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Surprise Package

  • 1960
  • Approved
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
363
YOUR RATING
Surprise Package (1960)
ComedyCrime

An American gangster is exiled from the United States for criminal activity and is sent back to the Greek island where he was born. Once on the island, he is watched by a corrupt local polic... Read allAn American gangster is exiled from the United States for criminal activity and is sent back to the Greek island where he was born. Once on the island, he is watched by a corrupt local police chief. Upon meeting an exiled king, he attempts to purchase the king's family jewels for... Read allAn American gangster is exiled from the United States for criminal activity and is sent back to the Greek island where he was born. Once on the island, he is watched by a corrupt local police chief. Upon meeting an exiled king, he attempts to purchase the king's family jewels for a million dollars. However, when he wires for the money to his associates back home, they... Read all

  • Director
    • Stanley Donen
  • Writers
    • Harry Kurnitz
    • Art Buchwald
  • Stars
    • Yul Brynner
    • Mitzi Gaynor
    • Noël Coward
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    363
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Stanley Donen
    • Writers
      • Harry Kurnitz
      • Art Buchwald
    • Stars
      • Yul Brynner
      • Mitzi Gaynor
      • Noël Coward
    • 16User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos13

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    Top cast28

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    Yul Brynner
    Yul Brynner
    • Nico March
    Mitzi Gaynor
    Mitzi Gaynor
    • Gabby Rogers
    Noël Coward
    Noël Coward
    • King Pavel II
    • (as Noel Coward)
    Eric Pohlmann
    Eric Pohlmann
    • Chief of Police Stefan Miralis
    George Coulouris
    George Coulouris
    • Dr. Hugo Panzer
    Guy Deghy
    Guy Deghy
    • Tibor Smolny
    Warren Mitchell
    Warren Mitchell
    • Klimatis
    Lyndon Brook
    Lyndon Brook
    • Stavrin
    Alf Dean
    • Igor Trofim
    • (as Man Mountain Dean)
    Michael Balfour
    Michael Balfour
    • Oscar
    • (uncredited)
    Harold Berens
    • Max Schissel
    • (uncredited)
    Jim Brady
    Jim Brady
    • Man In Hotel Bar
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Carpenter
    • Television News Broadcaster
    • (uncredited)
    Marie Devereux
    • Constancia
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Farrell
    Charles Farrell
    • Nick Jamieson
    • (uncredited)
    Barry Foster
    Barry Foster
    • US Marshal
    • (uncredited)
    Claire Gordon
    Claire Gordon
    • King's Girlfriend
    • (uncredited)
    Danny Green
    Danny Green
    • Nicky Canfield
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Stanley Donen
    • Writers
      • Harry Kurnitz
      • Art Buchwald
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    5.7363
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    Featured reviews

    7Lipstik

    I love Yul Brynner

    Yul Brynner is very hard to understand in this movie because he talks fast and his accent gets in the way, but he is still eye candy to me nonetheless. He does play a good brat. Not the same sort of brat Rameses was in The Ten Commandments. The brat he plays in this movie is a wealthy gangster who was exiled back to his birth country of Greece. He's not smart by any means, maybe street smart, but he spelled the only correct word in the Scrabble game between he and Gabby. He pouts, he name-calls, he tells people to shut up, he has a tantrum, etc.

    Mitzi Gaynor (Gabby) is a cute girlfriend/sidekick to Yul's gangster character (Nico). Noel Coward's character (King Pavel) bores me to tears.

    Cute movie, but not brilliant by any means. Some funny parts, but could be funnier.
    4kfo9494

    If Brynner got paid per word- he'd be a millionaire

    In this fast talking, mostly comical movie- Yul Brynner plays an American gangster, Nico March and dressed appropriately for the part, that has been deported to the country of Greece. Along for the ride is his goody-two-shoes girlfriend Gabby Rogers, played by Mitzi Gaynor, and they are living the boring life of visitors on the coast of Greece.

