A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square (1980)

In 1975, eight men pulled off what was then the largest bank robbery in the history of the United Kingdom. The Bank of America heist in Mayfair, London, netted an estimated £8 million in cash, jewelry and valuables. "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" was made just four years later. It is a fictional story based on the heist, with all fictitious characters and names. The film has a large cast with several prominent actors of the day in cameo roles. David Niven was ill at the time, and the producers hurried to get some of the filming completed. As a result, the film appears choppy in places. The main details of how the heist was pulled off are accurate, according to police reports and later documentaries. But the background of the main character, Pinky in this film, is doctored considerably. As are the details of how Scotland Yard caught the real inside man, Stuart Buckley, and his naming the other crooks. In reality, only £500,000 of an estimated £8 million was recovered. The heist included cash, jewelry and other valuables. All of the cast do a fine job. Richard Jordan is the main character as Pinky. He is based on Buckley. The real Buckley had a minor criminal record and had been in prison a couple of times. And, he was an electrician. In the movie he is referred to a general service job that eventually leads to the bank. In reality, Buckley answered an ad by the Bank of America for an electrician and was hired directly by the bank - with no background check at all. Perhaps some of the real details were glossed over or changed in this earliest film of the heist for one or more reasons. The truth may have alerted other criminals to the poor to almost non-existent security at many banks at the time and led to a rash of attempted bank robberies then. Or, it may just have been too embarrassing for the Bank of America at the time, which it should have been. The way that Buckley made the keys to the vault gates and discovered the double combinations is accurate. He waited all one night, crouched above the ceiling until the bank manager and other person with the combinations came to open the vault in the morning. And, he recorded the combinations as he watched them turn the dials below. But that's where the accuracy in this film ends. In this film, Scotland Yard nabs Buckley almost by chance. With his record, he was among suspects whose homes the police checked. And they found the papers with the safe combinations written on them in one of Pinky's jackets. I couldn't believe that anyone as clever as Pinky would be quite that dumb as to not having destroyed those papers, or concealed them in some inconspicuous way. Well, the reality proved he wasn't as dumb as made out to be in this film. The police got to Buckley through his connections with the other crooks. The police recovered cash and jewelry from Pinky's stash, as shown in this film. The movie doesn't show them getting any others, but they did get the shares of two others. When the Scotland Yard detectives confronted the real Buckley with those, he saw that his share was much smaller than the others. And, that's what Scotland Yard used to convince him to spill the beans. He was one of the first criminals in the UK to be granted Supergrass status. He would receive reduced sentence and be given protection while in confinement, then helped to relocate and change his name to avoid likely revengeful killing by any of the rest of the gang. The character that Niven plays, Ivan, is based on a younger, established criminal, Frank Maple. Buckley had known him before and when they met up again and Buckley told him about his job in a bank and all that he was able to do and seek, Maple took it from there and planned the whole heist. But, unlike the motley bunch shown in this film, he recruited three top people for their special abilities. In time, they added three more men for lookouts and other help. They pulled off the real robbery by eight men entering the bank right after its closing - with the front door key. They were dressed as businessmen and didn't arouse suspicion. And, one other big variation from the film was the capture of Ivan. The real Frank Maple escaped the U.K. for Spain and Morocco, and has never been found since. As to the capture of the real Buckley (Pinky in the film), Scotland Yard intelligence had been watching a couple of the real big-time crooks, especially the safecracker. When the heist group began to assemble, they met often in a café. That's where Scotland Yard knew that something was in the works, and who they characters of this group were - including Buckley (Pinky). So, it turns out that the crooks themselves had been careless and set themselves up for eventual capture. All except Maple were arrested within a couple days. One escaped custody. In the film, it's Pinky, but in reality, it was another crook. Scotland Yard eventually caught him in hiding several days later. In the movie, Richard Johnson plays Inspect Watford. His character is based on the real Jack Slipper, the chief detective inspector. Scotland Yard tabbed him to head the investigation. He was the best and was known for having pursued Ronnie Biggs after the Great Train Robbery of 1963. Other big names in this film are Elke Sommer and Gloria Grahame. Among the rest of the huge cast, some prominent actors of the day have cameos. They are Hugh Griffith, John Rhys-Davies, Joss Ackland and Alfred Molina.

When Pinky, a qualified electrician, is released from prison, his parole officer has found him a job working at a big city bank. When some of the crime underworld from his past learn of his position they plan to exploit it and rob the bank. Pinky is at first horrified because he really wants to go straight, but when a twist of fate happens Pinky begins to think one shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.Also known as The Mayfair Bank Caper {amongst others!}, this is a hugely enjoyable piece that is quintessential 1970s. London and all it's highly dubious fashions are lit up like a Christmas tree in Ralph Thomas and Guy Elmes' cunningly crafty caper. If the viewer can accept David Niven as an aged crime lord of some evility {it's not easy i can tell you}, then A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square could well surprise you. The actors aren't pulling up any trees for sure, but it's really not hurting the picture at all, it has an honest fun quality that is never less than entertaining. The score and soundtrack is perhaps guilty of over jollification during the dramatic criminal moments, but it's a minor complaint to leave me thinking this is an under seen British gem.Richard Jordan takes the lead role of Pinky (obviously hoping to lure in American viewers}, 70s heart throb Oliver Tobias {a mass of hair} is in there to keep the ladies interested, whilst the blokes get the pleasurable sight of Elke Sommer and her delightful legs for company. Moving along at a decent enough clip and containing a seriously rewarding finale, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square deserves far better than the paltry 5.7 rating here on IMDb, but just how many people have seen it i wonder?, hmm, go on give it a go if you the chance, it's good stuff. 7/10

I recently bought this movie on DVD at a discount store for $5. Although it is a no-frills DVD on the Geneon label (just the movie that starts playing immediately - no menu, no special features) the picture and sound quality were EXCELLENT. The movie is based on the true story of one of the biggest bank robberies in history.Richard Jordan, who I must admit to not having heard of, plays the lead - Pinky Green. A charming young man who had spent too much of his few years in prison and now wanted to go straight but is not allowed to do so! He portrays an American in England. David Niven plays the lead bad guy, also with the great charm for which he is famous. Bad, but with scruples as when he refuses to deny Pinky his "whack" for the job. Whack, in England, apparently is the fair share of the take and not a bullet in the head as in American gangster films! All the supporting cast do an excellent job producing a very believable movie.What is perhaps best, to me, is that the whole movie is quite enjoyable and understandable (I frequently find myself lost in plot confusions and various characters) without ANY special effects. NO blood. No violence. Not even a single car chase! Just a well written story, well acted, well directed and well photographed! If I had any complaints about the movie, I would question the music. WHAT is bluegrass music doing in a bank heist story that takes place in England?

David "master of debonair" Niven plays the Big Boss (IVAN) who preys upon the unfortunate Richard Jordan (PINKY) by forcing the hapless ex-con to exploit his ill-found new position in a bank. Elke Sommer (Miss PELHAM) most effectively provides the female interest, whom Pinkie cannot simply cannot resist.It seems they were unable to decide on one name for this film so instead they used four .... makes sense ???Sadly, this turn out to be one of Niven's last roles.Overall, this film is fun and well worth watching if you manage to catch one of its rare or late night TV screenings.