PressClub United Kingdom · Article.
MINI MARKS DOUBLE CELEBRATION WITH UNIQUE ITALIAN JOB CHARITY SCREENING.
Wed Jun 19 17:27:12 CEST 2019 Press Release
• MINI celebrates 60th birthday • The Italian Job film marks 50th anniversary • First ever gathering of original cars which survived filming • Oscar-winning producer Michael Deeley guest of honour, with special message from Sir Michael Caine • New book launched to celebrate the film’s half century: The Self Preservation Society: 50 Years of The Italian Job
Press Contact.
Steve Wrelton
BMW Group
Tel: +44-1865-8-26270
Fax: +44-1865-826750
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Tonight at its home in Oxford, MINI will gather the cars and the
stars of The Italian Job for a unique double celebration and charity
screening of the much-loved film. This year marks 60 years since the
first Mini rolled off the lines at Oxford and 50 years since The
Italian Job premiered in London in June 1969.
Oscar-winning producer Michael Deeley will be the guest of
honour, joined by actor Robert Powell, Hazel Collinson, wife of the
director Peter Collinson and David Salamone, who was responsible for
sourcing the cars for the film and also ended up on camera as Sir
Michael Caine’s driver. Other special members of The Italian Job
family at the event will be: actor John Morris, who played one of
Charlie Croker’s mob, as well as crew members Terry Apsey and David
Wynn-Jones. The family of the late screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin
will also be in attendance as will the family of the late
cinematographer Douglas Slocombe.
The 300 guests, who include manufacturing staff from the plant,
local dignitaries, classic Mini owners and friends of the film from
across the decades, will be welcomed with a message from the star of
the movie, Sir Michael Caine, recorded especially for the event.
The film includes one of the best car chases of all time - which
helped to make Mini the worldwide success it has become - as well as
an unforgettable opening sequence, which sees car after beautiful
super car meeting fiery ends. Gathering the cars of the film for such
an event was vital and although the Minis were destroyed after
filming, an authentic trio of replica Mark I Minis in Italian Job spec
have been brought together.
Of the supercars which featured, few survived, but MINI searched
high and low to gather all those of special note. As a result, for the
first time ever since being on set in 1969, the Jaguar E Type, Aston
Martin DB4 Convertible and Lamborghini Miura from the film will all be
on display together. The Lamborghini is of particular note as it was
lost from the world for decades, has recently been meticulously
restored and shipped from Italy to make its first appearance tonight
before heading to star at The Pebble Beach Concours in California next
month. MINI is extremely grateful to owners of all three cars for
making them available for the event.
A new book will launched on the night to mark the birthday of
one of the UK’s favourite British film. Author Matthew Field spent
years researching every detail and assembling a unique collection of
images from the original print and from behind-the-scenes on the set
if the film. Titled The Self Preservation Society: 50 Years of The
Italian Job, it is a fittingly sumptuous celebration of this
much-loved movie. It has a foreword by Sir Michael Caine.
Before the screening, precision stunt driver Paul Swift will
recreate some of the stunts from the film around the MINI Plant, where
more than 1,000 MINIs are built each day.
Money will be raised on the night to support two charities. The
Alzheimer’s Society is the current house charity of the BMW Group in
the UK and does great work to support sufferers of dementia across the
country and to fund research to find a cure. The Italian Job Charity
was started 30 years ago, focused around an annual rally to Italy in
the spirit of the film. Funds raised are used to support a variety of
children’s charities across Europe.
Ends.
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 30 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2018, the BMW Group sold over 2,490,000 passenger vehicles
and more than 165,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in
the financial year 2018 was € 9.815 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 97.480 billion. As of 31 December 2018, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 134,682 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
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MINI Press Office Contacts:
Steve Wrelton,
External Communications Manager, Plant Oxford
Tel: 07815
371363
Email: Steven.Wrelton@bmwgroup.com
Graham Biggs, Corporate Communications Director, BMW Group UK
Tel: 07815 376867
Email: Graham.Biggs@bmw.co.uk
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