After experiencing the ups and downs, ups and downs, ups and downs of "My Fair Lady", Audrey Hepburn looked exhausted. In July 1965, she chose to shoot a crime film with light comedy and romance called "Steal the Dragon". Directed by William Wheeler, this is their third collaboration. The first collaboration was "Roman Holiday", which made Audrey Hepburn an instant hit, while the second "Double Resentment" was not well received by the market. In front of Delly Hepburn, in order to thank William Wheeler for her kindness, Audrey Hepburn not only accepted the script, but also took the initiative to reduce her salary to $750,000. She felt that she did not have to take millions every time. Salary. The hero of the movie is Peter Otto, who is famous in the epic "Lawrence of Arabia". His image in "Stealing the Dragon" is always "rotten", but Peter Otto has his own ideas. , "My crisis is that I'm on the verge of becoming an actor deemed exclusive to serious dramas, always torturing and self-doubting on the screen, always agonizingly searching for the world's furthest horizons." Peter Otto said. The screenwriter of Stealing a Dragon and Turning a Phoenix is Harry Koniz. During the filming gap, Peter O'Toole and Hugh Greaves, who played Audrey Hepburn's father, and George C. Scott, who played a tycoon who was very interested in Venus They often go out for drinks together, but this move sometimes prevents them from showing up on the set on time the next day.
One morning, George C. Scott said he was ill and didn't show up. The crew asked a doctor to visit him at his residence, but he was kicked out. Director William Wheeler had to stop work first, but he didn't show up until the night. · Wheeler had to kick him out of the crew and make another substitution. In order to complete the main scene of the theft in "Stealing the Dragon and the Phoenix", Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole hid in the small and dark utility room, and they spent 11 days in a row bending over there. In a small space, fortunately, the cooperation between the two is quite pleasant. "In that kind of place, if you're not with someone you like, things get boring," Audrey said. In fact, according to director William Wheeler, where the two of them appear together, it's as if the surroundings are full of laughing gas that is uncontrollable. However, Audrey Hepburn's role in "Steal the Dragon and Turn the Phoenix" is not a big breakthrough. Most of the time, it is still elegant, innocent, beautiful, and clever, but it is enough to make everyone fall. The most impressive thing is the scene of Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole hiding in the sundries. In this small space, the two people's feelings were sublimated and they kissed deeply, while in the sundries. The dialogue in the room is also one of the classic bridges in romantic movies. Another highlight that cannot be ignored is the heroine's talented father who takes the high price of the fakes he painted as a sense of accomplishment. This European fairy tale image further highlights the comedy of the film.
However, after the lighthearted movie, some questions arose. The museum receives so many visitors every day, and so many people take pride in collecting, how many of them really know how to appreciate it? Bewitched by the word "authentic", or captured by the title of "treasure", the hypocrisy and vanity of human beings appear so ridiculous and pathetic under the humorous ridicule of the film. When "the only collector in the world who doesn't do appraisals" held out the figurine like a treasure and found the engagement ring hanging on it, he probably had no regrets except for the accident, but the hero and heroine agreed that love is more important than money, Status, all external things are worth pursuing, cherishing and giving up. Comparatively speaking, "Steal the Dragon and Turn the Phoenix" is not as famous as "Roman Holiday", but it is still a good movie. The film came to the audience in 1966, 13 years later than the previous "Roman Holiday". At this time, it has color and the story is no longer simple, but a little more dark and ironic. The same is a love movie, and both are romantic comedies, but the narrative styles and techniques of the two are very different. "Rome Today" is about a princess from a certain European country who came to Italy to visit but sneaked out, met an American reporter unexpectedly, and then the two traveled to Rome for a day. A story where one's identity cannot be abandoned.
Apart from a little regret and sadness at the end, the overall style of the movie is very relaxed. At the beginning of the film, it was a large panoramic shot of the Roman Forum, allowing the audience to understand the place where the story took place. Immediately followed by the appearance of the heroine, the mighty team, the crowd watching and welcoming, the audience will immediately understand the identity of the heroine, which must be extraordinary. From the very beginning, the music in "Stealing a Dragon and Turning a Phoenix" gives people a weird and thrilling feeling, but the first scene is an auction. Maybe you don't know what the theme of this story is from the beginning, but It also arouses the interest of the audience. The plot of this movie is no longer as pure and beautiful as the former, but has more selfish cunning, a love story between a beautiful liar and an elegant thief, the identities of the two are so immodest, then their story How will it develop? The story revolves around the process of "stealing the dragon and turning the phoenix". From the initial cooperation to the gradual love between the two, the whole process is humorous and entertaining. The emotional tone of the two films is different, which leads to different expressions of the characters. The characters in "Roman Holiday" are cheerful, while in "Stealing the Dragon and Turning the Phoenix", it gives people a sense of black humor. True and false value judgments become ambiguous in the film's ingenious design. Of course, as a film that needs a box office, these moral and ethical discussions will not be taken seriously. Overall, though, both films have their strengths and weaknesses.
