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THE BIG STEAL Returns to the Big Screen at the 20th FICM

Daniel G. Hernández

Nick James presented The Big Steal by Don Siegel at the 20th edition of the Morelia International Film Festival. The film is part of the Imaginary Mexico Program: Robert Mitchum

The film tells us the story of Duke Halliday, a lieutenant accused of stealing $300,000 from the Army payroll that he was guarding. The lieutenant arrives in Veracruz to look for the real culprit, Jim Fiske. There he meets Joan, his enemy’s girlfriend, who was being robbed under a false promise of marriage. Both people are pursued by Blake, who wants to capture Halliday.

"I would like to say thank you to Daniela Michel, Alejandro Ramírez, and all the people who work in this wonderful festival I have visited around nine times," said Nick James. "This film shows my favorite film actor, Robert Mitchum, in my favorite festival, which is Morelia."

Nick shared the story behind the movie with the audience. The film was made in order to salvage Robert Mitchum’s career after he was charged with illegal possession of marijuana at the time and was later arrested. Howard Hughes looked for a way to make a film quickly and cheaply in order to clear the actor’s name. He took inspiration from an old Richard Wormser novel and, with the help of screenwriter Daniel Mainwaring and director Don Siegel, began work on the film.

A curious fact that Nick James shared with us was that, during the time that Robert was in jail, the actor got in shape. That's why there are some scenes in the movie where he looks fitter than others. The same thing happened with the actress Jane Greer, who was secretly pregnant and undergoing the transformations of pregnancy while filming.

With this brief history, James gave the attendees context so that they could appreciate all the work behind it. The presence of filmmaker Claire Denis, special guest at the 20th FICM, stood out.

The Mitchum Program Begins with the Screening of OUT OF THE PAST, by Jacques Tourneur

Omar Sosa Topete

Out of the Past (1947, Dir. Jacques Tourneur), kicks off the Imaginary Mexico Program: Robert Mitchum on the Run at the 20th Morelia International Film Festival (FICM). The show was presented by Nick James, former editor of Sight & Sound magazine and jury member of previous editions of festivals such as the San Sebastian International Film Festival, the Istanbul International Film Festival, the San Francisco Film Festival and during the Cannes Critics' Week.

“To me, quite simply, he (Robert Mitchum) is the best movie actor there is and ever was. I’m always excited to see him and he has something very unique, which I think has not been replicated yet,” said the critic.

The program pays tribute to the extraordinary American actor Robert Mitchum, who is recognized for building an incredible performer-stage relationship with Mexico, and nothing could better illustrate the image we have of him today than Out of the Past (1947): the sturdy and gallant anti-hero, who was having a bad time in love and was constantly involved in woman-related problems.

“Despite his physical strength, he moved with incredible grace. He had a style of movement in which he made it seem as if he moved much more slowly than all the other people around him so that the camera was focused on him in a very special way," added James to lead the projection of the movie