Cinema Sunday: Gambit

Today's Cinema Sunday takes a look at a film that I never heard of until I happened to run into it a few weeks ago on TCM.  The film is called Gambit, a 1966 a comic crime caper film starring Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine. 

The poster urges you to tell everyone about the ending of the movie but don't spoil the beginning. 

Well, I will.  

Cockney cat burglar Harry Tristan Dean (Michael Caine) and his sculptor friend Emile Fournier (John Abbott) discover in Hong Kong an exotic Eurasian showgirl Nicole Chang (Shirley MacLaine) whose resemblance to another woman provides a vital part of their scheme to rob the world's richest man, an Arab named Ahmad Shahbandar (Herbert Lom). 

Over the course of the film's first act, Harry's plan unfolds like clockwork. Shahbandar is entranced by Chang's resemblance to his beloved late wife which gives Harry the opportunity to get access to Shahbandar's luxury apartment and steal a precious work of art, an ancient Chinese sculpture that also resembles Shahbandar's former wife. 

The scheme unfolds like clockwork as the various pieces of Harry's plan falls into place perfectly. It is a bit weird that Nicole never utters a word or has even so much as a facial expression. 

Because it turns out the first act never actually happens. It's just been Harry describing to Emile how the plot will go. Nicole Chang being silent and unexpressive is because Harry does not account for Chang having a voice or a personality. 

When Harry Tristan Dean approaches Nicole Chang for the 2nd time (for real this time), it is very clear that Ms. Chang does have a voice and a mind of her own. It is clear that Harry's clockwork gambit will not go as smoothly as it did in the imagined first act. 

Assuming the identities of Sir Harold Dean and Lady Nicole Dean, Harry and Nicole check into Shahbandar's hotel in the Middle Eastern city of Dammuz where Shahbandar himself lives in the penthouse. Things are not going according to plan and Shahbandar himself is immediately suspicious of this Sir and Lady Dean. 

What little of Harry's plan that works owes a lot to Shahbandar's curiosity as to what Sir and Lady Dean are up to and Nicole's own knowledge and charm.  Harry Tristan Dean remains confident that he can steal the statue but Nicole immediately intuits that Shahbandar knows they are up to something and is just playing out the string for his amusement and to catch Harry and his accomplice in the act. 

With help from Nicole, Harry escapes from Shahbandar's penthouse with the statue.  

Except he didn't. Yes, Harry escapes back to Hong Kong but he left the statue hidden in Shahbandar's apartment. 

It seems the robbery of Shahbandar's penthouse is to further a larger scheme by Harry and Emile.  

It's basically the plot of the Doctor Who episode, City of Death. It's hard to sell a reproduction of the Mona Lisa as the real thing when the real thing is hanging for all to see in the Louvre. So you have to steal the real thing. 

This movie is a lot of fun. Shirley MacLaine as Nicole is an interesting experience. The entirely silent, implacid performance in the first act is surreal. Then Nicole speaks and we discover a woman of uncommon wisdom and wit  who will not be the docile pawn in Harry's game.  

Michael Caine as Harry is Caine's first role in an American film. He gives what will become a quintessential Michael Caine performance, of a rough around the edges guy trying to be a suave English gentleman.  

Star Trek alert

Roger C. Carmel was Harry Mudd in Star Trek, the original series. Carmel is on hand in the first act as Ram. 

John Abbott who portrays Emile was in the original series episode "Errand of Mercy" as Ayelborne of the planet Organia.

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Under the topic "you can't do that now", Arab characters are not played by actors of Arabian heritage or descent.  

Ram is an Arab but Roger Cormel is an American actor born in Brooklyn, New York.  

Herbert Lom who played Shahbandar was a Czech actor who moved to the United Kingdom in 1939.

Shahbandar is gadget happy super rich dude worthy of a James Bond villain. Lom is most famous for his role as Chief Inspector Dreyfus, driven to madness by Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movie series.  

On a similar note, born in Richmond, VA, Shirley McClain is neither Euro nor Asian.  

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Gambit is a fun comedic crime caper movie that enjoys poking holes in some of the more absurd tropes of the comedic crime caper movie. The almost out of left field romantic attraction between Harry and Nicole feels more inevitable than organic but hell, it still works for the movie. 

Next week, Cinema Sunday will take a look at a really strange and really bad semi-modern sci-fi classic.