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

Very funny film!

While certainly not one of his greatest works, Peter Sellers nonetheless shines as Aldo Vanucci, aka "The Fox". He underplays the role in his early scenes, as the scheming criminal, but pulls out all the stops when the character hits upon the idea to masquerade as "Fredrico Fabrizi" the great neo-realist. Much like the scheme inspires Vanucci, the disguise inspires Sellers, and his wildly inventive genius kicks into high gear.

Equally funny is Victor Mature as aging, past-his-prime movie idol Tony Powell. It's a well-written part (by Neil Simon), but Mature really brings him to life, and rather than merely making him a buffoon, which would have been easy to do, he gives him a quality of sympathy; deep down, despite all his posturing and pompousness, Powell probably knows he's on the decline.

All-in-all, a very funny film, with a truly inspired Sellers performance, even if it's not his best. Even a little really good Sellers goes a long way. He's sadly missed.