Stewart Bailey sent the following by email:

The writer of the Italian Job has revealed neither he, Michael Caine nor the film's director liked the ending. Troy Kennedy Martin says he didn't write the final scene in the film and it was written by the film's producer after they'd run out of money.

He says the director hated the scene so much he wouldn't film it and made the assistant director do it instead. Troy Kennedy Martin wrote the film's script after buying the original idea from his brother: "His idea was to set in London, around Regent Street", he said. "We decided a finacial agreement and I took it on. I decided to change it to Turin because it has a computer operated traffic light system".

Kennedy Martin says he always envisioned Michael Caine in the role of Charlie Croker: "He'd been in something I'd done on tv. I wrote it with him in mind. There are so many remarks in there that are Michael. But he isn't really that character."

"I never thought the film would be iconic, I dont think Michael did either. The review's weren't that good either and of course it didn't have a traditional ending. We didn't realise just how good it was," says Kennedy Martin.

"I don't know why people love the line 'You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off. Maybe it's the way the 2 characters look at each other".

Kennedy Martin also revealed a scene involving the Minis 'dancing' was cut from the film: "There's a scene in a ballroom in which the Alfa Romeos sort of waltz in between the Minis and it looks very nice. But it completely undermines the credibility of the escape."

(originally from Ananova.com)

-- Marjorie Johns (marjorie@citizencaine.org), October 22, 2001