Caccia alla volpe (1966)

Director:

Vittorio De Sica

Writers:

Neil Simon (play)
Neil Simon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1966 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Watch your girl, guard your gold, hold your jewels ...the fox is loose!

Plot:

Peter Sellers plays Aldo Vanucci (aka the Fox), one of the greatest criminals of the world, and master of disguise...

Plot Keywords:

Italy | Sister | Disguise | Posing | Prison Escape

Cast

Peter Sellers	...	Aldo Vanucci aka Federico Fabrizi
Victor Mature	...	Tony Powell
Britt Ekland	...	Gina Vanucci aka "Gina Romantica"
Martin Balsam	...	Harry
Akim Tamiroff	...	Okra
Paolo Stoppa	...	Polio
Tino Buazzelli	...	Siepi
Mac Ronay	...	Carlo
Lydia Brazzi	...	Mama Vanucci
Lando Buzzanca	...	Police Chief
Maria Grazia Buccella	...	Miss Okra, the bikini trap.
Maurice Denham	...	Chief of Interpol
Tiberio Murgia	...	1st Detective
Francesco De Leone	...	2nd Detective
Carlo Croccolo	...	Cafe Owner

Also Known As:

After the Fox (UK) (USA)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Italy | USA | UK

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:14 | Finland:S | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:Unrated | West Germany:6 (nf) | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Ischia Island, Naples, Campania, Italy

Company:

Compagnia Cinematografica Montoro (CCM)

Trivia:

The scenes of the film that Aldo Vanucci and Gina Vanucci watch starring Tony Powell (Victor Mature) are actually scenes from the film Easy Living (1949) starring Victor Mature and Lizabeth Scott.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the beginning of this film, the police conferees are presented with a gold bar to examine. Based on its apparent size - it seems to be about a foot and a half long by three and a half inches wide and high - it would weigh on the order of 150 pounds. Yet it is passed around the table as if it weighed a tenth that much!

Quotes:

Aldo Vanucci: [as Fabrizi, explaining the concept of his movie] Tony plays 'The Fox'...
Tony Powell: [interrupting] An animal picture!
Aldo Vanucci: No, "The Fox", a master criminal with an ingenious plan to smuggle gold into Italy, and - a surprise ending!
Harry: What's the ingenious plan?
Aldo Vanucci: THAT is the surprise ending.
Tony Powell: I love it! When do we start shooting?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)

Soundtrack:

After the Fox

A GREAT STUDY IN HUMAN EGO

This much forgotten film has kept me in stitches for years. My brother and I quoted lines from it for years on appropriate occasions. What a surprise to find that Victor Mature was very funny. You have to see it to believe it.

In this clever little film Neil Simon crafted one of his greatest screenplays and the actors translated it into one of the most humorous off-beat comedies of the 60's. It is hilarious even by Coen brother and Zucker brother standards.

Essentially this film is a study in human ego:

Aldo Vanucci (Peter Sellers) wants to be seen as the great master thief.

His sister (Britt Ekland) wants to be a film actress (pronounced "film akdress")

Aldo's mother wants to be the mother of famous children ("my son the director" "My daughter the akdress")

The Agent (Martin Balsam) is proud that he can see through everybody--save himself.

Tony Powell, famous film star, (Victor Mature) is an aging actor that won't accept that he's an aging actor. He wants to play young man roles even though he is in his 60's.

The Police chief wants to say "Gooda Morning" in the movie so he'll get his "Warhol allotment."

The whole town of Savalio wants: "To be inna movie."

This film is a scream. If you watch this and don't simply crack up, its obvious that farce is not your fare. It's okay--farcical humor isn't for everyone. CAVEAT: If you like this check out "The Wrong Box."

At any rate, the finale of this film (I won't give it away) surely made Fellini blush--he is so well lampooned by Simon. This film hands out the ultimate insult to the avant guard film crowd of the 60's. It has the courage to insinuate: "We don't get your films and that doesn't make you smarter than us!"