Robbery (1967)

[Steve Crook]

I think Stanley Baker was rather *into* the notion of documentary-style filming back then, and I suspect he would have felt to be *real* and *of the moment* - a bit like Shane Meadows nowadays perhaps.

The "documentary style" was what the critics thought was the only proper style for British films through most of the 1940s even up to the late 60s. They thought they had found a style that would set British film-makers apart from film-makers from other countries, especially Hollywood. But then, as usual, they went overboard on it and were dismissive of other films just because they weren't realist enough and weren't in the "documentary style" that they had decreed was the only proper style for British films.

"Documentary style" shouldn't be confused with real "documentaries" even though real documentaries are usually just as fictional as a drama with scenes being carefully selected to tell a story and scenes being filmed that have nothing to do with real life.

That's why Powell & Pressburger films were so often dismissed by, or a puzzle to most of the critics. Luckily it isn't the critics who decide if a film will be a success, it's the public and all the P&P films were a reasonable (or a great) success with the public when they were shown

Steve

[Moor Larkin]

There's a seeminlgy bizarre claim here that George Markstein scripted the Bullit car chase.....
George Markstein (Estate of) | MARJACQ
he scripted a fine Stanley Baker heist movie, ROBBERY with Peter Yates. It was his ground-breaking car chase in this movie that led to Peter hiring George to script the legendary and innovative car chase in Steve McQueen's BULLITT.

I'm not quite sure how you would *script* a car chase but it seems odd that if he did, he only ever did those two..........

Looks like it is just Bullshitt anyhow.......

The car chase was designed by Carey Loftin. The film starred Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, and Don Gordon. Here is its story: ...Veteran stunt coordinator Carey Loftin designed the chase, plotting a course along a variety of city avenues and landmarks: Clay & Taylor streets, York Street, Potrero Hill, Kansas Street, Russian Hill, and the bucolic Guadalupe Canyon Parkway. Longtime SF residents will see that the chase is not linear, i.e., the cars jump freely around town from cut to cut. Well, chalk that up to artistic license....
HowStuffWorks "Mustang Stars in Bullitt"