Directed by Vittorio De Sica, AFTER THE FOX is collaboration between highly regarded American playwright Neil Simon and celebrated Italian screenwriter Cesare Zavattini on Simon's first screenplay. The film stars Peter Sellers as Aldo Vanucci, a blundering master thief. Vanucci contentedly whiles away his time in jail until he .. Read more
| Starring | Peter Sellers, Victor Mature, Britt Ekland, Martin Balsam |
|---|---|
| Director | Vittorio De Sica |
| Genres | Comedy |
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Directed by Vittorio De Sica, AFTER THE FOX is collaboration between highly regarded American playwright Neil Simon and celebrated Italian screenwriter Cesare Zavattini on Simon's first screenplay. The film stars Peter Sellers as Aldo Vanucci, a blundering master thief. Vanucci contentedly whiles away his time in jail until he hears that his sister has become a prostitute. Vanucci escapes through a series of silly disguises, and finds his sister on the street picking up an older man. Vanucci attacks the man, only to find that his sister is in the midst of filming a dramatic "cinema verite" scene. Inspired, Vanucci disguises himself as a New Wave director named Federico Fabrizi, and begins pre-producing a "film" in which three million dollars in gold bullion will be smuggled into Italy. With the support of the criminal Okra (Akim Tamiroff), Vanucci hires ageing movie star Tony Powell (Victor Mature) for the lead role, and steals the necessary film equipment from a famous Italian director, played by De Sica himself. Victor Mature's performance is outstanding as he lampoons his own big screen persona from the 1940s, while the rest of the film scathingly satires art films, hoity-toity directors, and the Italian persona.
| Starring | Peter Sellers, Victor Mature, Britt Ekland, Martin Balsam, Akim Tamiroff |
|---|---|
| Director | Vittorio De Sica |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 42 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 27 Sep 2004 Production year: 1966 |
| Format | DVD |
In a switch from the bungling of Inspector Clouseau, here's Peter Sellers as a heist-fumbling supercrook, a master of disguise but not of his criminal career, breaking from jail to handle the smuggling of loot and to save his film-starlet sister's honour. The pretence of conning police and villagers into landing stolen gold during a movie shoot is a hoot, but the script collapses because the writing styles of New Yorker Neil Simon and Italian Cesare Zavattini clash awkwardly. However, the best joke of all is Victor Mature as a fading beefcake star, sending up his own image — corsets and all.
Unlikeable and unfunny farce which sets its star among excitable Italians and hopes for the best, adding a few wild stabs at satire on movie-making styles. Mature agreeably sends up his old image.
Don't you just love Peter Sellers!? He will forever be remembered for creating the wonderfully bizarre Inspector Clouseau and many miss out on his other great roles including this gem of a movie. He plays 'the Fox' a notorious criminal who escapes prison to keep an eye on his wild sister (played by his real wife at the time, Britt Ekland). He wants to steal the 'gold of Cairo' and his sister meanwhile wants to be an actress. When a famous and aging star(played by the brilliant but aging Victor Mature - sending himself up wonderfully) arrives and gets plenty of police protection 'the Fox' hatches a plan. To say more spoils what happens next. Its great slapstick, with a great pacy script and storyline which you have to watch carefully to keep track of at times. It really shows what a versatile actor Sellers was!! Great fun, especially the 'bingo' scene. Love it.
This DVD was quite good, and had a clever plot. Very attention holding.