THE DAY THEY ROBBED THE BANK OF ENGLAND

UK, 1060, 85 minutes, Black and white.
Aldo Ray, Elizabeth Sellars, Peter O’Toole?, Kieron Moore, Joseph Tomelty, John Le Mesurier, Miles Malleson, Colin Gordon, Andrew Keir, Hugh Griffith.
Directed by John Guillermin.

The Day They Robbed the Bank of England is a small scope British robbery caper. However, it has political overtones because the setting is a group of Irish patriots at the beginning of this century planning a coup against the British government. It is one of the earliest films made by Peter O’Toole? - prior to his introduction in Lawrence of Arabia. The film has a strong British cast as well as a performance by Aldo Ray.

Direction in by John Guillermin, a director of many short effective British features at the time, soon to move into bigger budget films with the Peter Sellers' Waltz of the Toreadors. He then moved to America with such films an The Blue Max and made such spectacular films in the seventies as Towering Inferno, King Kong, Death on the Nile. An effective political robbery film.

1. What expectations of the film from its title? The overall enjoyment of the film?

2. The importance of the photography, music, the locations, the Edwardian sets and costumes, the attention to detail, the crispness of the dialogue?

3. The film as a robbery film and the execution of a plan? The political implications of the film? The character studies? How well were these elements combined?

4. The political setting, the British and Irish clashes, the rights and wrongs of this, the sympathies of the audience for the British and the Irish? The question of terrorism and the right for terrorists to rob and to kill? British suppressing the terrorists? 1901 seen in the light of the twenties, fifties when the film was made, the impact now? The justification of terrorism, the political change of plan at the end?. The film’s judgment of the morality of this?

5. How ingenious was the plan end the details of its execution? how did the film retain interest in the plan and its preparation? The persons involved, criminals, the curator, the man who understood the sewers, the prison officials, guards?

6. The fascination for the achievement of such a robbery? How does it fascinate audiences? The impact on the criminals themselves and the pursuit of the gold even when it was unnecessary? The comment on human nature?

7. Iris Muldoon and her influence in the plan, her patronage, the widow of a deceased terrorist, her love/hate relationship with Norgate, her motivations in the involvement, the clashes with Walsh, her decision to call off the plan at the end, her withdrawing and her being freed at the end?

8. How interesting was the character of Norgate? An American, the Irish sympathy, an adventurer with American know-how, his love/hate for Iris, his capacity for work, the ingenuity of his plans, with the curator, with Finch? The hard work he put into the enterprise? The personal clashes? The fascination of the gold at the end? His return for Tosher?

9. The contrast with Walsh and his erratic behaviour? The Irish emotionalism? The jealousy of Norgate? His withdrawing from the plan, overcome by the gold?

10. How interesting a character was Finch? The contrast with the criminals, his criticism of the Guards, his elegant way of life? his alertness to the question of fish? His strength of character in pursuing his suspicions? The vindication at the end?

11.The contribution of the minor characters to the plot, to the detailed presentation of the film, characterisation and impact; O'Shea and his political connections? The calling off the plan, Tosher and his knowledge of the sewers, his drinking, fiddling with the ruins, discovering the gold in the end? Cahaun and his help in the escape; Green and his disbelief in Finch's story, the curator and his talking, being distracted by Iris, being pressurised by Finch?

12. How enjoyable a minor film was this? How successful within its self-imposed limitations?