In “Topkapi,” Director Jules Dassin nests his wife, Melina Mercouri, in the center of a light-hearted heist infused with the vivid burnt oranges and acid greens of the 1960s. She is flanked on one side by the equally gorgeous Maximilian Schell and on the other by Peter Ustinov’s girth, bulk, and transcendent comedic talent.
Dassin shoots Mercouri through the misty eyes of love. Her statuesque cheeks bones and her European, sophisticated sexuality have never been shown to greater effect (though her accent is a little hard to penetrate.) To my delight, Mercouri changes her clothes with every scene, which meant she wore 5-6 different swinging ’60s mod outfits in one day alone. Kudos to costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge.
“Topkapi” is Dassin’s farcical tribute to his own seminal masterpiece, “Rififi” (1955), which set the template for many heist films to come out of Hollywood—from which Dassin was ousted in the shameful blacklist. “Topkapi” has the same intricate but ultimately useless plotting. It has the same ulcer-inducing, highly technical heist sequence. And the same interpersonal tension. Where “Topkapi” diverges from its predecessor is in the use of psychedelic color, a powerful female lead, and comedy.
This film is style over substance. Its many stylistic elements and its many tongue-in-cheek performances by Mercouri, Schell, et. al are held in place by Peter Ustinov’s deceptively simple-minded approach to his role as a put-upon dupe. Ustinov’s gaucherie and broad, nostril-flaring antics come from a duplicitously precise approach to comedy and from Dassin’s judicious use of Ustinov as the glue for “Topkapi.”
“Topkapi” is as influential as the much-referenced “Rififi.” The heist sequence, involving a man, a harness, and pressure-sensitive floor resonated through various genres, including the most famous reference in Tom Cruise’s harrowing harness drop in “Mission: Impossible.”
Note that the carnival barker Josef is played by Jules Dassin’s son Joe Dassin.
Watch “Rififi” first and then “Topkapi.” If you want another heist film with the same bright farcical tone, watch “After the Fox” (1966) with Peter Sellers, who was Dassin’s first choice for Schell’s character.
