How To Steal A Million
Charles Bonnet (Hugh Griffith), a Parisian aristocrat with remarkable artistic talent and a world famous art collection, has sold his Cézanne painting at auction. Indeed, it was his painting because Bonnet painted it.
His daughter, Nicole (Audrey Hepburn), hears the news and hurries to her papa’s attic studio to have a 'long serious talk' about the illegality of selling fake paintings. She finds him working on a new painting, a Van Gogh.
Her protest is interrupted by police sirens. They are announcing the arrival of the director of a local art museum, who will personally transport Bonnet’s Cellini Venus to the museum for exhibition. Bonnet didn’t sculpt the statuette - nor did Cellini.
Papa attends the opening of the exhibit on the night the servants are off duty. That leaves Nicole alone in the large, dark, and quiet mansion. Lying in bed reading a Hitchcock story, she is jolted by a fleeting bump.
Nicole creeps down the purple-carpeted, winding staircase in her short nightgown to investigate. She sees an intruder... snaps an antique pistol from its clasp on the wall... and flips the light switch.
Startled, the tuxedo-attired intruder turns facing Nicole. Simon Dermott’s (Peter O‘Toole) surprised eyes, peeking over the top of a painting, take in the sight of this frightened young women.
Nicole reaches for the telephone but interrupts her call to the police when she sees the intruder’s painting of choice, the newly painted Van Gogh. Of course, Nicole can’t report the attempted theft of a fake masterpiece.
Simon doesn’t appear to be a threat to Nicole. Instead, he is courteous and good-humored. She lets him go free - but not before she accidentally shoots him.
Usually a heist movie tells the story of a thief stealing an item of value to himself or the person who has hired him. This heist is not in any way usual. This captivating caper involves three charming art lovers who deceive others to get what they desire and one greedy art lover who charms in order to get what he desires. And what they desire is not always art.
The Cellini Venus becomes a sensation with the public. Having viewed the Venus, Davis Leland (Eli Wallach), an American tycoon with an art foundation, is desperate to acquire it. He arranges to meet Nicole.
In the meantime, the museum has made arrangements to have an art appraiser evaluate the Venus for insurance purposes. When Papa and Nicole learn that the statuette will be examined by an expert, they become distraught. Nicole conceives of an unconventional idea, but in order to execute it she will need the services of a burglar.
With each new display of Bonnet artwork, an additional threat of the forger’s exposure presents itself. The viewer is captivated by the characters’ trickery as each threat is addressed. The camera’s lingering close-ups of the actors’ expressive eyes convey the true emotions of the characters, despite their misleading words and actions.
In Papa’s eyes, topped with dark wiry eyebrows, we see the look of an eccentric artist with a devil-may-care attitude. They grow large with excitement when the 'crass, commercial world' intrudes upon his life, when remembering a fellow forger’s fate, or when learning that a burglar has interest in two Bonnet women.
Nicole’s eyes grow soft with affection for her father, pleased and dreamy when she learns why Simon accepted her job offer, and shocked when she learns his true profession. Even her black, textured bandit’s veil can’t conceal the determination and pleading in her eyes.
We see Simon’s bluest of blue eyes swimming in wonder when surprised by Nicole, happy when remembering her, and amazed when Nicole states emphatically that she would never steal something that didn’t belong to her.
Davis Leland has greedy, impatient eyes that match his personality. But they are cold, as if he has been studying his bank balance for much too long. His obsessive pursuit of acquisitions ultimately puts him in a amusingly awkward position.
How To Steal A Million begins in an auction house, a posh home, and an art museum, all displaying the world’s finest paintings. It makes a stop at a pricey restaurant with early 20th century Art Nouveau decor.
But two-third’s of the way through the movie the Givenchy fashion-clad heroine dons a charwoman’s outfit, and the plush surroundings give way to a tiny utility closet. Here the truth begins to emerge.
Directed by William Wyler, How To Steal A Million combines an extraordinary story with an award-winning cast. Unpredictable through the last scene, this classic remains fresh and lively with each recurrent viewing.
Tagged in Audrey Hepburn