MovieChat Forums > The Italian Job (1969) Discussion > First hacker movie?

First hacker movie?

posted 14 years ago by trigaba
4 replies | jump to latest

In the wake of the countless elements of originality in the film, there's one small yet crucial piece of the heist that, unless I'm mistaken, utilized a story element long before its more natural revolution in the 80s and went on to become one of the most popular & overused elements in modern cinema... hacking.

A team infiltrates a facility housing a crucial computer system, & their operation's resident brain (Prof. Peach) installs a program that brings the entire system down. If that's not hacking, I don't know what is.

So is this the first example of computer hacking in the history of cinema? Is the first hacker in the history of cinema played by non other than the normally-bumbling Benny Hill? Anyone else know of an earlier picture with computer hacking elements? I was surprised enough to find a 1969 film with such, but will be down right speechless to find something earlier.

[–] Cobram 14 years ago

There have been films, especially Sci-Fi where computer data and computers are "hacked" or compromised as part of the plot. I don't recall the film or series, but there's one from the late 50's where a futuristic space ship has the computer altered by aliens, or some such thing.

I don't know if you could call TIJ a "hacker" movie though, as I understand the term, it would have to be a movie based on the hacker or hack along the lines of "do you want to play a game?"

"Hot Millions" was made a year before TIJ, it's about a computer hacker who hacks into an insurance company's computer to steal money, I don't know if it's the first about hacking or not, but it came before TIJ.

Man without relatives is man without troubles. Charlie Chan

[–] sun_scryer 14 years ago

You have a good point. This isn't a sci fi movie, it's an action film, and yes one of the most important elements -- the central element -- is the success of the hack. Very good catch about it's place in film history.

[–] MrBullo 8 years ago

Yes, I also think that it is the first.
2001 A Space Odyssey and Westworld both had computers overruling humans but these were sci-fi. However in terms of a heist movie with external computer hacking none came before the Italian Job.

[–] mitzibishi (2013) 4 years ago

Benny Hill was literally hacking. He is the Neo of the 60's.

Anybody can change a tape. Audio guys, projectionists could have done the job just as well.