giving semblance to those passing thoughts

*How to Steal a Million 8.0

How to Steal a Million (1966), directed by William Wyler
stars Audrey Hepburn as Nicole Bonnet
Peter O'Toole as Simon (something)

INTRODUCTION: As in Roman Holiday, also directed by William Wyler, Audrey Hepburn plays the aristocrat against the working class fellow (Peter O'Toole standing in for Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday) who manages to win her heart. Although lesser known, How to Steal a Million has much of the same type of wit that makes Roman Holiday fun to watch.

SUMMARY: Nicole Bonnet (Hepburn) is an honest woman who comes from a long line of men reknowned in the art world as collectors with incomparable collections. These works are a source of pride for the Bonnets as well, but for a different reason--they are faked. Nicole's father gleefully reveals to a shocked Nicole that a large French museum is set to loan the star of their collection--the long-missing Cellini Venus, sculpted by her grandfather with her grandmother as the model in the Bonnet interpretation--to use as the main attraction for their upcoming exhibition.

On the night of the opening, Nicole stays home and catches a man (Peter O'Toole) standing in the living room, holding her father's Van Gogh (which in the movie is pronounced "van 'go-huh") in his hands. Attempting to scare him with an antique gun that hangs on the wall in the hallway, she accidentally shoots him in the arm and ends up having to drive the thief back to his hotel.

A few days later, her father unwittingly signs a form authorizing a series of tests to be performed on the Cellini Venus for authenticity, throwing both father and daughter into a series of fits. Nicole then enlists the help of Simon the art thief to help her steal the Cellini Venus, insured for a million dollars, back before it is discovered to be fake.

VERDICT: 8.0/10.0. Both Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole are very good in the movie, but it's their comedic dialogue that is the star of the film.

posted by alice @ 5:30 PM