{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode 043 - The Making Of The Italian Job (1969)","description":" "Just remember this - in this country they drive on the wrong side of the road" In 1969, British cinema delivered one of its most enduringly cheerful acts of grand larceny. The Italian Job had Michael Caine, three Mini Coopers, a coach balanced rather inconveniently above a precipice and a plan that looked perfectly sensible provided nobody examined it too closely. In this episode of Rainbow Valley, we go behind the scenes to explore how this much-loved crime caper found its way onto the screen. Written by Troy Kennedy Martin, directed by Peter Collinson and produced by Michael Deeley, the film followed recently released criminal Charlie Croker as he assembled an unlikely team to relieve Turin of several million pounds in gold. The authorities, the Mafia and the Italian traffic system all had other ideas. We discover how Michael Caine came to play the immaculately dressed Croker, alongside No\u00ebl Coward as the wonderfully imperious Mr Bridger and Benny Hill as Professor Simon Peach, a computer expert whose enthusiasm for large ladies required rather more explanation than most job interviews would allow. Behind the camera, meanwhile, French stunt coordinator R\u00e9my Julienne and his team set about turning the streets, rooftops and staircases of Turin into an obstacle course for three small British cars. There is also the film\u2019s distinctive musical world, created by Quincy Jones and crowned by \u201cOn Days Like These\u201d and \u201cGetta Bloomin\u2019 Move On\u201d, better known to generations of viewers as \u201cThe Self-Preservation Society\u201d. It was a soundtrack that somehow made traffic jams, bullion robbery and municipal vandalism feel positively uplifting. The making of The Italian Job captures Britain at the end of the 1960s: confident, stylish and slightly cheeky, yet already looking back at a decade whose optimism was beginning to wobble. It is a story of inspired casting, audacious stunt work, nervous studios and a famously unresolved ending that has kept viewers arguing ever since. So settle into the passenger seat and join us for a journey from London to Turin, accompanied by Minis, gold bars and one very precariously parked coach. Rainbow Valley \u2013 bringing you the stories from the decade that shook the world. This episode, along with all previous episodes of Rainbow Valley, is available wherever you get your podcasts and at: https:\/\/directory.libsyn.com\/shows\/view\/id\/rainbowvalley #RainbowValleyPodcast #RainbowValley #TheSixties #1960s #HistoryPodcast #TheItalianJob #MichaelCaine #BritishCinema #ClassicFilm #MiniCooper #Turin #1969   ","author_name":"Rainbow Valley","author_url":"http:\/\/rainbowvalley.libsyn.com\/podcast","html":"