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Caper Film
The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime films and the caper story, focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery. One of the early defining heist films was '' The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film Genre 2000'' wrote "almost single-handedly popularized the genre for mainstream cinema". It featured robbers whose personal failings ultimately led to the failure of their robbery. Similar films using this formula were '' Armored Car Robbery'' (1950), '' The Killing'' (1956), and '' The Getaway'' (1972). By the 1990s, heist films began to "experiment and play with these conventions," incorporating elements such as comedy into their stories. Characteristics of the genre While there is no unanimous agreement on what constitutes a heist film, there are some common characteristics that most films in the genre share. The most basic is that films in the genre tend to follow the planning, execution and aftermath of one large robbery. While ther ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subgenre
Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other forms of art or entertainment, based on some set of stylistic criteria, as in literary genres, film genres, music genres, comics genres, etc. Often, works fit into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining these conventions. Stand-alone texts, works, or pieces of communication may have individual styles, but genres are amalgams of these texts based on agreed-upon or socially inferred conventions. Some genres may have rigid, strictly adhered-to guidelines, while others may show great flexibility. The proper use of a specific genre is important for a successful transfer of information ( media-adequacy). Critical discussion of genre perhaps began with a classification system for ancient Greek literature, as set out in Aristotle's ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Killers (1946 Film)
''The Killers'' is a 1946 American film noir directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Burt Lancaster in his film debut, along with Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien and Sam Levene. Based in part on the 1927 short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway, it focuses on an insurance detective's investigation into the execution by two professional killers of a former boxer who was unresistant to his own murder. The screenplay was written by Anthony Veiller, with uncredited contributions by John Huston and Richard Brooks. Released in August 1946, ''The Killers'' was a critical and commercial success, earning four Academy Award nominations, including for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Hemingway, who was habitually disgusted with how Hollywood distorted his thematic intentions, was an open admirer of the film. It is widely regarded as one of the classics of the film noir genre. In 2008, ''The Killers'' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Regi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Topkapi (film)
''Topkapi'' is a 1964 American Technicolor heist film produced by Filmways Pictures and distributed by United Artists. The film was produced and directed by the émigré American film director Jules Dassin. The film is based on Eric Ambler's novel ''The Light of Day (Eric Ambler novel), The Light of Day'' (1962), adapted as a screenplay by Monja Danischewsky. The film stars Melina Mercouri, Peter Ustinov, Maximilian Schell, Robert Morley and Akim Tamiroff. The music score was by Manos Hadjidakis, the cinematography by Henri Alekan and the costume design by Theoni V. Aldredge. The film won an Academy Award in 1965, with Peter Ustinov taking home the trophy for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actor, his second such award in four years. Plot Elizabeth Lipp (Melina Mercouri) visits Istanbul, where she sees a traveling fair featuring replicas of treasures from the Topkapı Palace. Next she cases the Topkapı, fascinated by the Topkapi Dagger, emerald-encru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seven Thieves
''Seven Thieves'' is a 1960 American heist crime drama film shot in CinemaScope. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, Joan Collins and Eli Wallach. Directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Sydney Boehm, it was adapted for the screen by Sydney Boehm, based on the 1959 novel ''The Lions At The Kill'' by Max Catto. Technical advisor was Candy Barr, who, as choreographer, taught dance routines to Collins. ''Seven Thieves'' received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design Black-and-White ( Bill Thomas). Plot A discredited expatriate American professor, Theo Wilkins, has called on a young protégé and sophisticated thief, Paul Mason, to come over from the US to the south of France and help him pull off one final heist. He has masterminded a caper to steal $4,000,000 in French francs from the underground vault of the casino of Monte Carlo, Monaco. Wilkins has recruited a team of thieves – including Melanie, an exotic dancer – but he needs someone he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The League Of Gentlemen (film)
''The League of Gentlemen'' is a 1960 British heist action comedy film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Hawkins, Nigel Patrick, Roger Livesey and Richard Attenborough. It is based on John Boland's 1958 novel of the same name, and features a screenplay written by Bryan Forbes, who also co-starred in the film. In the film, former officers of the British Army plan a bank robbery in the City of London. They raid an army training camp in Dorset to get the weapons they need, and frame the Irish Republican Army (IRA) for the raid. Plot A manhole opens at night in an empty street, and out climbs Lieutenant-Colonel Norman Hyde in a dinner suit. He gets into a Rolls-Royce and drives home. There, Hyde prepares seven envelopes, each containing an American crime paperback titled ''The Golden Fleece'', one half of each of ten £5-notes, and an invitation to a lunch at the Cafe Royal hosted by "Co-Operative Removals Ltd." Hyde sends the envelopes to former army officers, e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Big Deal On Madonna Street
