The Italian Job is one of the most influential and timeless British films ever made. Made in 1969, it seemed to encapsulate the swinging London vibe in one hour and 39 minutes. With memorable one-liners and scenes, it is considered to be a timeless classic and regularly features in the list of best British films ever made.
One of the most striking features of the film is the use of the Mini Coopers to make the escape with the gold bullion. Incredibly, very little was needed to be done to the cars in terms of modification. The only required adaptation was a boost to 3 minis so that they had enough power to jump across the Fiat factory roof. In distinctive Red, White and Blue, they made the already popular little car even more of a star.
What’s really impressive is how the Minis go into the Turin sewer system to escape. The Italian Police would have had to employ the services of a CCTV Drain Survey Maidenhead based operation like https://www.drainpower.co.uk/drainage-services/cctv-drain-surveys/cctv-drain-surveys-maidenhead/. The camera would have soon picked up on three Mini Coopers making their way through the tunnels. In fact, the sewers aren’t even in Turin at all! The scene was filmed near Coventry in the Sowe sewer system, not far from where the Minis were originally made. A mock-up of the action can be seen in Coventry Transport Museum.
One of the film’s most famous scenes is the literal cliff-hanger at the end. The coach that the gang is using to escape has crashed and is about to fall over the side of a mountain. All of the gang move up to the driver’s end of the coach. Charlie edges forward until he almost reaches the bullion. As he does, the coach slowly tips backwards, sending the gold towards its doom.
How the boys escape from this predicament has kept audiences hooked for years. Even mathematics academics have put forward theories, physicists, and engineers too. One answer is that as the gang are dressed as football fans, then they may be able to use what they have. They all have scarves, hats and, possibly, belts. If these could be tied together to make a long rope of some kind, it may be possible to pull the bullion back. I guess we’ll never know.