Paddy Did the Italian Job
Sunday, 23 Jul 2023
Paddy is a big fan of the original Italian Job. So he decided to pay homage to it by restaging the opening of the film. What could possibly go wrong?
In the film's opening, actor Rossano Brazzi (who plays Roger Beckermann) and stunt driver Enzo Moruzzi drive a Lamborghini Miura P400 up the Great St Bernard Pass. The song On Days Like These (feat. Matt Monro) by Quincy Jones plays in the background. You can watch the intro on YouTube. The film crew took some artistic liberties with the choice of the route, and it's not easy to follow where the Miura goes in the intro over 50 years later.
The website theitalianjob.com provides some geolocation information. The opening shot shows a bridge at the start of the road SS27 to the Great St Bernard Pass (coordinates 45.824822, 7.185851, Google Maps). With all the rebuilding and new roads, it is not easy to recreate this shot. Unfortunately, Paddy didn't have his helicopter or a monster tele lens with him today.
The end of the intro, however, could be on the SS26 della Vallee d'Astoa road, which leads to the Little Saint Bernard Pass (coordinates 45.724855, 6.950774, Google Maps). The opening of the tunnel just before La Thuile is very similar to the one in the film. But, the end of the tunnel cannot be the same as in the film, the scenery is not the same. It is possible that in the film they used the same side of the tunnel both times for the entrance and exit.
A lot has changed in the last 50 years, so the roads are not easy to recognise. Safety measures on the road have been strengthened, additional walls have been built along the route and the natural environment has also changed over time. At the beginning there is a brief glimpse of a building that Paddy could recognise.
Every time the camera shows Rossano Brazzi's face in the opening, it cuts away and the surroundings change. Paddy also took artistic liberties with his tribute, using his imagination to create the sequence of the track. Paddy didn't drive a Miura for his tribute, but his magnificent Volvo 1800E. Enjoy!
