How a 1966 heist comedy became the blueprint for cinematic museum robberies worldwide
In short: William Wyler’s 1966 film How to Steal a Million features a charming burglar and a high-stakes museum heist. While critics initially called the plot preposterous, its central robbery sequence became an enduring template for filmmakers, inspiring projects from Hindi cinema to Argentine thrillers decades after its original release.
The film stars Audrey Hepburn as Nicole Bonnet, the daughter of a Parisian art forger, and Peter O'Toole as Simon Dermott, an investigator posing as a burglar. When Nicole’s father accidentally signs an insurance policy that mandates a forensic examination of his prized, fake Cellini Venus, the pair must break into the Kléber-Lafayette Museum to steal the statue before the fraud is exposed. The resulting heist, which involves hiding in a utility closet and triggering alarms with a toy boomerang, serves as the film's centerpiece.
Despite its 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 11 critical reviews, the film’s commercial performance was underwhelming. 20th Century-Fox records indicate the production required $12 million in rentals to break even but only earned $10.45 million, resulting in a financial loss. Critics at the time, including those from LIFE magazine, noted that the film’s early pacing was slow, relying heavily on Givenchy fashion and Parisian scenery before the actual robbery began.
The legacy of the film extends far beyond its initial box office run. The specific mechanics of the museum robbery have been replicated in films such as the 1973 Hindi production Loafer, the 2014 Tamil film Lingaa, and the 2019 Argentine movie Heroic Losers. In the latter, the characters explicitly cite the 1966 film as their inspiration for committing crimes. Additionally, the film’s dialogue has permeated pop culture, with a verbal exchange between the lead characters being adapted for a series of Renault Clio commercials.
Behind the scenes, the production was notable for Hepburn’s return to the screen after a two-year hiatus following My Fair Lady. At the time, there was some public commentary regarding the age gap between the leads, as Hepburn was 36 and O'Toole was 33. Hepburn reportedly received a $1 million salary for the role, matching the title of the film itself, while the production concluded in the fall of 1965 after beginning in the late summer.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: How to Steal a Million
- Also: How to Steal a Million
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