“PLAN? WHAT PLAN?”

By Raymond Benson

The mid-1960s were full of motion pictures that capitalized on the exotic, globe-trotting James Bond adventures. Even if they weren’t particularly spy films, they had the same flavor, or at least they attempted to capture a similar magic. Cinema Retro has reviewed several of these movies in recent weeks (e.g., Masquerade, Arabesque), and Gambit, released in 1966, is another one.

Directed by Ronald Neame, Gambit is a top notch caper flick, and a clever one to boot. Written by Jack Davies and Alvin Sargent, from a story by Sidney Carroll, the film might remind viewers of the excellent Topkapi (1964), which was also an international heist tale.

Shirley MacLaine receives top billing over the up-and-comer Michael Caine, whose star was rising rapidly in those days. They make a wonderful pair, and the film’s electricity derives solely from their chemistry together. Add the shrewd script, Neame’s able direction, a lively score by the great Maurice Jarre, and beautifully faked foreign locations (the movie was made in Hollywood, despite a few second unit establishing shots), and the results are a winner.

One of the more unique things about the script is that the first twenty minutes or so depict the caper as it is planned to work. The entire heist is acted out without a hitch, and our protagonists get away with a priceless antiquity. But all that was only Harry’s (Caine) plot, being told to his accomplice, Emile (John Abbott). The rest of the movie is the enactment of that plan, which of course, goes wrong every step of the way. This is a movie about being forced to throw the plan out the window and improvise, with the stakes much higher and more dangerous.

Harry wants to steal an ancient Chinese sculpture of a woman’s head. It just so happens that Nicole (MacLaine), an exotic dancer in Hong Kong, looks exactly like the face of the woman. The owner of the relic is allegedly the “richest man in the world,” Shahbandar (Herbert Lom), who lives in a fictional Middle Eastern country not unlike Egypt. It also just so happens that Shahbandar’s deceased wife greatly resembled the statue, and thus, Nicole, too. Harry promises Nicole a payment of $5,000 and a British passport if she will cooperate in his scheme. Nicole is to dress in flashy Middle Eastern garb and pose as Harry’s wife, and Harry fenagles a visit with Shahbandar. Harry is counting on the rich collector to be so entranced by Nicole’s looks that Harry will be able to case the house, steal the statue, and escape in less than a day. Unfortunately, Shahbandar is not the pushover Harry thinks he is. The man is one step ahead of the thieves, and Harry must quickly alter his scheme on the fly. And, naturally, neither Harry nor Nicole expected to fall in love with each other, either!

This is fun stuff, and it’s all presented in a playful, tongue-in-cheek manner that is characteristic of the genre and the era in which these types of movies were made. The heist sequence is especially smart. Who knew Shirley MacLaine was so flexible? (You’ll have to see the movie.) Incidentally, the film was nominated for three Oscars: Art Direction, Sound and Costume Design.

Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray showcases Clifford Stine’s colorful cinematography, and it looks lovely. The movie comes with two different audio commentaries—one an archival track by director Neame, and a newer one by film historians Howard S. Berger, Sergio Mims, and Nathaniel Thompson. The theatrical trailer is included, along with other Kino Lorber trailers.

Gambit is for fans of Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, 1960s-era crime adventures, and old-fashioned romps at the movies.

(Note: the film inspired a quasi-remake in 2012 starring Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz and Alan Rickman.-Ed.)

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