While I was watching a few films based on the writings of Eric Ambler, I thought I might as well watch this one again. I think the last time was when it came out and I was living in Turkey. Perhaps for that reason there were still bits of this that I recalled. Ambler's six pre-WWII novels are some of the best espionage books ever written. Realistic and dark with the national politics of its time lurking beneath the surface. Ambler was a strong anti-Fascist and his books reflect this.  He was also pro-Soviet Union because he felt that they were the only force in the world that was pushing back on fascism. At the time he was right but he was clearly unaware of their own form of totalitarianism. When the Soviet Union signed the pact with Germany in 1939, he turned against them. He wrote no novels between 1940 and 1951 when he published Judgement on Deltchen which was an anti-Soviet Union story of their show trials. Ii don't think Ambler is read much anymore which is a shame. They are literate and smart and not that damn long! So many spy fiction books go on forever now.


The book that this film is based on is The Light of Day written in 1962 - a far cry from his earlier serious novels of spies and double-crosses. It is a light caper in which a group of thieves attempt to steal the famous emerald dagger from the Topkapi Museum. The Topkapi had once been the palace to the Sultans. The film retains the characteristics and mood of the book and is a delightful caper comedy that has just enough suspense to keep you interested. It was a big hit and influenced many of the light caper films that were to follow in the 1960s - How to Steal a Million, The Italian Job, Gambit and Kaleidoscope - some of my favorite films. Just as surprising as the author it is based on is the director, Jules Dassin.


Dassin's film career was all over the place primarily because he was under MGM and later because he worked in Europe. But when he broke away from MGM and gained more independence under the Mark Hellinger Production Company he delivered Brute Force, The Naked City and then for Fox Thieves Highway and Night and the City. And then the house fell on him. The House of Representatives. Dassin had joined the Communist Party years before and unlike Ambler had never condemned them. The Blacklist got him. In fact, he knew it was coming so he rushed to finish Night and the City. He moved to Europe - found work there five years later and made perhaps the greatest heist film ever in France, Rififi. It was the antithesis of Topkapi. Gritty and gripping. Topkapi is good fun, but gripping would not come to mind though the actual theft is done very well. Lovely to see a good steal without the use of technology - ropes, balloons, a lighthouse distraction and a well thought out plan. Enough with the phony baloney tech thefts. Go back to basics.


Melina Mercouri (who was married to Dassin and had starred in his Never on a Sunday) and Maximilian Schell put together a plan to steal the dagger from the Topkapi. They bring on as their cohorts a mechanical genius (Robert Morley), a strong man (Jess Hahn) and an acrobat (Gilles Ségal). A five man team. And the schlub. That is Peter Ustinov whose character actually narrates the book. His only job was to drive from Greece to Istanbul unknowingly carrying a hidden rifle and smoke grenades. He is caught at the border and pleads to know nothing. The Turkish Security believes him because he seems to be a cowardly idiot. They recruit him to spy because they think this group are terrorists and force the gang to hold on to him. No doubt to many this feels past its prime - it takes its time, is light in tone, has no action and not a lot of tension. It is fun though and has a good group of actors. Ustinov in particular is wonderful as he goes from clueless to greedy. The role was initially to go to Peter Sellers but he refused to act with Schell. Mercouri on the other hand is over the top annoying and honestly with all the make-up looks like she is still in Never on a Sunday and her husband must have ate it up but it doesn't play well today.