Gambit *** (1966, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Herbert Lom) – Classic Movie Review 2417

Director Ronald Neame’s entertaining, modish 1966 comedy thriller Gambit stars Michael Caine in his first Hollywood movie, made at Universal Studios, California.

It casts him as Harry, an ambitious London cat burglar who embroils dancer Nicole (Shirley MacLaine, heavily disguised as a Eurasian femme fatale) in a clever perfect heist plan to steal a priceless oriental art treasure from a mega-rich Arab called Shahbandar (Herbert Lom). This treasure is a statue with a visage like Lom’s dead wife, who looked exactly like MacLaine.

This is an amusing, typically Swinging Sixties jokey heist thriller with bright playing by the three stars and satisfying plot twists in a nimble screenplay by Jack Davies and Alvin Sargent, based on the novel by Sidney Carroll. But the lackadaisical handling sometimes damps the suspense and sparkle.

However, the on-form stars relish their amusing lines, which form a useful distraction from some of the plot’s implausibilities in an otherwise engaging film. It helps a lot that Gambit is particularly plush, with striking production designs by Alexander Golitzen and eye-catching Technicolor cinematography by Clifford Stine, and well crafted.

It was remade, very badly in 2012, as Gambit with Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz and Alan Rickman, from a screenplay by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen.

Also in the cast are John Abbott, Roger C Carmel, Arnold Moss, Richard Angarola, Maurice Marsac and Paul Bradley.

Gambit is directed by Ronald Neame, runs 108 minutes, is made by Universal Pictures, is released by Universal Pictures (1966) (US) and J Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1966) (UK), is written by Jack Davies and Alvin Sargent, based on the novel by Sidney Carroll, is shot in Technicolor by Clifford Stine, is produced by Leo L Fuchs, is scored by Maurice Jarre and is designed by Alexander Golitzen.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2417

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