Topkapi (1964)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

Eric Ambler (novel)
Monja Danischewsky (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 September 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

(where the jewels were!)

Plot:

Caper film about the theft of a jeweled dagger from an Istanbul museum.

Plot Keywords:

Museum | Istanbul | Dagger | Smuggling | Caper

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Melina Mercouri	...	Elizabeth Lipp
Peter Ustinov	...	Arthur Simon Simpson
Maximilian Schell	...	Walter Harper
Robert Morley	...	Cedric Page
Jess Hahn	...	Hans Fisher
Gilles Ségal	...	Giulio the Human Fly
Akim Tamiroff	...	Gerven the Cook
Titos Vandis	...	Harback (as Titos Wandis)
Ege Ernart	...	Maj. Ali Tufan
Senih Orkan	...	First Shadow
Ahmet Danyal Topatan	...	Second Shadow
Joseph Dassin	...	Josef
Despo Diamantidou	...	Voula
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bedri Çavusoglu	...	Police officer (uncredited)
Amy Dalby	...	Nanny (uncredited)
Jules Dassin	...	Turkish cop (uncredited)

Directed by
Jules Dassin

Writing credits
Eric Ambler		(novel "The Light of Day")
Monja Danischewsky		(screenplay)

Produced by
Jules Dassin	....	producer
Roger Dwyre	....	associate producer
Lee Katz	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Manos Hatzidakis		(as Manos Hadjidakis)

Cinematography by
Henri Alekan		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Roger Dwyre

Makeup Department
Amato Garbini	....	makeup artist

Production Management
André Cultet	....	production manager (as Andre Cultet)
Claude Hauser	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ali Cakus	....	second assistant director
Joseph Dassin	....	second assistant director
Stepan Melikyan	....	second assistant director
Tom Pevsner	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jacques Douy	....	assistant sets
Max Douy	....	sets
André Labussière	....	set dresser (as Andre Labussiere)

Sound Department
William Robert Sivel	....	sound engineer (as William Sivel)

Visual Effects by
Jean Fouchet	....	optical effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Philippe Brun	....	camera operator: second unit
René Chabal	....	assistant camera (as Rene Chabal)
Gilbert Chain	....	camera operator
Roger Corbeau	....	still photographer
Max Lechevallier	....	assistant camera
Raymond Picon-Borel	....	camera operator: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Theoni V. Aldredge	....	costumes (as Denny Vachlioti)

Editorial Department
Patrick Clement-Bayard	....	assistant editor
Johnny Dwyre	....	assistant editor
Daniele Grimberg	....	assistant editor (as Danielle Grimberg)

Other crew
Jean Fouchet	....	title designer: main titles
Lucie Lichtig	....	script

Production Companies

• Filmways Pictures (as Filmways)

Distributors

• United Artists (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1968) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Turkish | German | Greek | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Ireland:G | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Istanbul, Turkey

Company:

Filmways Pictures

Trivia:

Cited by "Mission: Impossible" (1966) TV series creator Bruce Geller as the inspiration for his own series.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the agent (in glasses) is marking a photograph with red texter, several extra lines appear on the photograph without him having drawn them.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Elizabeth Lipp: It can be done! That's the way it can be done! Aaah... oh, excuse me; I've just had a great idea - something I've been looking for a long time... a very long time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Thomas Crown Affair 2 (2010)

Marvelous Caper Flick

Topkapi is a wonderful caper film that established the genre of the light heist flick. Much copied even to this day, it was a big international hit back in '64. Marvelous international cast (Ustinov's Oscar winning performance among them), exotic settings and a great climax is pure entertainment. Ustinov, Melina Mercouri, Max Shell, Robert Morley, Akim Tamiroff (demented!) and more. What a terrific international all star cast! Exciting movie in it's day, though some of the effects are dated to the 60's. If it seems a bit slow at the beginning (by today's standards), give it a chance. The climax art museum theft scene is one of the great moments in film - don't miss it!