Topkapi 1964 G

‘For Topkapi, Jules Dassin took a minor novel by Eric Ambler (The Light of Day) and turned it into a delightful and suspenseful comedy spoof of his own Rififi. A band of thieves, assembled by a deliciously intent Mercouri, attempts to steal a fabulous emerald-encrusted dagger from the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul. The ultimate theft is depicted in a long sequence reminiscent of his earlier heist scene—but this time with considerably more levity. Dassin assembled a flawless cast of charming rogues and charlatans, including Peter Ustinov in an especially humorous performance that earned him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.’ Harvard Film Archive

G | The content is very mild in impact

35MM, COLOUR, MONO, 120 MINUTES, TURKEY, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR:  JULES DASSIN/ SCRIPT: MONJA DANISCHEWSKY BASED ON THE NOVEL BY ERIC AMBLER / CINEMATOGRAPHER: HENRI ALEKAN / EDITOR: ROGER DWYRE / CAST: MELINA MERCOURI, PETER USTINOV, MAXIMILLIAN SCHELL / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: PARK CIRCUS