Burglary, thief, forgery, in the back drop of Europe’s most romantic city, Paris. A story of crime but also a story of love Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole brings this striking story about how far one would go in trying to hide a family secret from the authorities.
Audrey Hepburn plays the very irresistible Nicole, the daughter of a famous art dealer who has a secret; he in fact is an art forger. Nicole is very ambitious and adds to the glamour of the narrative with her presence and her classy dress style. Simon, played by Peter O’Toole on the other hand is very cocky and charming with his blue eyes and good looks. So here begins the journey of their love through crime.
Nicole’s Papa is a fraudulent art dealer forging famous paintings and works of art and selling them for hundreds and millions of dollars. Even though this forgery has enabled Nicole to have rich upbringing she doesn’t agree with what her father does and constantly nags him to give it up and retire to deaf ears. One night when her Papa is away at an art function and Nicole is home alone, a burglar breaks into their home to steal the fake Van Gogh painting. Nicole bravely confronts him with her Papa’s antique pistol but accidently shoots him in the arm. While cleaning the wound, Nicole discovers that the burglar is not your conventional thief. He is in fact an English man dressed in an evening black suit and lives in the Ritz hotel. So to not involve the police investigation into the burglary which might jeopardize her Papa’s forgery, Nicole drives the burglar back to the Ritz. Once she has dropped him off Simon, the burglar passionately kisses Nicole leaving her mesmerized.
The next day back at home it seems as if her Papa’s forgery is about to be found out by the Paris Art Museum which is displaying a fake statue of Venus, when an insurer tells him that they are to do a technical examination on the statue to estimate its worth. In a great panic Nicole convinces Simon to help her steal the Venus from the museum’s hi-tech security system. With hilarious techniques, the journey begins to steal the Venus.
From the moment Simon and Nicole laid eyes on each other it is clear to the audience that the two are totally mesmerized and besotted by each other. This is evident through the use of the close-up shots used when both characters meet focusing only one their faces, clearly showing that they only have eyes for one another.
Spending the night together in a closet whilst stealing the Venus, the pair can not keep their love for each other hidden. However, once stolen the twists of the narrative become clear with a shocking revelation which changes Nicole and Papa’s lives forever…
Peter O’Toole and Audrey Hepburn deliver a brilliant performance made up of a strong chemistry between them. The plot moves swiftly along driven by the main characters and their dilemmas with unpredictable results.
A truly engaging film which will have you completely hooked from the beginning guiding you on How to steal a Million!
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