11 Harrowhouse

Considering the pedigree of the cast it's odd that this film didn't do better. There's much to recommend this story of a diamond broker being maneuvered into robbing a London diamond exchange of its inventory (a caper involving such tools as a desperate employee, a piece of chocolate cake and a cockroach). The dialogue is liberally peppered with Grodin's wry voice-over commentary, and this film is one of the few places where his style of humor actually manages to work. It's no Topkapi, but a pleasant way to waste some time. Considerably more light-hearted than the Gerald Browne book on which it was based.

Charles Grodin lends his distinctively dry comic persona to this somewhat tongue in cheek adaptation of a more serious novel by Gerald A. Browne. He also narrates, and does a good job at maintaining a fairly light tone. He plays a diamond merchant who regularly visits the worlds' largest clearinghouse for gems, located at 11 Harrowhouse in London. He ends up approached by a slimy, yet genial, oil baron named Clyde Massey (Trevor Howard) to steal the places' inventory, and although that usually isn't his trade he and his spirited female companion Maren (Candice Bergen) prove up to the challenge, coming up with an ingenious way to pull off the robbery. For one thing, it involves using a cockroach, but more importantly, it includes an angry employee, Charles Watts (James Mason) who they convert to their cause. At first glance, Grodin (who also is credited with adapting the story) would seem an unlikely lead for such a film, but his presence gives it a little something extra; his narration ensures that this feels like kind of a parody of the genre. Bergen is lovely, of course, and appealing as his girlfriend, a wealthy widow and ace getaway driver who's skillful, not reckless. The mostly British cast includes some very big names who give "11 Harrowhouse" some gravitas; Mason is a real standout as the willing participant in the robbery who wants to make sure that his family is provided for. John Gielgud is excellent as his serious-minded boss, and appearing as well are Helen Cherry, Peter Vaughan, Cyril Shaps, Leon Greene, Jack Watson, and Clive Morton. Director Aram Avakian handles it all in style, cranking up the excitement factor for a breathless final act involving a chase. All in all, this is pretty enjoyable; even if it's not that memorable it's hard to resist while it lasts; the climactic robbery sequence is fun and great use is made of the various locations. Worth a look for fans of the caper film and of the actors on hand. Seven out of 10.

I saw Harrowhouse on TV many years ago and loved it for it's period atmosphere, modest intrigue, topped off with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek narration by Grodin. Where the B-grade plot and action fell short, the dry humour of the narration supplied irony and maybe self-parody. Renting it on VHS many years later, it took some time to figure why it fell so flat - the VHS version had no narration, and presented as merely a sincere but inadequate attempt at thriller/drama genre.

I'd be curious to know which version each reviewer saw - the 'vanilla' but one-dimensional (original?) version, or the narrated and somewhat quirky TV version. I'm hoping that the narrated version eventually appears on DVD - it's on my list.

Charles Grodin, who co-wrote is almost always self-conscious, and it's self-consciousness that ultimately sinks this otherwise entertaining diamond heist caper. The excellent starring and supporting cast can't quite prevent the audience from being confused as to whether this is supposed to be a smart parody or a complicated thriller. The director was the excellent film editor of "Jazz On A Summer's Day", "Lilith", "The Miracle Worker", etc

One with the Grodin narration, and one without. I suspect many of the negative reviews refer to the highly edited TV-version. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if the commercial VHS tape offered is the edited version, so caution is advised.

As a fan of heist films, I only recently learned of this rare film and had an opportunity to obtain the widescreen laserdisc presentation. And while it's true that this isn't a top-notch comedy or thriller, it's certainly better than you would think given the majority of less-than-flattering reviews here.

There are clever heist tricks - many of which have not been used again since this film. You know how much Hollywood likes to "borrow" clever ideas and use them over and over to the point where they become sad clichés. Well, you have to admire the use of cockroaches and chocolate cake to defeat an ultra-secure vault! How many times have you seen that done before? Or since?

If you're a fan of the heist genre or a Grodin devotee - this is a 'must see'. Otherwise, I'd wait 'til it gets a DVD release.