Givenchy still dresses Audrey Hepburn in 'Stealing the Dragon', with Alberto de Rossi handling her hair and her make-up, this time with a couple of films from the early 1960s In a completely different attempt, she cut her hair into a helmet-like and neat hairstyle with a full sense of fashion. It is also short hair, but it is completely different from the Hepburn head when she first debuted. Her makeup emphasizes exaggerated black eyeliner and heavy eyeshadow, which makes her look full of personality. There are two impressive outfits in the film, one just came out in a convertible, a white suit, white gloves, white fedora hat, white shoes, and black sunglasses with white rims. The other set is wearing a black lace dress and a layer of black tulle on his face when he meets a man who is interested in Venus in a restaurant, which highlights the mystery. But in the movie, Audrey Hepburn also wore a set of work clothes dressed as a cleaning lady for burglary. Peter O'Toole looked at her and said with satisfaction: "This is it." Audrey Hepburn asked: "What became?" "It's just one thing," Peter O'Toole replied: "Let Givenchy take a night's rest." The phrase later became the crew's favorite insider joke.
Many staff members in the crew of "Steal the Dragon and Turn the Phoenix" have cooperated with Audrey Hepburn several times, and Peter O'Toole's relaxed and happy way of working made Audrey Hepburn work happily for a summer . Peter O'Toole admired Audrey Hepburn very much, and later hoped that Audrey Hepburn would appear with him in the movie "The Master Watch", but it was ultimately unsuccessful. In the process of filming, the famous singer Maria Callas came to the scene to visit the class. Audrey Hepburn was her most admired actress, and she highly admired Audrey Hepburn's appearance and dress, and she also imitated that style. The humorous dialogue and ingenious layout of "Stealing the Dragon and the Phoenix" injected new inspiration into the Hollywood suspense and action films that had reached a dead end at the time, and also became a reference book for later Hollywood crime comedy films. When Peter O'Toole and Audrey Hepburn drove away from home, it seemed that a new crime was about to begin, prompting in a non-serious way: "The drama is over, but the real crime isn't." A perfect ending. For this, screenwriter Harry Koniz was nominated for Best American Comedy by the Writers Guild of America.
The film was released in Los Angeles, California, and New York City on July 13 and 14, 1966. The reviews were positive, with Time magazine saying: "A meticulous, high-quality comedy...Audrey Hepburn's special field as a comedian is like a deer, and her crime partner is the elegant Peter O. Figure...'Stealing the Dragon' is tastefully directed and competently executed..." Variety wrote: "'Stealing the Dragon' returns to William Wheeler's 'Roman Holiday' So charming.." The Saturday Review's Hollis Alpat complimented: "A veteran guru William Wheeler indulges in some of his own suspense in 'Stealing a Dragon,' but he plays It's witty and comedy, and with the performances of Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, a riveting pair..." Posley Crowther of The New York Times praised: "The film Made up of fine preparations, a brilliant taunt...everyone for Miss Audrey Hepburn, Mr Peter O'Toole, Mr Hugh Greaves, Mr Eli Wallach, And the writers Harry Koniz, especially William Wheeler cheers... This movie is an example, deception is an art."
Have to mention that John Williams's score is still for "Stolen" "Dragon Turning Phoenix" has added a lot of color, and the requirements for scene music are relatively accurate. Among them, the ambiguous and blurred piano music played in the restaurant is a classic in the background music; the music when the Venus statue was stolen in the museum conveyed the tense atmosphere from the movie to the audience's mind, as if they were the pretty thieves Beauty, no one in a heavily guarded museum will let you live for the sake of your face, beauty is useless in the burglary, and John Williams takes that lifeless sprouting of comedy a bit. It was released little by little, without rushing or being late, it comforted the plot just right, and slowly overflowed with the development. If one were to opt for a scene-based soundtrack to a movie, John Williams' score for "Stolen Dragon" is an iconic example.
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