"Three Bites of the Apple" is a caper comedy and romance film that some will enjoy as much for the wonderful scenery. And, that adds one or two of the stars I give this film. Along with that is its portrayal of a European tour group and their trip. It's a rather small group - just a dozen or so people. The group here leaves from England and travels to and through some of France, much of Italy, and some of Switzerland.
But for others, this film may not be of much interest, precisely for the same reasons. That's because, following a tour group itinerary, as it shows quite a bit, can be quite slow. Maybe even boring for other than people paying for the trip to see the sights and sites.
The film is slow in that regard, and the comedy is quite thin. But there's some interest in the characters on the tour, and especially in David McCallum's very good portrayal of a tour guide. For those who have taken such travel tours, his Stanley Thrumm is a very good docent and proper and caring group leader.
The main plot of the film is the caper, and it takes time to pull off, as it follows the tour group. What the film isn't billed for is its romance, and that's okay. But it is a very good aspect of the film that helps put it over on a nice note at the end. And an extra plus for this movie is its opening prologue with all the film credits. I remember as a youngster going to movies and wishing they would skip all the upfront credits and get right to the movie. Hollywood must have caught the public drift, and by the mid-1950s, movies started to have very artistic and clever opening scenes or cartoon work with the opening credits. This one has superb comical cartoon work and a song that parody the Bible story of the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
I've been to several European countries, and driven much of the regions shown in this film. I've also gone on travel tour groups - of about 30 people, including one to eastern Europe. I don't recall having seen more than a couple movies over several decades that showed or had much content about a tour group. So, this may be the best such picture.
