Dandy Cat

How to Steal a Million was written by Harry Kurnitz and directed by William Wyler. It was released in 1966. It was produced by World Wide Productions and was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox. The main title design was done by Phill Norman.

The film gives us the wonderful pairing of Audrey Hepburn as Nicole Bonnet, the daughter of an art forger, and Peter O’Toole as Simon Dermott, a charming burglar. Nicole’s father is lending a much-lauded Cellini Venus statuette to a local art museum but unknowingly agreed to have this piece inspected for authenticity. Should this happen, his fraud would be found out, ruining his life and work. Following an unsuccessful robbery attempt at Nicole’s home, Simon agrees to help her steal her father’s statue before his livelihood can be put at risk.

I would call myself a pretty unabashed Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole fan,¹ but my experience with their films is startling in its meager size. Sure, I’ve seen Charade and Venus, but that’s about as far as it goes. I desperately need to see more of their work. When my wife suggested watching this one, I was intrigued. How could you not be with a title like that? I didn’t know how much fun I would have watching this one. Truly, it was a blast. A nice and breezy caper is sure to please anybody who watches it. Throw this duo of actors together, and it’s impossible not to have magic. This film may be the reason why I end up seeing a lot more of their work, and for that, I’m also grateful for it. 🎞