“Because I’m a small crook I have to go to prison, it’s
only the big crooks that stay free…”
There is an enduring fascination with the notion of Peter
Sellers being an empty vessel who was only inhabited by the roles he played and
the suspicion that this even extended to his private life. No doubt he was
highly adept at mimicry and took this to the screen with such convincing “method”
that you could barely see the “real me” at all. As Vic Pratt says in his
excellent video essay accompanying this new release, this was a myth Sellers
was happy to promote, telling The Daily Mail in 1960 that “I haven't a
personality. I sometimes wonder whether I really exist at all.”
In After the Fox, Sellers plays, Aldo Vanucci, aka
The Fox, an Italian criminal who is a master of disguise OR… is he Peter
Sellers, playing Peter Sellers as an Italian master of disguise? It’s
hard to tell but there’s a likability and knowing good humour about each sub-role,
from Aldo playing a priest angry at his sister’s becoming an actor, or as the
doctor who, get this, impersonates himself to escape prison (maybe). Pride of
place has to go to Aldo’s impersonation of Federico Fabrizi, a film director
using the pretence of making a film to smuggle stolen gold into Italy.
There’s so many layers in Neil Simon’s onion of a plot
and so many knowing pot shots at Italian cinema from the deliberate “FF” to
lines like “What’s neorealism?”, “No money…” which is pretty funny when
you consider this film’s director, Vittorio De Sica famously directed Bicycle
Thieves. Michel Antonioni is also high up on the list of targets with this FF
making a film up on the spot and deciding that his two leads sitting and doing
nothing would make a statement on our inability to communicate in modern
society… “Lights, camera and no action!” indeed.
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| Victor Mature and Britt Ekland make a statement |
There’s also a scene when Victor Mature’s fading
Hollywood leading man, Tony Powell, arrives to a mob reception in Rome, which reminiscent
of Antonioni’s movie star in L’Avventura and probably makes the same point:
the public aren’t interested in the who just the what. Mature came out
of retirement to make his first film in four years and he’s excellent value for
money; perhaps he fancied a laugh and an all-expenses trip to Europe, but his
screen presence and willingness to send himself up is in full-blooded contrast
to Sellers’ artifice. Same ends, different means.
Of course, Sellers is also playing Sellers as the brother
of his sister who is his wife… with Britt Ekland staring in her first film as Gina
Vanucci who becomes Gina Romantica when The
Fox decides on his plan to film his crime and hide his crime as a film. Aldo is
getting tired of the criminal life and wants to look after his mother and
sister, “I want to steal enough to go straight!”, another zinger from
Simon that still holds true to this day.
The gold was stolen in Egypt by master criminal Okra (Akim
Tamiroff) who uses his sister (Maria Grazia Buccella) to strip down to a bikini
in order to distract the armoured car drivers, who veer off straight into the
back of lorry. My daughter rolled her eyes but Okra’s sister is further reduced
by merely being his spokeswoman and she mouths his words in the restaurant in
which Aldo is briefed.
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| Years before Sara Cooper, Maria Grazia Buccella was an evil man's mouthpiece |
She later says to Aldo that Okra “…doesn’t allow me to
talk to anyone, I haven’t used a telephone in six years…” which is more of
a punchline than a proto-feminist comment. Never-the-less, she has beautiful
eyes and plays her part in adding emotional depth as well as humour especially
in a world in which, as Aldo says only the big crooks, like her brother and no
doubt many film producers, stay free. Simon’s script is most certainly not
without intent.
Aldo and his gang of three stooges, Polio (Paolo Stoppa), Siepi (Tino Buazzelli) and Carlo (Mac Ronay) steal filming equipment from Vittorio De Sica (as himself) and he then transforms into Federico Fabrizi in order to persuade Tony Powell to accept the leading “role”, in spite of the objections of his agent Harry Granoff (the ever excellent Martin Balsam) who was looking for an actual script and contract.
Crew and cast, now completed by the newly christened Miss
Romantica, head off to the seaside village of Sevalio, actually Sant' Angelo on Ischia in the Bay of Naples,
for the film’s impressive set pieces as hundreds of villagers act as extras in
action Fabrizi makes up on the hoof. Here there is little sign of any of the reported
tensions between Sellers and De Sica, as the latter marshals his extras well to
energise the dénouement.
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| De Sica makes like DeMille |
The film had a mixed reception on release and Simon for
one was critical of how his script turned out but it is well made and still
very funny, good performances all round and impressive comedy chops from Ekland
as well as Mature. But it’s Sellers’ film and for a man who wasn’t really
there, he always manages to convince us enough to care and to believe in Aldo’s
misguided by sincere code of honour.
The film is bookended by a groovy Bacharach and David
theme song which, melodically powerful as it is, also as Vic Pratt says, sums
up the unsettling aspects of Sellers’ persona, The Hollies in close harmony
asking Sellers in character “who is me”, to which he answers, I am a thief, I
am the Fox… and so much more, obscurely.
Pratt quotes The Daily Herald review of The
Battle of the Sexes (also on BFI Blu-ray!) describing Sellers as “… the
first 3D comic, his rivals are all cardboard cut-outs, if you round the back of
them, you’d find nothing.” In this
film we can Sellers disappear into character just as he would do all the way
through to Chance the Gardner; as the most soulful of mimics, he could walk on
water.
In addition to Vic’s essay, Peter Sellers: Master of Disguise (2020, 14 mins), there’s also a nifty interview with Britt Ekland, After the Fox: A Socially Distanced Interview (2020, 15 mins) which contains much good-humoured insight and positivity as she looks forward to returning to the London stage.
There’s an East German newsreel, DDR Magazin Nummer 11
(1962, 12 mins) with director Vittorio De Sica paying a visit to Berlin and The
Man With the Velvet Voice: Maurice Denham (1961 + 1975, 72 mins) featuring
the mellow tones Mr Denham in two rarities from the BFI National Archive: the
CFF classic The Last Rhino and BTF film Go As You Please… in Britain
And there is a lovely Victorian silent snippet, Robbery
(1897, 1 min), possibly the earliest heist comedy? And, you better order your
copy quick as, for the Illustrated booklet with new writing by Vic Pratt, Dr.
Deborah Allison and Howard Hughes, notes on the extras and full credits, is
only available with the first pressing.
After the Fox is released on 21st September
and you can pre-order now on the BFI website; you will not regret it!
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