MovieChat Forums > The Italian Job (1969) Discussion > Do u think they survived or feel off the...

Do u think they survived or feel off the cliff.

posted 19 years ago by steveicm
42 replies | jump to latest

Cinemajunkie
I love this movie, by the end of the film I was really attached to the gang (self preservation society).
I have thought a lot about the bus hanging on the edge of the cliff.
I have a lot of faith in Michael Cain's character, he was very resourceful.
I figure if he could break into a prison, he could somehow save them on that cliff.
Then only thing that sinks my hopes is, after Michael Cain said
"No body move or you'll send us over the edge, besides I have a plan".
I grew very confident for the survival of all the characters.
However, I recently re-watched the movie. This time I notice right after Michael Cain say's that line. He attempts to crawl toward the back of the bus.
The gold also slides more towards the back of the bus. Then Michael lays there on the floor and say's (in a very baffeld way) "Ah, Ah". It sounded as if he was out of idea's.
Did they survive ?
What do you think ?

[–] steveicm 19 years ago

Cinemajunkie
My girlfriend pointed out that there were curtians in the bus. She said they could have took them down. Then used the rods to pull the gold back towards there side of the bus.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] steveicm 19 years ago

Cinemajunkie
Interesting Idea. Someone driving down the highway might even have stopped to help or went for more help.
Although I hope they didn't get any police to help. The fire department might have been ok. As long as the police didn't get wind.
I think it would have been hard for the police to get there anyway because the traffic signals and highways were jammed up.
Yes your right. One passerby was all it would take to get on board and balance the wieght enough to grab the gold.
Cheers
Steve

[–] bertrambunter 17 years ago

Or the mafia could have caught up with them, grabbed the gold and thrown them over the cliff - but let's hope not, eh??

[–] BadWebDiver 19 years ago

My own idea was they survived - but they lost the gold, which fell out the back doors and into the reservior below!!! Ha, ha, ha! So it was all for nothing!

Sort of inspired by the story of the Nazi gold at the bottom of a lake or something.

Die Gerdanken Sind Frei (My Thoughts Are Free) - a WWII protest song

[–] steveicm 19 years ago

Cinemajunkie
Wow I never thought of that. You could have something there ? the gold did slide to the very back of the bus as Michael Cain started to crawl towards it.

[–] srgould 18 years ago

I always thought they could have knotted the football scarves together, looped them around the gold and then pulled the stack back towards them - the floor seemed slippery enough after all.

[–] steve_icm 18 years ago

I am a cinemajunkie

Good thought ! or maybe they could have used the curtain rods to pull it back.

[–] Trimac20 17 years ago

They could've saved themselves if they quickly bailed out of the front door, so the dilemma is they wouldn't get the gold.

[–] cglee15 18 years ago

i really hope they all fell to their death...

[–] steveicm 18 years ago

I'm a Cinemajunkie !
I wish u were with them, while they fell. ha ha ha ha!

[–] taffy_turner 18 years ago

No Hollywood just created a remake in 2003 which turned out to be a fate worst than death!

"You're Only Supposed To Blow The Bloody Doors Off!"

[–] tfantina 18 years ago

I think they survived, probably waited for some passer by to stop then they had him (the guy who stopped) gather some heavy rocks and pass them into them they used it to create some extra weight on there end while Charley walked down and brought the gold back.
www.nufichicken.com

[–] jamasian_man 17 years ago

Ot the back door fell open and the gold fell over the cliff.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] wolfrick-d 17 years ago

Perhaps they are still there!

[–] steveicm 17 years ago

That nbus would smell awfully bad, because they all had to go to the bathroom eventualy.

But hey did you know that this same endind (Vehicle over the cliff, because driver is excited about getting away with money) was originaly used in (the old balck and white film) Wages of Fear.

I'm a Cinemajunkie !

[–] wolfrick-d 17 years ago

"But hey did you know that this same endind (Vehicle over the cliff, because driver is excited about getting away with money) was originaly used in (the old balck and white film) Wages of Fear"

Bits of the car chase were used in the MacGyver episode "Thief of Budapest"
(www.wikipedia.com)

[–] steveicm 17 years ago

Thanks for this interesting.

I'm a Cinemajunkie !

[–] enright13 16 years ago

I heard an interview with Michael Caine a few years ago, one lunchtime on Radio 1. He said that he was approached to do a sequel to The Italian Job.
The plot was that the "great idea" was to run the bus out of fuel, as the tank was at the back and hanging over the edge.
The loss of weight then allowed all of the guys to escape, but the bus (and the gold) crashed down to the bottom of the mountain and over the French border.
From here it was picked up by the French Mafia, and the movie was all about the Brits trying to steal it back.
But without the magic of the Minis and all of the associated vehicles, it would have been a shadow of the original so Caine turned it down.
So there you go - they survived.
BCingU,
En.

[–] steveicm 16 years ago

Thanks for that.
That was awesome !
Wow there is the answer straight from the lips from Michael Cain.
Once agian, I can't thank you enough.
I can now put this question to rest.

I have one quick question, who was Minis ?

Steve Tenhonen

I'm a Cinemajunkie !

[–] taffy_turner 16 years ago

Are you being serious here? Who was Minis?

The Minis were the 3 little cars painted red, white and blue that they used in the getaway and then subsequently threw them off the cliff.

They were actually MKI Austin Mini Cooper S and of the variety that won the Monte Carlo Rally (for starters) many times during the 1960's.

"You're Only Supposed To Blow The Bloody Doors Off!"

[–] activista 11 years ago

@steveicm

That's exactly the same film I thought about---Wages of Fear---when I saw the ending--didn't know it would end on that note.

[–] eddigothard 16 years ago

I heard someone say that the coach fuel tank was over the back of the coach so if the driver kept his foot on the gas he would empty the tank and that would shift the weight enough to re-balance the Coach.
I like this Idea as it would mean they survive and get the gold.

[–] steveicm 16 years ago

Hopefully enough that they could start shifting gold bars towards the front.
Maybe using the curtain rods to slowly grab it one bar at a time.

Another question.
If they ran they Coach out of gas.
How would they get it off the cliff ?

The coach would have to be a front wheel drive.
I wonder if it was.
Plus you wouldn't be able to drive because it had no gas.

They would have to weight for some one to drive along.

At this point, I guess they would regret throwing out those little cars.

But at least, it suggest the idea that they could survive.

I'm a Cinemajunkie !

[–] PeterBlues 16 years ago

maybe they're still hanging their untill they starved to death and now it's balancing there as a monument.

smile before i die,
why don't you do,
like you used to do,
i can't keep asking on,
where your sunny smile has gone,
what used to always be there,
has now gotten so rare,
what used to have my fiber in cheer,
no other woman like her anywhere,
i ask you one more time,
smile before i die.

[–] jwhale9382 16 years ago

I think they survived. I still want to know what Charlie's brilliant plan was. I thought up several of my own ideas for how they get the gold:

1) They find something to pull the gold over.
2) They find something to use as more weight to balance out the bus.
3) They get a tow truck or something to pull the bus off the cliff.
4) They let it all go and then buried the bus. Then they come back in a couple of years to dig it up.

Brother Maynard, bring forth the holy hand grenade!

[–] enraged_bunny 16 years ago

What I think is most likely is that they all managed to get out but unfortunately they lost all of their gold.