After the Fox (1966)

Such a frustrating disappointment

How sad is this?

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

A gang of crooks pretends to be a movie crew in order to get a gold shipment into Italy.Frantic is the word for this comedic concoction. On one hand it's a send-up of pretentious art films; on the other, it appears an attempt to cash in on Peter Sellers' Clouseau in the Pink Panther. The trouble is ace director de Sica has bitten off a chunk he over-chews. Despite the good bits, which are many, the whole package, including Sellers is working at comedic hyper-speed. It's like every scene has to be at least amusing. As a result, impact from one scene is too often quickly undercut by the next. Too bad.The main reason to tune in for us geezers is to catch 40's hunk Victor Mature doing a hilarious parody of a Hollywood movie star with a paste-on grin. Hard to believe here that Mature starred in such bleak noirs as Kiss of Death (1947) and Cry of the City (1948). Generally overshadowed, at the same time, is Britt Ekland looking little like the blonde Swedish bombshell. Anyway, it's a second-rank Peter Sellers film, and a long way from his Inspector Clouseau, despite frantic efforts to the contrary.

One of my favorite all-time comedies. The cinematic style, the '60's sophistication, the rustic Italian flavor, all create a perfect backdrop for Seller's genius. It's a wonderful, funny and timeless story told with humor and bravado, and self-indulgence here and there which keeps me smiling from beginning to end. It's one of those rare films where, at the end, I can admit I thoroughly enjoyed it, each and every time I see it.I suppose that those who did not like or "get" La Strada, would not like or "get" this film either, as I place it in that genre. I do see a similar theme, in that the protagonists make the people around them seem like idiots who only care about themselves, not realizing that they are idiots too. Only Peter Sellers could pull this off so perfectly, his style and timing so unique and inspiring. A must-see for anyone who loves theatre comedy.

'After The Fox' probably looks funnier now than when it was first released in 1966. Peter Sellers plays 'Aldo Vanucci', Italy's top criminal mastermind - known as 'The Fox' - and also a master of disguise. When his cronies visit him in jail, he gives them food and magazines. Hearing that his sister Gina ( Britt Ekland, Sellers' wife at the time ) is walking the streets of Rome, he is furious and escapes by switching places with a psychiatrist. It turns out Gina is only making a movie. He wants her to go back to school, but she is determined to become a movie star. She has changed her surname to the more exotic sounding 'Romantica'. A daring bullion robbery has been pulled off in Cairo, and Aldo must help the thieves get the gold into Italy. He decides to trick the townspeople of Sevalio into thinking they are taking part in a movie, and to this end manages to secure the services of fading Hollywood matinée idol 'Tony Powell' ( Victor Mature )...At times, 'Fox' feels like an Italian version of one of Sellers' earlier British comedies, such as 'Two Way Stretch' and 'The Wrong Arm Of The Law'. Aldo shares many similarities to 'Dodger Lane' and 'Pearly Gates'. Neil Simon's script is not bad - though not among his better efforts - but it needed a director of the calibre of Blake Edwards to make it work. Instead we have Vittorio De Sica, and his heart is just not in it. As 'Vanucci', Sellers is okay, but its when he gets to impersonate eccentric director 'Frederico Fabrizi' ( pointing to his head, he says to Tony: "In here is my script!" ) that the film really starts to becomes funny, with some amusing jibes at the expense of the neo-realism school of cinema ( of which De Sica was a leading exponent ). Giving Sellers competition in the comedy department is Mature, with a highly amusing self parody as a film star who refuses to admit he is over the hill. When he brags to his agent 'Harry' that he is a youthful forty, the man replies: "But your son is thirty-five!". Another asset is the bouncy Burt Bacharach soundtrack. The catchy theme song was performed by Sellers ( as 'Vanucci' ) and 'The Hollies'. 'Fox' was not a big commercial success, but now seems a decent way to kill 90 minutes, even if it does end with a somewhat uninspired car chase.The best moment comes in the final scene. Vanucci is on trial ( along with the townspeople of Sevalio ). The film is screened to the jury. It is disjointed, jumpy, with jerky camera work ( just like every major film on release these days ). When it is over, everyone who took part looks embarrassed. A wild-eyed critic, however, proclaims it a masterpiece!

When I wrote my first review of this film, I was the only reviewer. I wrote it in the hope that it would be "rediscovered" by Peter Sellers fans especially. Now there are 32 reviews! I am glad that so many people are enjoying this film. Many of the other reviews are excellent and I cannot improve on them so I want to say some different things.If you had seen Victor Mature in other films, none were comedies. He was in Biblical epics; Samson and Delilah, Demetrius and the Gladiators, The Robe, and The Egyptian. He was Tumak in One Million B.C.(1940) and Doc Holliday in My Darling Clementine. He's played a romantic lead, a gangster, a cowboy, a caveman, a secret agent, and a cop. However; when he is cast in a comedy as an ageing matinée idol, the theatrical impact is tremendous. The fact that he fully embraces the part makes it the slam-dunk winner of the most perfectly casted part of all time! (His sense of humor off the screen was well known in Southern California: "I'm not an actor and I have 64 films to prove it.") To contradict his self-deprecating remarks, in this film Mature proves that he can act.Vittorio De Sica must be credited with bringing this Neil Simon comedy to life with his talented direction. De Sica's experience making comedies went back to when he was a young man and still an actor. He and his wife, Giuditta Rissone, along with Sergio Tofano, formed an acting company in 1933 which performed mostly light comedies. In "After the Fox", De Sica had a field day poking fun at Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman. There is one more thing of note. He was notorious for gambling. This caused him to work on some films that he wouldn't have otherwise. Sometimes he projected his own fantasies into his films -- The Gold of Cairo(?). In any case, I'm sure he won his bet on this film.By the way, does the reader know that Gina Romantica (Britt Ekland) was Mrs. Peter Sellers during the time when this film was made.