MovieChat Forums > Gambit (1967) Discussion > Opening 25 minutes

Opening 25 minutes

posted 10 years ago by ewaf58
7 replies | jump to latest

Perhaps new and daring back in 1966 but I couldn't really see the point of wasting 25 minutes of the film on something which turned out to be just an explanation of how the 'heist' should go.

It was nice seeing the stars in action and the acting was never less than enjoyable although it's probably best to forget the 'special effect' of the helicopter in flight.

I guess back in 1966 the would have been seen as a fast paced comedy caper with a clever opening gimmick but here in 2014 after countless heist films and episodes of Hustle it just came across as very undemanding pleasant entertainment.

I wish Michael and Shirley were still young.

[–] louiseculmer 10 years ago

it does go on a bit. But I think the point is to show how much the reality differs from the imagined scenario. i think it is quite clever. But when i watched it on dvd a year or so ago, many many years after. I saw it on TV, i had a moment's confusion when i thought something was wrong with the disc and it had gone back to the beginning,

[–] ewaf58 10 years ago

So in a way it was like a precursor to Sliding Doors with two different timelines.

[–] louiseculmer 10 years ago

yes, now you mention it, it is a bit like Sliding Doors. I think what is good about gambit is how it shows how much reality differs from the dream scenario they have worked out. Though of course they do manage to pull it off in the end.

[–] Hippo9 10 years ago

So you are basically penalizing a film from 1966 for all the films that came after it that copied Gamibt. Got it.

[–] ewaf58 10 years ago

No I'm not penalizing it - I'm simply saying the film is of its day and may of influenced others - which isn't a bad thing except that it means Gambit will have lost some of its original impact.

[–] filmklassik 9 years ago

"Wasted" film??

Being walked through the heist as Caine's character originally conceived allows us to experience the tension and fun of the caper as it actually plays out.

The charm lies in the disparity between the two scenarios.

It's literally a case of viva la difference.

It's a wonderful idea and the story wouldn't be half as suspenseful without it.

[–] ElizabethJoestar (946) 4 years ago

I found the first 25 minutes brilliant. You see just how idealized this whole scenario is in Caine's head and it makes it all the more suspenseful and humorous when reality turns out completely differently.

It also shows the guy's hubris too. He sees himself as smarter than everyone else, when in reality he was the most clueless of everyone involved!