After the Fox (1966) starring Peter Sellers | BFI | 21-09-20

[samdaman94]

Coming September 21 2020 from BFI, After the Fox starring Peter Sellers, Britt Ekland and Victor Mature. Directed by Vittorio de Sica.

One of the world's greatest criminals and conmen, Aldo 'The Fox' Vanucci (Peter Sellers) has finally struck gold but to traffic his embezzled bullion he must enact his most outrageous scheme yet - disguised as a neo-realist film director.

Co-starring Victor Mature and Britt Ekland, and directed by Vittorio De Sicca, After the Fox is a madcap comedy caper, at once both a zany heist farce and a riotous filmmaking satire.

Special Features
To Be Confirmed
***FIRST PRESSING ONLY*** Fully illustrated booklet with new essays

My absolute favourite Sellers comedy. Can't wait to see what BFI do with this one.

[Desk.]

Fantastic! This is an overlooked gem which I nearly purchased from overseas recently.

Great turns from Martin Balsom and, in particular, Victor Mature - who mercilessly sends himself up.

Desk

[CrockettandTubbs]

Special features have been confirmed (sort of):

• After the Fox: A Socially-Distanced Interview (2020, ? mins): Britt Ekland looks back on the early days of her acting career and remembers the making of After the Fox
• Peter Sellers: A Master of Disguise (2020, 10 mins): Vic Pratt revisits the enigma of Peter Sellers and his multiple roles in this video essay illustrated with promotional images for After the Fox
• DDR Magazin Nummer 11 (1962, 12 mins): After the Fox director Vittorio De Sica paying a visit to Berlin features prominently in this fascinating East German propaganda newsreel produced in the Cold War era
• Robbery (1987, 1 min): could this Victorian novelty reel be the earliest heist comedy?
• The Man with the Velvet Voice: Maurice Denham (1961 + 1975, 74 mins): the mellow tones of velvet-voiced actor Maurice Denham who plays an authorative supporting role in After the Fox - ring out as clear as crystal in these two rarities from the BFI National Archive, the CFF classic The Last Rhino and BTF film, Go as You Please
• Original theatrical trailer
  
  
• ***FIRST PRESSING ONLY*** Illustrated booklet with new essays by Dr Deborah Allison, Howard Hughes and Vic Pratt and full film credits

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by CrockettandTubbs

[*]Robbery (1987, 1 min): could this Victorian novelty reel be the earliest heist comedy?

R.W. Paul definitely wasn't a centenarian, think they mean 1897

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/...ry-1897-online

Sounds like a good selection!

[samdaman94]

Excited for the new Britt Ekland interview. Will be interesting to hear her reminisce, as I believe her relationship with Sellers was particularly turbulent at that time.

[Ste7en]

Damn that theme song. I can't speak the title. I always sing it

Ordered. Been a while since I saw this. Looking forward to revisiting it.

[Douglas R]

I've never see this but thought I'd get it to find out if the film is as bad as the reviews said it was on first release. It is.

Absolutely awful film with very broad humour and a very weak story. Everyone is overacting like mad in the false belief that shouting and being frenetic makes a scene funny. I laughed not once. Hard to believe it was written by Neil Simon or directed by De Sica. The only thing which makes it vaguely watchable are the Italian locations and Victor Mature sending himself up. Otherwise the picture quality is excellent.

Fortunately the disc doesn't have an audio commentary so I didn't have to watch it again.

[CinemaScope]

Yeah, I can still remember being disappointed with this when I saw it at the cinema. Vittorio De Sica obviously likes his comedy very broad, & yes, Victor Mature is the best thing in it. I don't know why the BFI are releasing titles like this when there's all those brilliant unreleased b/w Sellers comedies: The Naked Truth, Only Two Can Play, Two-Way Stretch & The Wrong Arm Of The Law.

[Douglas R]

Originally Posted by samdaman94

Excited for the new Britt Ekland interview. Will be interesting to hear her reminisce, as I believe her relationship with Sellers was particularly turbulent at that time.

You’ll be disappointed. The short interview is non-revealing and, frankly, rather pointless.

[Dan8700]

Originally Posted by Douglas R

I've never see this but thought I'd get it to find out if the film is as bad as the reviews said it was on first release. It is.

Absolutely awful film with very broad humour and a very weak story. Everyone is overacting like mad in the false belief that shouting and being frenetic makes a scene funny. I laughed not once. Hard to believe it was written by Neil Simon or directed by De Sica. The only thing which makes it vaguely watchable are the Italian locations and Victor Mature sending himself up. Otherwise the picture quality is excellent.

Yeah, always been one of the worst De Sicas, just made to pay the bills. Also, the Italian title track (actually the whole soundtrack by maestro Piccioni) is so much better than the Bacharach one, but the BFI only includes the English version, I guess.
Anyway, Maria Grazia Buccella is always a pleasure to look at!

[Douglas R]

Originally Posted by Dan8700

Yeah, always been one of the worst De Sicas, just made to pay the bills. Also, the Italian title track (actually the whole soundtrack by maestro Piccioni) is so much better than the Bacharach one, but the BFI only includes the English version, I guess.
Anyway, Maria Grazia Buccella is always a pleasure to look at!

Yes that’s something else I forgot to complain about - the awful Burt Bacharach score. It is the only one on the disc.

[CinemaScope]

Originally Posted by Douglas R

Yes that’s something else I forgot to complain about - the awful Burt Bacharach score. It is the only one on the disc.

Ha, I still have the CD of that (on the Rykodisc label), it's not great, but I like the title track with Peter Sellers & The Hollies.

[UnionJackMix]

When is this coming out already, I've had at least one delay email from amazon, and maybe more as they refuse to tell you what's in the order they email you about...

[malcy30]

Got mine from Base last weekend.

[Douglas R]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

When is this coming out already, I've had at least one delay email from amazon, and maybe more as they refuse to tell you what's in the order they email you about...

Got mine delivered by Amazon on day of release! Sorry...

[malcy30]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

When is this coming out already, I've had at least one delay email from amazon, and maybe more as they refuse to tell you what's in the order they email you about...

Amazon say in stock and will deliver tomorrow with Prime.

Was yours’s a multiple title order as sounds as if something else delaying it not this,

[UnionJackMix]

I see now it says "Arriving Tuesday". Yes it was with other pre-order items but they never held anything back. Also not sure when I should really expect it. Most items in my order history say "on its way but it's running late", when I've had them for weeks..

[malcy30]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

I see now it says "Arriving Tuesday". Yes it was with other pre-order items but they never held anything back. Also not sure when I should really expect it. Most items in my order history say "on its way but it's running late", when I've had them for weeks..

Unless you have Prime they don’t guarantee to ship pre-orders as they are released if in a multi item order.

Sometimes they ship one at a time. Other times they make you wait.

I presume you don’t have Prime as only reason to group orders on Amazon is to get the free shipping or minimise the shipping charge on those going overseas.

[UnionJackMix]

Indeed, I don't have prime and always try to order 3-4 items at a time to not waste shipping.
I usually dont mix pre-orders with items in stock