After the Fox (1966)

I never thought I'd find myself rating a Neil Simon screenplay anything below eight out of ten and that would have to be on an off day but here Simon turns in something that even Tally Rothwell could equal on the worst 'Carry On' he ever vomited up. I've been a Neil Simon buff from the beginning - before I even knew his name I was creasing up at the stuff he turned out for the late Bilko TV shows and I followed his theatre career from Come Blow Your Horn onwards, revelling in his trademark one-liners, sadly thin on the ground here. There are, of course, things to admire, not least Victor Mature's tour de force as an ageing Hollywood star of the 'beefcake' school of acting. Mature was, of course, celebrated for sending himself and his image up in real life and he seemed happy enough to keep on churning out dross by the yard with only the occasional half-decent effort - I Wake Up Screaming, Kiss Of Death - for balance. See it once, for Mature, then forget it.

'After The Fox' probably looks funnier now than when it was first released in 1966. Peter Sellers plays 'Aldo Vanucci', Italy's top criminal mastermind - known as 'The Fox' - and also a master of disguise. When his cronies visit him in jail, he gives them food and magazines. Hearing that his sister Gina ( Britt Ekland, Sellers' wife at the time ) is walking the streets of Rome, he is furious and escapes by switching places with a psychiatrist. It turns out Gina is only making a movie. He wants her to go back to school, but she is determined to become a movie star. She has changed her surname to the more exotic sounding 'Romantica'. A daring bullion robbery has been pulled off in Cairo, and Aldo must help the thieves get the gold into Italy. He decides to trick the townspeople of Sevalio into thinking they are taking part in a movie, and to this end manages to secure the services of fading Hollywood matinée idol 'Tony Powell' ( Victor Mature )...At times, 'Fox' feels like an Italian version of one of Sellers' earlier British comedies, such as 'Two Way Stretch' and 'The Wrong Arm Of The Law'. Aldo shares many similarities to 'Dodger Lane' and 'Pearly Gates'. Neil Simon's script is not bad - though not among his better efforts - but it needed a director of the calibre of Blake Edwards to make it work. Instead we have Vittorio De Sica, and his heart is just not in it. As 'Vanucci', Sellers is okay, but its when he gets to impersonate eccentric director 'Frederico Fabrizi' ( pointing to his head, he says to Tony: "In here is my script!" ) that the film really starts to becomes funny, with some amusing jibes at the expense of the neo-realism school of cinema ( of which De Sica was a leading exponent ). Giving Sellers competition in the comedy department is Mature, with a highly amusing self parody as a film star who refuses to admit he is over the hill. When he brags to his agent 'Harry' that he is a youthful forty, the man replies: "But your son is thirty-five!". Another asset is the bouncy Burt Bacharach soundtrack. The catchy theme song was performed by Sellers ( as 'Vanucci' ) and 'The Hollies'. 'Fox' was not a big commercial success, but now seems a decent way to kill 90 minutes, even if it does end with a somewhat uninspired car chase.The best moment comes in the final scene. Vanucci is on trial ( along with the townspeople of Sevalio ). The film is screened to the jury. It is disjointed, jumpy, with jerky camera work ( just like every major film on release these days ). When it is over, everyone who took part looks embarrassed. A wild-eyed critic, however, proclaims it a masterpiece!

After The Fox finds Peter Sellers and his then bride Britt Eklund working in Italy for director Vittorio DeSica. In it Sellers plays a criminal who if he's not quite a master at the crime trade, at least he's not a bumbler like Inspector Clousseau. The laughs Sellers gets in After The Fox come at the expense of others.A robbery of gold bullion has occurred in Egypt and Interpol is on the case. As we learned in The Lavender Hill Mob, gold bullion is not that easy to transport. Taking on the job of getting it into Europe after he's broken out of jail once again is Peter Sellers.How to do it? Right out in the open during the course of shooting a movie about a heist. Sellers pretends to be a director and gets the a whole coastal village in on his scheme. After all, who doesn't want to be in the movies?Part of Sellers plan is to convince over the hill American movie actor Victor Mature to star in his film. After The Fox was Mature's first film in five years, at this point in his life he worked when he felt like it. Mature was one of the least vain of all film stars, how many will say that he's no actor and have 63 pictures to prove it. He looked like he was having a ball satirizing himself and several of his colleagues still pretending they're leading men. Britt Eklund is Seller's girl friend and Akim Tamiroff is the guy who pulled off the gold heist. Maria Gracia Buccella has an unforgettable part as Tamiroff's sister and 'the bikini trap'. This woman in a bikini makes Sophia Loren look flat-chested. Martin Balsam also has a good role as Mature's exasperated agent.To see what happens if the budding film director can really smuggle some gold into Italy you have to see After The Fox. It's one of Peter Sellers best films and you've got to love Victor Mature for what he does with his own image here.

I would have to rate this film as "almost" one of Peter Sellers' best movies...why "almost"? The ending was very contrived...as if no one could think of a good ending, so they just ended it...period. The rest of this movie is completely hilarious...a never ending romp with Sellers giving it everything he had. Also, I have to say that Victor Mature gave a stellar performance as the aging American movie star. He not only poked fun at himself, but did it with great gusto. Watch the scene where he begs his agent/manager to punch him in the stomach to prove that he is still a macho he-man...I almost fell off the couch at that one. As one person said, this is a very Italian picture, but anyone who loves great comedy will enjoy it. I gave it 9 stars...I would've given it 10 except that the ending left me flat. Other than that, this is the equal of the "Pink Panther" series.