The Italian Job

07/21
The Italian Job (Peter Collinson, 1969) A-

The Italian Job is a British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. It was released in 1969 and was very popular in Britain; subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as something of a national institution in the UK, with a cult following elsewhere.

Its distinctive soundtrack was composed by Quincy Jones, and includes two well-known songs, "On Days Like These" sung by Matt Monro over the opening credits, and "Getta Bloomin' Move On" (usually referred to as "The Self Preservation Society", after its chorus) during the film's climactic car chase. Lead actor Michael Caine can be clearly heard among the singers in the latter.

In November 2004, the magazine Total Film named The Italian Job the 27th greatest British film of all time. The line "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!", said by Michael Caine in the film, was voted the favourite film one-liner in a 2003 poll of 1000 film fans.