A 1969 heist comedy that became the most popular French film of its year
In short: Le Cerveau, a 1969 French comedy directed by Gérard Oury, follows a chaotic collision between petty crooks, a British criminal mastermind, and the Sicilian mafia. As they compete to hijack a NATO train carrying millions, the film spirals into a high-stakes chase that ends at the Statue of Liberty.
The plot centers on Colonel Matthews, a British Army officer and the secret mastermind behind the 1963 Great Train Robbery. Matthews aims to repeat his success by stealing a NATO cash shipment traveling from Paris to Brussels. He recruits a Sicilian mafioso named Scannapieco to launder the proceeds, but the plan unravels when Matthews catches the attention of Scannapieco's sister, Sofia. Her romantic pursuit of the Colonel infuriates her brother, leading the mafioso to attempt a double-cross to claim the entire fortune for himself.
The heist itself is a masterclass in overlapping schemes. Two French petty crooks, Arthur and Anatole, attempt to rob the same train, unaware that the Colonel has already rigged the carriage with gas and explosives. While the crooks successfully drop the bags of cash, they are immediately intercepted by Matthews' team, who are disguised as firemen. However, the Colonel's victory is short-lived; his team is hijacked by Scannapieco’s men, who plan to smuggle the loot out of France inside a replica of the Statue of Liberty.
The film culminates in a frantic pursuit involving multiple factions, including the police and the persistent duo of Arthur and Anatole. The chase reaches its climax at the docks of Le Havre as the Statue of Liberty is loaded onto the SS France. In a final twist, the stolen banknotes rain down upon the crowd on the quay. Despite the failure to secure the cash, the film concludes with Matthews inviting the two petty crooks to join his next operation: hijacking a gold bullion shipment destined for Fort Knox.
Released in 1969, the film was a massive commercial success, ranking as the most popular French movie at the domestic box office that year. It features a notable score by Georges Delerue and performances by stars Jean-Paul Belmondo, Bourvil, David Niven, and Eli Wallach. The production remains a quintessential example of the era's grand-scale European comedy, blending intricate heist mechanics with slapstick elements and international intrigue.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Brain (1969 film)
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