''Big Deal on Madonna Street'' (; released as ''Persons Unknown'' in the UK) is a 1958 Italian comedy caper film directed by Mario Monicelli. Regarded as one of the masterpieces of Italian cinema, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. The plot revolves around the comedic mishaps of a group of small-time thieves attempting to burgle a pawn shop in Rome. The main characters are portrayed by Vittorio Gassman, Renato Salvatori, Carlo Pisacane, Tiberio Murgia, and Marcello Mastroianni. The film contributed significantly to the careers of Gassman and Mastroianni, with the former breaking into comedic roles previously considered unsuitable for him. Claudia Cardinale makes a minor appearance as a chaste Sicilian girl constrained by her overprotective brother, portrayed by Murgia. Cardinale achieved fame for her subsequent work. The film's breezy jazz score by composer Piero Umiliani contributed to the development of the jazz soundtracks characte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Ladykillers (1955 Film)
''The Ladykillers'' is a 1955 British black comedy crime film directed by Alexander Mackendrick for Ealing Studios. It stars Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers, Danny Green, Jack Warner, and Katie Johnson as the old lady, Mrs. Wilberforce. William Rose wrote the screenplay, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay. He claimed to have dreamt the entire film and merely had to remember the details when he awoke. Plot Mrs. Wilberforce is a sweet and eccentric old widow who lives alone in a gradually subsiding house, built over the entrance to a railway tunnel in Kings Cross, London. With nothing to occupy her time and an active imagination, she is a frequent visitor to the local police station where she reports fanciful suspicions regarding neighbourhood activities. The officers there humour her but give her reports no credence whatsoever. She is approached by a sly a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Lavender Hill Mob
''The Lavender Hill Mob'' is a 1951 British comedy film from Ealing Studios, written by T. E. B. Clarke, directed by Charles Crichton, starring Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway and featuring Sid James and Alfie Bass. The title refers to Lavender Hill, a street in Battersea, a district in London SW11, near to Clapham Junction railway station. The British Film Institute ranked ''The Lavender Hill Mob'' the 17th greatest British film of all time. The original film was digitally restored and re-released to UK cinemas on 29 July 2011 to celebrate its 60th anniversary. It is one of fifteen films listed in the category "Art" on the Vatican film list. Plot Henry Holland lives the life of luxury in Rio de Janeiro, and spends an evening dining out with a British visitor. During their meal, he narrates a story concerning how he changed his life by instigating an intricate gold bullion robbery. One year ago, Holland served as an unambitious London bank clerk, who for tw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Le Flambeur
''Bob le flambeur'' (English translation": "Bob the Gambler" or "Bob the High Roller") is a 1956 French heist gangster film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and starring Roger Duchesne as Bob. It is often considered both a film noir and a precursor to the French New Wave, the latter because of its use of handheld camera and a single jump cut. Plot The film opens with a tracking shot around the Montmartre quarter where the film is set, and the director, Jean-Pierre Melville, as narrator, then says " Montmartre_Funicular.html" ;"title="ird's eye view of the Montmartre Funicular">ird's eye view of the Montmartre Funicular descending, with music [Shot of the Place Pigalle]" ("It is at one and the same time heaven ... and ... hell"). Bob is a gambler who lives on his own in the Montmartre district of Paris, where he is well-liked by the demi-monde community. A former bank robber and convict, he has mostly kept out of trouble for the past 20 years, and is even friends with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rififi
''Rififi'' () is a 1955 French crime film adaptation of Auguste Le Breton's novel of the same name. Directed by American blacklisted filmmaker Jules Dassin, the film stars Jean Servais as the aging gangster Tony "le Stéphanois", Carl Möhner as Jo "le Suédois", Robert Manuel as Mario Farrati, and Jules Dassin as César "le Milanais". The foursome band together to commit an almost impossible theft, the burglary of an exclusive jewelry shop in the Rue de la Paix. The centerpiece of the film is an intricate half-hour heist scene depicting the crime in detail, shot in near silence, without dialogue or music. The fictional burglary has been mimicked by criminals in actual crimes around the world. After he was blacklisted from Hollywood, Dassin found work in France where he was asked to direct ''Rififi''. Despite his distaste for parts of the original novel, Dassin agreed to direct the film. He shot ''Rififi'' while working with a low budget, without a star cast, and with th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
5 Against The House
''5 Against the House'' is a 1955 American heist film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Guy Madison, Kim Novak, Brian Keith and William Conrad. The screenplay is based on Jack Finney's 1954 novel of the same name, later serialized by '' Good Housekeeping'' magazine. The film centers on a fictional robbery of Harold's Club, a real Reno casino. Plot Four friends enrolled at Midwestern University—Brick, Al, Ronnie and Roy—visit the Harold's Club casino in Reno, Nevada, during a weekend trip. After an hour of gambling and socializing, Ronnie is broke. He and Roy go to the cashier's window to cash a check, but the cashier is being threatened by a would-be robber with a gun. Using a concealed alarm button, the cashier alerts casino security, who apprehend the man. They mistake Roy and Ronnie for his accomplices, but Al persuades them to release his friends. Ronnie overhears one of the officers boast that a successful heist of Harold's is impossible. Ronnie becomes intri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seven Samurai
is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai action film directed by Akira Kurosawa from a screenplay co-written with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni. Taking place in 1586 in the Sengoku period of Japanese history, it follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who seek to hire samurai to combat bandits who will return after the harvest to steal their crops. At the time, the film was the most expensive film made in Japan. It took a year to shoot and faced many difficulties. It was the second-highest-grossing domestic film in Japan in 1954. Many reviews compared the film to the Western film genre. ''Seven Samurai'' is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films in cinema history. Since its release, it has consistently ranked highly in critics' lists of greatest films, such as the BFI's '' Sight & Sound'' and Rotten Tomatoes polls. It was also voted the greatest foreign-language film of all time in the BBC's 2018 international critics' poll. It is regarded a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
