HOME |  CULT MOVIES | COMPETITIONS | ADVERTISE |  CONTACT US |  ABOUT US
 
 
 
Newest Reviews
American Fiction
Poor Things
Thunderclap
Zeiram
Legend of the Bat
Party Line
Night Fright
Pacha, Le
Kimi
Assemble Insert
Venus Tear Diamond, The
Promare
Beauty's Evil Roses, The
Free Guy
Huck and Tom's Mississippi Adventure
Rejuvenator, The
Who Fears the Devil?
Guignolo, Le
Batman, The
Land of Many Perfumes
Cat vs. Rat
Tom & Jerry: The Movie
Naked Violence
Joyeuses Pacques
Strangeness, The
How I Became a Superhero
Golden Nun
Incident at Phantom Hill
Winterhawk
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
Maigret Sets a Trap
B.N.A.
Hell's Wind Staff, The
Topo Gigio and the Missile War
Battant, Le
Penguin Highway
Cazadore de Demonios
Snatchers
Imperial Swordsman
Foxtrap
   
 
Newest Articles
3 From Arrow Player: Sweet Sugar, Girls Nite Out and Manhattan Baby
Little Cat Feat: Stephen King's Cat's Eye on 4K UHD
La Violence: Dobermann at 25
Serious Comedy: The Wrong Arm of the Law on Blu-ray
DC Showcase: Constantine - The House of Mystery and More on Blu-ray
Monster Fun: Three Monster Tales of Sci-Fi Terror on Blu-ray
State of the 70s: Play for Today Volume 3 on Blu-ray
The Movie Damned: Cursed Films II on Shudder
The Dead of Night: In Cold Blood on Blu-ray
Suave and Sophisticated: The Persuaders! Take 50 on Blu-ray
Your Rules are Really Beginning to Annoy Me: Escape from L.A. on 4K UHD
A Woman's Viewfinder: The Camera is Ours on DVD
Chaplin's Silent Pursuit: Modern Times on Blu-ray
The Ecstasy of Cosmic Boredom: Dark Star on Arrow
A Frosty Reception: South and The Great White Silence on Blu-ray
You'll Never Guess Which is Sammo: Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon on Blu-ray
Two Christopher Miles Shorts: The Six-Sided Triangle/Rhythm 'n' Greens on Blu-ray
Not So Permissive: The Lovers! on Blu-ray
Uncomfortable Truths: Three Shorts by Andrea Arnold on MUBI
The Call of Nostalgia: Ghostbusters Afterlife on Blu-ray
Moon Night - Space 1999: Super Space Theater on Blu-ray
Super Sammo: Warriors Two and The Prodigal Son on Blu-ray
Sex vs Violence: In the Realm of the Senses on Blu-ray
What's So Funny About Brit Horror? Vampira and Bloodbath at the House of Death on Arrow
Keeping the Beatles Alive: Get Back
   
 
  After the Fox The Gold Rush
Year: 1966
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Stars: Peter Sellers, Victor Mature, Britt Ekland, Akim Tamiroff, Martin Balsam, Paolo Stoppa, Tino Buazzelli, Mac Ronay, Lydia Brazzi, Lando Buzzanca, Maria Grazia Buccella, Maurice Denham, Tiberio Murgia, Francesco De Leone, Vittorio De Sica
Genre: ComedyBuy from Amazon
Rating:  6 (from 2 votes)
Review: One of the greatest robberies ever has been the theft of a huge amount of gold bars from a security van outside Cairo, and now the bullion is on its way to Italy. The only man fit to receive the loot is Aldo Vanucci, also known as The Fox, a master criminal with a penchant for disguise. The trouble is, Aldo is in prison, but when he hears that his sister Gina (Britt Ekland) is growing into a rebellious young woman, he ingeniously escapes and heads home. There he finds his mother has disowned him, and Gina is making money on the streets - but not in the way that Aldo fears.

Peter Sellers was fond of dressing up and adopting different accents and comic traits, so he is a natural to play the Fox, a slippery customer if ever there was one. Written by Neil Simon and Cesare Zavattini, the film is, on the surface, a broad comedy about thievery and deception, but as Aldo devises his plan to get his hands on the gold, a satire about the movie industry emerges, with a disillusioned resolution that you wouldn't expect from the all the light hearted shenanigans that have preceded it.

Aldo's big plan is inspired by his sister's dreams of being a movie star. Once he arrives home, he immediately jumps to the wrong conclusion and discovers Gina apparently propositioning a man on the street, but she's actually been hired for a small role in a film. When real life movie star Tony Powell speeds into town to promote his latest role, Aldo knows what to do. He will pretend to shoot a film in the village where the cargo ship full of bullion will land, and dupe the villagers - and Tony - as a cover for his crimes.

After the Fox isn't exactly subtle, but the excellent cast draw out good laughs from the material, and even the supporting players are well chosen, some of them apparently for their distinctive faces. I like the way the proud, passionate Aldo throws open the window of his apartment and yells, "I am Aldo Vanucci!" just as the two detectives hot on his trail are passing by. And the way his contact for the robbery (Akim Tamiroff) uses a young woman to lip synch his instructions so as not to arouse suspicion. For perfect comic timing, watch Sellers' business with the ice cream.

However, the best performance in the film is from Victor Mature, in great form as the vain, past his prime Tony. Obsessed with proving he is just as good as any younger man, he will, for example, ask his agent (Martin Balsam) to punch him in the stomach, laugh heartily, then walk to his room and double up in pain. Tony believes Aldo's bullshit about film making because he wants to reinvent himself as a great actor, but while he is just as pretentious as Aldo, the Fox is under no illusions - he simply wants the money.

As the film draws to a close, it acknowledges the cruelty of Aldo's deception. Interestingly, from the director of The Bicycle Thief, it takes a bitter view of how the movie industry exploits not only the actors, but the ordinary people who are dazzled by the magic of cinema. All the villagers are delighted to be in a proper production, including the Chief of Police ("Good morning!") and the Mayor, and when they finally see what fools they have been, you genuinely feel sorry for them, and especially Tony, who sees himself for the sham he is. It's a sour note to end on, but it's a provocative one, yet still sympathetic to the losers. Listen for the fine score by Burt Bacharach, including the catchy theme song.

Aka: Caccia alla Volpe
Reviewer: Graeme Clark

 

This review has been viewed 17844 time(s).

As a member you could Rate this film

 
Review Comments (0)


Untitled 1

Login
  Username:
 
  Password:
 
   
 
Forgotten your details? Enter email address in Username box and click Reminder. Your details will be emailed to you.
   

Latest Poll
Which star probably has psychic powers?
Laurence Fishburne
Nicolas Cage
Anya Taylor-Joy
Patrick Stewart
Sissy Spacek
Michelle Yeoh
Aubrey Plaza
Tom Cruise
Beatrice Dalle
Michael Ironside
   
 
   

Recent Visitors
Darren Jones
Mark Le Surf-hall
Enoch Sneed
  Louise Hackett
Andrew Pragasam
Mary Sibley
Graeme Clark
  Desbris M
   

 

Last Updated: