans and Peter Bart; actors Michael Caine, Maggie Blye, John Clive, Barry Cox, Frank Jarvis, David Salamone, and Derek Ware; actress and wife of Peter Collinson, Hazel Collinson; children of Peter Collinson, Tara Collinson and Shane Collinson; editor John Trumper; cinematographer Douglas Slocombe; production designer Disley Jones; stunt coordinator Rémy Julienne; second unit director Philip Wrestler; composer Quincy Jones; and songwriter Don Black.

Lancelot Narayan and Matthew Field make up the writers, producers, and directors of the 2002 documentaries The Great Idea and Getta Bloomin’ Move On!, featuring some of the same, as well as alternate, interviews with many of the same key players. Mini Adventures! features interviews with “Mini wrangler extraordinaire” Russ Swift, Tara Collinson, Barry Cox, and David Salamone, all discussing the history and significance of Mini Coopers. The Deleted Scene, which features optional audio commentary by Matthew Field, features what’s known as the Blue Danube sequence that was cut out of the film, which is a fine sequence in its own right, but better left out for pacing reasons. The rest of the extras consist of the film’s original trailer, the 1999 UK re-release trailer, and trailers for other Kino Lorber-related releases.

The UK and German UHD releases of The Italian Job are purported to be improvements in terms of picture quality, but since I don’t have either of those releases, I can’t directly compare them. Regardless, this is a much cheaper option for those on a budget. The picture isn’t so poor that it’s unwatchable by any means, but it could be a little better. It’s still a nice release, overall, and any chance to see The Italian Job is a journey well-taken.

“Hang on a minute lads, I’ve got a great idea.”

- Tim Salmons

(You can follow Tim on social media at these links: Twitter, Facebook, and Letterboxd. And be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel here.)