    Nico meets a laundry load full of suspicious characters while cooling his heels and even meets the exiled King Pavel II played by Noel Coward. He comes up with a clever plan to steal the King's crown but there are just as many other criminals waiting to do the exact same thing.

    If you are reading this review without watching the movie then you may believe that it is a nice semi-mystery and cunning portrayal of the criminal mind. Perhaps it would have been a better movie had the writers decided to go that way. Instead we have Brynner and Gaynor playing a comedy team that was so ill-matched it took away from the entire story. When a person thinks of Yul Brynner- 'Comedy'- does not come to mind, nor does comedy come to mind in this presentation. First of all, some people have a hard time clearly understanding words that Brynner speaks. Now throw in Brynner speaking like the fast talking Fed-Ex commercial man, and even the most noted linguist teacher would have a problem with the dialog.

    Mitzi Gaynor added very little to the script by just playing the sweet unintelligent girlfriend and doing nothing that caused interest to the character. The only time that the viewer really takes notice of Gaynor is when she, along with Coward, is singing the title song 'Surprise Package' and that comes too late to help the movie.

    Not to take anything away from Yul Brynne but he appear a miscast for this type of movie. Perhaps another actor could have helped with the interest of this film. But that is a moot point. But I will say that the movie did have some nice 'one-liners'.
    8josef05

    Good Surprise

    I can not understand the negative comments about this film. I think that Yul Brunner is great in this film, mainly because he talks so mauch, which is completely atypical for him. Usually he played rather laconic characters. Noel Coward as ex-king is a perfect choice. Mitzi Gaynor is not the stupid blonde gangster bride, but basically very clever, only she is hardly taken seriously. She is also able to differentiate between good and bad, which the two main male characters, Nico and the ex-king, obviously cannot do. All in all a successful comedy that I can definitely recommend.
    8richardchatten

    Expressive Esoterica

    Arnold Schwarzenegger has gained a wholly unmerited reputation for being able to play comedy precisely because he's so unfunny that he looks even more ludicrous than usual in a comic setting; and Yul Brynner's utter charmlessness actually enhances this Runyonesque comedy which makes good use of Greek locations and a game cast of Britons ranging from Warren Mitchell to Noël Coward.

    Damned by Andrew Sarris as "nervously oververbalized", the constant stream of witty dialogue courtesy of screenwriter Harry Kurnitz and/or original novelist Art Buchwald is actually a delight; particularly as delivered by Coward as a deposed king in exile surrounded (evidently with tongue in cheek) by a harem of voluptuous young blondes in bikinis, who also performs the title song with Mitzi Gaynor (displaying a shapely chassis in a succession of eye-popping outfits befitting a gangster's moll).
    4malcolmgsw

    Waste of talent

    You can only wonder why theyou bothered to make such a woefully unfunny film.YulBryner next film would be zThe Magnificent Seven,in the role of Chris.Coward would appear in a few more films.This was to be the end of Gaynors film career.What was Stanley Donenen thinking of.In fact the best part of the film were the opening credit titles which were designed by the great Maurice Binder.

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    Related interests

    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      There is only one scene in the entire film where Yul Brynner is not seen smoking a cigar. The actor died of cancer some 25 years afterwards and attributed his illness to smoking; his last appearance was in an anti-smoking commercial.
    • Quotes

      Tibor Smolny: Money won't make you happy; but you can buy so many tranquilisers, you won't know the difference.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits by Maurice Binder feature a comic animation of the three leads avoiding gangsters and bullets.
    • Soundtracks
      Surprise Package
      Words & Music by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, respectively

      Sung by vocal chorus over credits and performed in duet by Noël Coward & Mitzi Gaynor

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 11, 1960 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Paquete sorpresa
    • Filming locations
      • Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK(studio: made at Shepperton Studios-England)
    • Production company
      • Stanley Donen Enterprises
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 40m(100 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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