Les Joyeux Voleurs

"Thieves" opens with Jimmy (Rex Harrison ) snitching a painting from a museum, and meeting his chick out front. Harrison will go on to win the Oscar for My Fair Lady in 1965. His co-star and partner in crime is Rita Hayworth as "Eve". Hayworth really should have won SOMETHING for her work in Gilda back in 1946, fifteen years before. Also watch for Britt Eckland, who married (and co-starred with ) Peter Sellers in the 1960s....she was also a Bond girl in "Man with the Golden Gun". This part in "Thieves" was only her second role...the first was "uncredited redhead" in GI Blues, with Elvis ! So... after stealing the painting, they have lost it, and now Eve and Jimmy have to figure out what happened to it. The film is okay... but can't help thinking the part of "Jimmy" could have been someone with more personality or style. Not sure who would have done it better. Overall, its pretty slow-moving. Story by Richard Condon, who also wrote Prizzi's Honor and Manchurian Candidate. Directed by George Marshall, who had started in the silents... such a prolific actor, writer, director.

I've always had great affection for this film, for its whimsical score by Mario Nascimbene , for being able to see both Joseph Wiseman and Rita Hayworth play comedy at all and in the same film, for being able to see Rex Harrison play the same character but pulled back a bit that he did in THE HONEY POT a few years later, for the affection and attention it gives to the museum scene, and for its ingenious art theft. Most of all, I admire it for the surprising and yet convincing ending and Hayworth's reaction.

"The Happy Thieves" from 1961 is about art thieves Jimmy and Eve (Rex Harrison and Rita Hayworth) who steal a painting from a museum. A painting belonging to Duchess Blanca (Alida Valli) is stolen from a castle in Spain by the two thieves, but then it's stolen from them by the Duchess' cousin.

Eve wants to call it quits, but the thief, one Dr. Munoz (Gregoire Aslan) blackmails the couple and wants a piece of art from the Prado museum. They have a duplicate made by Jean Marie Calbert (Joseph Wiseman), planning to switch the paintings during a farewell bullfight for the duchess' fiancée, a matador.

A few things could have helped this film. One was a color production. It is Europe and does deal with art, after all. The second thing that would have helped was a more exciting actor as Jimmy. Rex Harrison was a marvelous actor but somehow wrong for this role, not dashing, charismatic, or romantic enough. The last thing that would have helped is a faster pace.

"The Happy Thieves" was based on a book by Richard Condon and directed by George Marshall, both very accomplished, but this isn't the best representation of either one. Hayworth, in her forties here is beautiful, graceful and does a good job. The film was produced by her last husband, and she later pronounced it "rubbish." It moves fairly slowly, but the painting-switching scene is very good. Not awful, not great. Seeing Rita Hayworth is always worthwhile.

Jimmy Bourne (Rex Harrison) and Eve Lewis (Rita Hayworth) are thieves. It helps that he's the owner of Hotel Bourne. In Madrid, they and forger Jean Marie Calbert are blackmailed by Victor Muñoz into stealing a famous Goya painting, Second of May, showing in the Prado Museum.

Rex is doing nothing other than being cool. The most problematic is that it's trying to be comedic but there's nothing funny here. Director George Marshall started in the silent age and his best work may be behind him by this time. As a heist movie, this could work if it's treated seriously. It doesn't have a driving narrative. It lacks energy. I don't think the scheme is particularly brilliant. The museum is letting them in to paint for some reason. I don't understand how they got in. The bullfighting is interesting on its own but that's some kind of crazy distraction. They may as well rob all the banks in Madrid. This could still work if it doesn't have that screwball music cue trying to declare it funny. It's not funny.

Having been to the Prado Museum in Madrid I was looking forward to seeing The Happy Thieves which was produced by Rita Hayworth's final husband James Hill and starring Hayworth and Rex Harrison. But this turned out to be a disappointment for me. I expected more from these stars and director George Marshall.

For all the sophisticated dialog that Rex Harrison delivers he's also a guy who countenances murder as a diversion for him to steal a Goya painting from the museum. It didn't quite compute with his character.

After training her in the art of thievery, Rex finds Rita balking at the more disagreeable parts of his profession. So she can never testify against him, he marries her. Apparently that must be a part of the Spanish legal system as well, even under Francisco Franco. Later on she turns the tables on him, but you have to see the film to find out how and why.

Color cinematography might have helped especially since a good deal of this film was done in the Prado Museum and the movie audiences could have gotten a look at some of the great old masters like, Goya, El Greco, and Velasquez.

In the end The Happy Thieves depends on the charm of its leads and they're not up to it. No one would have been.