SEVEN THIEVES

US, 1961, 102 minutes, Black and white.
Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, Joan Collins, Eli Wallach.
Directed by Henry Hathaway.

Seven Thieves is a low-key robbery action drama. The film focuses more on the psychology of the participants, although it gives some attention to the robbery itself.

Edward G. Robinson appears as a professor who wants to rob the casino at Monte Carlo. He draws up a team, led by Rod Steiger. Joan Collins also appears as the femme fatale and has a few musical numbers. Eli Wallach is also one of the team. Sebastian Cabot is the casino director.

The film is sombre, made in black and white. It was directed by Henry Hathaway who had a long career from the 1930s, making the first Technicolor western, Trail of the Lonesome Pine. He also directed a number of almost documentary-like films in the 1940s, House on 92nd Street, Call Northside 777.

In the 1950s he also directed a number of action adventures in Cinemascope and a number of westerns, especially True Grit, for which John Wayne won his Oscar.

1. Did this film differ in any way from routine robbery thrillers?

2. What mood did the gambling and dancing credit sequences suggest?

3. What was more important in this film, the robbery or the characters? Why?

4. The film had a long introduction with the Professor and Paul in differing locales. Why? What was the effect of this? How well constructed were these sequences?

5. What kind of man was the Professor? As a person? as a criminal? as ambitious to be remembered? as taking his crime as an experiment and a challenge? Did Edward G. Robinson make him credible, likeable?

6. What kind of criminal was Paul? Why did he hesitate so long to join the plan? Did Rod Steiger make him likeable? How well did Paul and the Professor relate? Did you realise they were father and son before the audience was told? Why did Paul help the Professor?

7. Were the accomplices well drawn as characters ? how? The German, the safe~breaker?

8. Much time was spent showing the relationship between Melanie, Pancho and Raymond. especially the saxophone and the dance? Why? Did this add to the mood of the film? understanding of how each of them ticked and why they were all involvedt in the crime; how they could be made to be involved?

9. How effective was the filming of the planning and the rehersals, especially Pancho and the Professor? Did you understand how they would do it?

10. How exciting was the robbery sequence? Why was it interesting and exciting? What contribution did the performance of each character (and the film editing) make? Professor's suaveness, Paul's coolness, panic, Melanie’s opening the window, Pancho's refusal to bite the pill, Raymond's nervousness. the English doctor and the Professor's answer for everything?

11. Should the film have gone on as long as it did? Was the ending appropriate or not?

12. Was the returning of the money the only possible course? Why?

13. Did It matter that the Professor died without seeing the money? Why was the smiling?

14. Was Paul and Melanie’s collaboration made credible?

15. How ironic was the return of the money after all the trouble taken?