A meek bank clerk who oversees the shipment of bullion joins with an eccentric neighbor to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country as miniature Eiffel Towers.A meek bank clerk who oversees the shipment of bullion joins with an eccentric neighbor to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country as miniature Eiffel Towers.A meek bank clerk who oversees the shipment of bullion joins with an eccentric neighbor to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country as miniature Eiffel Towers.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 4 nominations total
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAudrey Hepburn (Chiquita) was considered for a larger role in this movie, but stage work made her unavailable. Sir Alec Guinness was impressed with the young actress and arranged for her to appear in a bit part. This is considered to be Hepburn's first appearance in a major movie.
- GoofsWhatever the Eiffel Tower paperweights are made of it is not gold or lead, because a paperweight of that size cast in those metals would be too heavy to handle with the ease that they are handled in the film. (For example, Holland places one lightly on the palm of his hand without flinching a muscle.)
- Quotes
Henry Holland: A minute later, the guard will appear around this corner, and you, Pendlebury, will detain him for at least half a minute. Ask him for a light, ask him the way, ask him anything, but keep him there, we must have those thirty seconds.
Pendlebury: Edgar.
Henry Holland: I beg your pardon?
Pendlebury: Isn't one supposed to say that when one's being briefed? On my rare visits to the cinema...
Henry Holland: The word is "roger."
Pendlebury: Oh, roger. How silly of me.
Directed by Charles Crichton and written by T.E. Clarke, this is a fun movie that in spite of the years since it was filmed, it still charms its audiences, young and old.
The background is a London, right after the war. The film is original in that it takes us all over the city to places that one can identify so clearly, even after more than 50 years! It speaks of how careful are the English not to destroy their monuments.
As the would be robbers, Henry "Dutch" Holland is a man with a plan. He recognizes in his neighbor of the Lavender Hill rooming house, Alfred Pendlebury, a kindred soul that will see his proposal of how to steal the precious gold bullion from the Bank of England. It's a big operation, yet, only four people are needed to carry on the job.
This is a comedy of errors, where the best laid plans go awry in the small details the gang hadn't planned. The sure thing becomes a dead giveaway to the authorities once Holland and Pendlebury decide to go after the souvenir one young student bought in Paris that is part of the loot. Prior to that, the scenes in Paris at the Eiffel Tower was an original sequence for a movie that relies on intelligence rather than in overblown special effects.
Alec Guinness is charming as the master mind behind the heist. Stanley Holloway, a great English actor is magnificent as the man with an artistic eye, who almost derails the operation. Sid James and Alfie Bass contribute to make the film the joy it is with their comic presence. In a small cameo that comes and goes so quickly, we watch a young and elegant Audrey Hepburn makes an graceful appearance.
This is a film for all Ealing fans of all ages.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Einmal Millionär sein
- Filming locations
- Gunnersbury Park, London, England, UK(Police Exhibition)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $16,361
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,524
- May 12, 2024
- Gross worldwide
- $32,232
- Runtime1 hour 18 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1