The Italian Job

The Italian Job (1969)

9 corrected entries

(6 votes)

Corrected entry: When the cars are in the garage being prepared for Italy, Freddie tells Charlie that the red Mini Cooper is having its differential worked on. The mechanic has jacked up the rear off the car and is working on the back axle, but Mini Coopers are front wheel drive. The differential is on the front axle on these cars and working on it would mean removing the whole engine/gearbox unit.

Correction: In the garage scene, the mechanic underneath the rear of the mini states that he is working on the rear differential, and while the Minis are front wheel drive, this is a joke rather than a mistake. Minis were some of the first front wheel drive cars so it was a common joke to take the car to an unsuspecting mechanic and ask them to check the rear differential.

Corrected entry: How did those people in the England bus get out of the traffic so quickly? The ones in the minis had to go through various places - places the police cars had trouble going - to escape quickly, so how did they escape at the same speed in a bus?

Correction: They exit the same way that the armored car carrying Michael Caine's character got in, through side streets, back alleys and backyards. They follow that route in reverse and you even see them travel through some of the same spots, the road construction, the farmer's market, etc.

Corrected entry: During the getaway the three minis jump over a ramp chased by the police motorcyclist who then crashes through a wall. When the motorcycle first touches the ground after landing off the ramp it has a clear path ahead without the wall in sight, so the wall seems to appear in front of it in a split second.

Correction: There are two police motorcycles; the first one jumps the ramp successfully and continues to chase the minis, but the second motorcycle misses the ramp to hit the wall next to it.

Corrected entry: The two cars that fall off the car transporter are supposed to be brand new cars just out of the factory. The second car to fall the maroon Austin Cambridge is obviously not that new, as when it falls off the truck you can see that it is has rusty sills. Also, its paint has faded and you can see where the rear number plate has been removed.

Correction: When is it said they are brand new cars just from the factory? Since they aren't Italian cars this is absurd. Why couldn't they be confiscated cars on the way to the pound, a second hand or scrap dealers stock, or something similar?

Corrected entry: When the truck swings out over the edge of the cliff, you can see an upwards shot showing the sky, with an airplanes jetstream going across. After a quick shot of the interior, we see the same shot, moments later, but the sky is now lighter and the jetstream has moved further across.

Correction: It's the same jetstream. The camera angle has changed, meaning distant objects appear to move drastically in relation to nearby objects.

Corrected entry: As Charlie is leaving prison, Bridger and his sidekick discuss the fact that Charlie is planning a job in Italy. However at this point, Charlie has not yet seen Beckermann's tape of the plan, and Bridger doesn't know about it until Charlie breaks back in to tell him. (00:05:05)

Correction: Mr Bridger says that Charlie has a job in Italy but that's all. He doesn't say that he knows what the job is. Charlie has had contact with Bekkerman before he gets out of prison otherwise Bekkerman would have no time to get to England for the meeting (which of couse he can't attend because he's dead). Even if it was not made explicitly clear, Charlie would assume that since Bekkerman is Italian, the job is in Italy. The tape is only to explain in more detail.

tw_stuart

Corrected entry: Why was Professor Simon Peach even necessary? He was supposedly the computer expert but in fact the new computer program was already written to tape before he joined the venture. His contribution was solely to bolt the new tape onto the computer in the traffic center, and he wasn't even sure how to do that.

Correction: The first tape was written for the original plan. The job actually done is a one time gold delivery not the weekly delivery mentioned by Bekkerman so a new programme was needed.

tw_stuart

Corrected entry: The film uses Mini Coopers during the escape scene. Mini Coopers have 2 fuel tanks in the rear wings, and so have filler caps on both sides. Genuine Coopers were used in the escape scenes, but when they are dropped from the coach at the end, the cars only have one filler cap indicating that they were not Coopers, but the cheaper standard bodies.

Correction: The Mini Cooper actually did have just one fuel tank. It was the Mini Cooper 'S' which had two.

Corrected entry: When the three Minis are driven up onto the roof of the Dome Stadium, the first car (the red one) turns right at the top and the last (blue one) turns left. When they drive back down the red and blue Minis have switched ends.

Correction: They drive out of sight and we never see what happens on the other side of the Dome. It's possible (and most likely) that they swapped positions while out of sight.

They could not have swapped sides as the angles of the roof are too steep.

Revealing mistake: When the police car crashes through the grating that was dropped down in front of it at the end of the tunnel, the occupants are dummies - they just bounce about in the same upright position whilst the car drives into the river.

More mistakes in The Italian Job

Charlie Croker: It's a very difficult job and the only way to get through it is we all work together as a team. And that means you do everything I say.

More quotes from The Italian Job

Trivia: The film is primarily about cars and driving. Star Michael Caine could not drive at the time the movie was made. Charlie Croker is assumed to be driving when he picks up his Aston Martin at the garage but in the next shot, we see it arrive outside a hotel. Caine only gets out of the stationary Aston Martin. In other scenes, including the trip to Turin and the gold heist, Caine is a passenger. However, he is seen driving his E-type Jaguar into the Turin building where the Minis are being modified. The DVD confirms that Caine couldn't drive, but could just about manage the basics.

More trivia for The Italian Job

Question: What happened at the end? How did they get out of that fix?

Answer: We may never know. The ending was originally a set-up for a sequel, but the sequel never materialized.

Cubs Fan

Answer: Michael Caine himself once suggested in an interview that all they had to do was wait until the bus, the engine of which was still running, ran out of fuel. The fuel tank was at the rear of the bus, hanging over the cliff and so adding weight at that end. As it emptied, the balance would shift to the front and they would be able to move the gold forward. How they could then get it off the bus, or transport it from the roadside is another matter.

More questions & answers from The Italian Job

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