After The Fox (1966)

A rather forgettable Peter Sellers comedy about an ingenious criminal who becomes a movie director as a front to pull off a gold heist.

Italy’s premier crook Aldo Vanucci (Sellers) – alias “The Fox” – escapes from prison for the ninth time in 11 years to save his sister, Gina (Sellers’ real-life wife Britt Ekland) from a life of shame and – incidentally – to smuggle a cargo of stolen Egyptian gold into Italy.

He dons various disguises – belligerent priest, bearded doctor, American tourist – with his most novel being an over-exuberant film director called Frederico Fabrizi, which enables him to gain the manpower for the bullion job when he persuades an entire village that they are movie extras for his film “The Gold of Cairo”.

The movie never really gets off the ground despite Neil Simon’s satirical script. The best joke of all is Victor Mature as pompous has-been Hollywood star Tony Powell, sending up his own image – corsets and all.

The whole thing ends in a mad chase with the villain (Akim Tamiroff) trying to shake off his pursuers by throwing out clouds of studio-made “fog”.

Maybe what seems screamingly funny in Italian just doesn’t translate well into English.

Aldo Vanucci
Peter Sellers
Tony Powell
Victor Mature
Gina Romantica
Britt Ekland
Harry
Martin Balsam
Okra
Akim Tamiroff
Polio
Paolo Stoppa
Siepi
Tino Buazzeli
Carlo
Mac Ronay
Mama Vanucci
Lidia Brazzi
Police chief
Lando Buzzanca
Bikini girl
Maria Grazia Buccella
Chief of Interpol
Maurice Denham
Detective
Tiberio Murgia
Detective
Francesco De Leone

Director
Vittorio De Sica

Video