Stanley Baker's O'Donovan is sent to steal the plans of a rival company's racing car designs, to ensure his employers win the competition. However, when opening a safe containing the plans, he triggers an alarm leading to a gun battle where he kills a number of people. James Robertson Justice, alarmed by the scandal surrounding the killings, orders his agent be killed surreptitiously to hide his involvement with the plot. The film uses original footage from the Mille Miglia , an Italian open-road endurance race, featuring classic period racing cars.
Cinematography
Actual Mille Miglia footage — no faking that glory
Acting
Baker's smoldering intensity before he became iconic
Production
Period Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes pornography
Director
Ralph Thomas
Anthony Steel
Bill Fraser
Odile Versois
Francesca
Stanley Baker
O'Donovan
James Robertson Justice
Warren Ingram
Maurice Denham
Ted Thornhill
Michael Medwin
Ginger
Paul Müller
Petersen
Lee Patterson
Johnny Carpenter
Anne Heywood
Gabriela
Philip Gilbert
Eddie
Andreas Malandrinos
Night Watchman
Dino Galvani
Hotel Hall Porter
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 1956 Mille Miglia was the final running before the deadly crash that ended the race permanently — this film accidentally captured the last golden year.
Stanley Baker was so obsessed with motorsport he kept lobbying to keep his driving scenes, even crashing a borrowed car during production.
GB
