7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Thought by many to be the inspiration for the TV series 'Mission: Impossible', Jules Dassin's comedy-thriller follows a group of art thieves as they plot and plan to rob a jewelled dagger from the fortress-like Topkapi Palace museum in sun-soaked Istanbul. With an international cast and a screenplay written by ex-Ealing stalwart Monja Danischewsky, 'Topkapi' is one of the great comic-exotic heist movies.
Starring: Melina Mercouri, Peter Ustinov, Maximilian Schell, Robert Morley, Jess HahnThriller | Insignificant |
Heist | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
As with many left leaning artists who found their careers colliding with blacklists and the House Un-American Activities Committee in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Jules Dassin retreated to the relative safety of Europe once it became clear his days in Hollywood were numbered. Unlike some of his contemporaries, though, Dassin flourished rather well overseas, contributing what many consider the grandaddy of all heist or caper films, Rififi, in 1955. Dassin had an international hit of major proportions on his hands in 1960 when Melina Mercouri lit up the screen as “working woman” Illya in Never On Sunday, and Dassin reteamed with Mercouri (who would soon be his wife) in 1964 for another major box office success, Topkapi. Topkapi is an interesting amalgamation of Never on Sunday’s naturally ebullient leading lady with a caper scenario that plays like a slightly more whimsical treatment of some of the same ideas depicted in Rififi. Dassin almost assaults the viewer as Topkapi opens, with a quasi-hallucinatory prelude that sees Mercouri, as Elizabeth Lipp, break the fourth wall while directly addressing the audience about her madcap idea to steal a priceless dagger with several incredible emeralds encrusted in its handle. And that’s really more than half the set up of Topkapi, a film that wastes little time in backstories or character beats as it marauds somewhat mischievously through Elizabeth’s cohorts’ attempts to purloin the bejeweled object. Only the appearance of Peter Ustinov as so-called “shmoe” Arthur Simon Simpson finally introduces a wonderfully unexpected element into the caper, one that gives Topkapi a lot of its delightful comic edge.
Topkapi is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber Studio Classics with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Some may be unpleasantly discouraged by the look of Topkapi for its first few minutes, but it's important to realize that the opening sequence is one large optical effect courtesy of the swirling kaleidoscope colors (and other elements like Mercouri's repeated face on the spinning wheel). That makes the opening extremely soft and grainy looking (see screenshot 6), something that's exacerbated somewhat by this transfer's overall less than solid contrast. Once the opening sequence gives way to the post-credits section of the film, things improve markedly, though there is still inconsistent color which includes fading. This can leave colors skewing toward brown and the overall palette looking a bit worn and tired. Blues still come through very well, making a lot of the water and sky shots look quite appealing. Sharpness and clarity are average, with close-ups faring best (see screenshot 3). All of this said, Topkapi has never really been a traditionally beautiful looking film in any previous home video incarnation, and this Blu-ray certainly increases saturation and general detail decently if not overwhelmingly. Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation and there are no issues with artifacts. Elements have their fair share of damage, but there are no signs of intrusive digital manipulation of the image. It should be noted that the closing credits are windowboxed.
Topkapi features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix which offers very cleanly presented dialogue, even if some of the thick accents are a bit hard to fathom at times (this release could have benefited from subtitles). Manos Hadjidakis contributes a slightly anachronistic score which perhaps understandably sounds more Greek than Turkish. That's Ms. Mercouri herself singing in the opening moments of the film. Broadway fans will know one of her post-Topkapi performances was in the Broadway musical version of Never on Sunday, which was called Illya, Darling! and which featured music by Hadjidakis. There are no issues with this problem free track.
Topkapi remains one of the most ebulliently fun caper movies of all time, one that is buoyed ineffably by the pitch perfect performance of Peter Ustinov. Dassin's mastery is subtle at times, but holds up to rigorous analysis, especially after repeated viewings of the film. Technical merits here are okay, if unspectacular, but those who have had previous home video releases of Topkapi will know that the film has always had a certain rough appearance. Given reasonable expectations for video quality, and with an understanding of just how wonderful the film is, overall Topkapi comes Recommended.
1966-1973
1966
The First Great Train Robbery / Reissue
1978
1972
1974
The Diamond Mercenaries
1976
1969
1988
1958
1969
1956
2017
1964
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1967
1972
Warner Archive Collection
1955
1990
1987
1956
1974