A conman gets mixed up with a group of thieves who plan to rob an Istanbul museum to steal a jewelled dagger.A conman gets mixed up with a group of thieves who plan to rob an Istanbul museum to steal a jewelled dagger.A conman gets mixed up with a group of thieves who plan to rob an Istanbul museum to steal a jewelled dagger.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 4 nominations total
Titos Vandis
- Harback
- (as Titos Wandis)
Joe Dassin
- Josef
- (as Joseph Dassin)
Faik Coskun
- Tavla Player at Hilton
- (uncredited)
Jules Dassin
- Turkish Cop
- (uncredited)
Selahattin Içsel
- Tavla Player at Hilton
- (uncredited)
Bedri Çavusoglu
- Police Officer
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaCited by Mission: Impossible (1966) series creator Bruce Geller as the inspiration for his own series.
- GoofsWhile in the lighthouse during the caper, Cedric wipes his face with an oily rag, but all the following scenes show no oil on his face.
- Quotes
Elizabeth Lipp: Do you mind that I am a nymphomaniac?
Walter Harper: It's your most endearing quality.
Elizabeth Lipp: Don't waste it - use it.
- Crazy creditsAt the beginning, the title and the technical credits are shown, but no credit is given to the actors or to the producer-director. However, at the end, the words "There they go again!" are seen, and all of the leading actors appear in a snowbound setting, together with their names. Then the names of all of the other actors, together with the name of the producer-director, appear on the screen.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003)
- SoundtracksThe Stars and Stripes Forever
(uncredited) (1896)
Written by John Philip Sousa
Played when Elizabeth steps on Cedric's mock-up of the security platform
Featured review
With beautiful camerawork in Istanbul and Greece and an equally intriguing plot, Jules Dassin brings to the screen a film worthy to be considered alongside his masterpieces "Du rififi chez les hommes" and "Naked City". Peter Ustinov follows up his Oscar-winning performance in "Spartacus" with a second award for best supporting actor, while playing a "schmo"--a lowly, disgraceful, British rogue living in Greece as the self-proclaimed "un-crowned king of the nightlife": Arthur Simon Simpson. Getting involved in much more than he bargained for, Simpson enters a ring of double-crosses as an informer for Turkish Intelligence while still hoping to line his pockets with filthy lucre.
The show, however, is stolen by the seductive, raspy-voiced Elizabeth Lipp, played by Greek beauty Melina Mercouri (who was also in the starring role of Dassin's "Phaedra" two years earlier--as well as "Pote tin Kyriaki" (1960), "La Legge" (1958), and "Celui qui doit mourir" (1957)--and whom the director would marry two years later). The curvy enchantress draws in Walter Harper (Maximilian Schell) and Cedric Page (Robert Morley I), offering them their cut on the biggest heist ever--the theft of the sultan's jewel-encrusted dagger from the Istanbul Museum.
However, there is a problem. The museum is impenetrable, equipped with a state-of-the-art alarm system that requires a strong man to hoist an acrobat from above the museum and slowly lower him into the treasure trove while avoiding security (à la "Mission Impossible" and "Oceans Eleven"). An unattended, even ironic, ending makes this film a classic in the genre as the dénouement keeps the viewer attached to the screen all the way up to the credits.
Not quite the masterpiece of a "Bob le Flambeur" or "Rififi", this film is in the top ten of its genre and is crucial in its intrigue and influence on future heist ("casse") films. Highly enjoyable, with the right balance of humor, suspense and allure (thanks to Melina Mercouri) to establish it as a touchstone in the genre, Dassin's caper is a cinema classic.
The show, however, is stolen by the seductive, raspy-voiced Elizabeth Lipp, played by Greek beauty Melina Mercouri (who was also in the starring role of Dassin's "Phaedra" two years earlier--as well as "Pote tin Kyriaki" (1960), "La Legge" (1958), and "Celui qui doit mourir" (1957)--and whom the director would marry two years later). The curvy enchantress draws in Walter Harper (Maximilian Schell) and Cedric Page (Robert Morley I), offering them their cut on the biggest heist ever--the theft of the sultan's jewel-encrusted dagger from the Istanbul Museum.
However, there is a problem. The museum is impenetrable, equipped with a state-of-the-art alarm system that requires a strong man to hoist an acrobat from above the museum and slowly lower him into the treasure trove while avoiding security (à la "Mission Impossible" and "Oceans Eleven"). An unattended, even ironic, ending makes this film a classic in the genre as the dénouement keeps the viewer attached to the screen all the way up to the credits.
Not quite the masterpiece of a "Bob le Flambeur" or "Rififi", this film is in the top ten of its genre and is crucial in its intrigue and influence on future heist ("casse") films. Highly enjoyable, with the right balance of humor, suspense and allure (thanks to Melina Mercouri) to establish it as a touchstone in the genre, Dassin's caper is a cinema classic.
- BobHudson74
- Jun 13, 2003
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
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- Also known as
- The Light of Day
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $7,000,000
- Runtime2 hours
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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