Topkapi

"Join us - we'll cut you in on the theft of the century!"

1964 1h 59m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

🔥

95%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 225🍅95%Rotten Tomatoes★6.9IMDB · 10,946

ComedyCrimeAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Arthur Simon Simpson is a small-time crook biding his time in Greece. One of his potential victims turns out to be a gentleman thief planning to steal the emerald-encrusted dagger of the Mehmed II from Istanbul's Topkapi Museum.

“Join us - we'll cut you in on the theft of the century!”

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Cast

Melina Mercouri
Elizabeth Lipp
Peter Ustinov
Arthur Simon Simpson
Maximilian Schell
Walter Harper
Robert Morley
Cedric Page
Jess Hahn
Hans
Gilles Ségal
Giulio
Akim Tamiroff
Gerven the Cook
Titos Vandis
Harback

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jules Dassin
Writers: Monja Danischewsky
Languages: English, French, Greek, Italian, Turkish, German
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

62 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 6 languages: English, French, Greek, Italian, Turkish, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jules Dassin, shot by Henri Alekan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Manos Hatzidakis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Roger Dwyre shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Melina Mercouri and Peter Ustinov and Maximilian Schell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Join us - we'll cut you in on the theft of the century!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0058672 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jules Dassin directs. Henri Alekan behind the camera. Manos Hatzidakis scores. Roger Dwyre cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French, Greek, Italian, Turkish, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

162 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 6 languages: English, French, Greek, Italian, Turkish, German.
3Directed by Jules Dassin, shot by Henri Alekan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Manos Hatzidakis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Roger Dwyre shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Melina Mercouri and Peter Ustinov and Maximilian Schell carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Join us - we'll cut you in on the theft of the century!".
8IMDB entry: tt0058672 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "based on novel or book", "smuggling (contraband)", "greece", "museum".

The technical file

Cinematography: Henri Alekan
Original score: Manos Hatzidakis
Editing: Roger Dwyre
Costume design: Deni Vachlioti
Makeup / hair: Amato Garbini
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Topkapi (1964)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 10,946 votes
MPAA: Unrated
US box office: $7,000,000

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 4 wins & 4 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Jules Dassin

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-12-02
★ 7/10
I just love this film! A gang of thieves decide to rob a Turkish museum of a dagger encrusted with precious jewels. Maximilian Schell and Melina Mercouri are the sexy, funny pair that ensemble a crack (?!) team to tackle this seemingly impossible task. They also rope in Peter Ustinov - a British rogue who earns a living by fleecing tourists - as their patsy. When he is arrested by the police and turns nark the story starts to hot up nicely. Robert Morley is great as the gadget genius and Gilles Ségal does all the acrobatics with a cheeky style. The script has dated quite a bit in 65 years - and many of the jokes are pretty predictable, by current standards - but the look and feel of the whole thing is great - it's pacy, classy and original with a cast that gel particularly well. The music is instantly recognisable too - immediately conjures up dancers with diamonds in their navels!

Production companies