Line #23 Film/TheBrain1969


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thebrain1969.png]]
2
3	->''Who's got a computer for a mind?\
4	'''The Brain!'''\
5	Who's got an IQ like an Einstein?\
6	'''The Brain!'''\
7	He's a genius but he's a schemer who plays a fiendish game\
8	Diabolically cool, don't fool with '''The Brain!''' ''
9	-->-- '''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Breed The American Breed]]''', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbLYvlCFehg main theme of the film]]
10
11	''The Brain'' (''Le Cerveau'' in French) is a 1969 French heist comedy film directed by Creator/GerardOury and starring Creator/DavidNiven, Creator/JeanPaulBelmondo, Creator/{{Bourvil}} and Creator/EliWallach.
12
13	Two clumsy French thieves, Anatole (Bourvil) and Arthur (Belmondo), plan a spectacular heist: the attack of a freight train which carries secret UsefulNotes/{{NATO}} funds from Paris to Brussels. What they don't know is that another, much more manned and well-equipped team is planning the same thing. That team performed the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Train_Robbery_(1963) Glasgow-London Great Train Robbery]] and is headed by Colonel Carol Matthews a.k.a. "The Brain" (Niven), a British criminal mastermind, who has also a deal with Frankie Scannapieco (Wallach), a Sicilian gangster.
14
15	Not to be confused with [[Film/TheBrain1988 the 1988 sci-fi film]] of the same name about [[BrainMonster an actual literal brain]].
16
17	----
18	!!''The Brain'' provides examples of:
19
20	* AllForNothing: [[spoiler:The base of the Statue of Liberty replica The Brain used to conceal the money and bring it to the USA inadvertently opens, scattering the money on the sea.]]
21	* AlliterativeName: '''S'''ofia '''S'''cannapieco.
22	* AsHimself: The English poster, as seen above, includes the "Art/StatueOfLiberty" in the list of stars.
23	* BananaInTheTailpipe: Done to Colonel Matthews' car, with a dry sausage. As a result, when the car starts up, the whole exhaust system blows up and breaks away, forcing Matthews to use Arthur's taxi.
24	* TheCaper: Two separate groups of thieves try to rob the same train at the same time, while a third just waits to take advantage of its results.
25	* CrankyNeighbor: The couple who lives under the Brain's appartement. A water leak and Arthur's impersonating the Brain on the phone prompt the husband to go punch the gentleman upstairs.
26	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Frankie is hot-headed and prone to humiliation, but he's much smarter and tougher than he seems.
27	* DidntThinkThisThrough: If the two heists didn't collide, Arthur's would have probably ended with him and Anatole riddled with bullets from the NATO guards' automatic weapons, that Arthur intended to confront with fake handguns.
28	* TheDragAlong: Anatole does not want to participate in the train job. Arthur nevertheless drags him into this operation, but Anatole constantly complains.
29	* ExplodingFishTanks: There is a big fish tank in the Brain's apartment. It breaks because of Arthur when he is hiding in the apartment and fleeing from the pet leopard.
30	* ExpositoryThemeTune: The main theme is this, introducing the main character and plot.
31	* FollowThatCar: Arthur orders the driver of a car (who is actually a policeman) to follow the car driven by the Brain.
32	* ForeignLanguageTirade: Frankie rants at his exhibitionist sister in Italian. In both the English and French versions.
33	* GentlemanThief: The Brain is a genius thief, but also combines QuintessentialBritishGentleman and OfficerAndAGentleman. Being played by David Niven helps.
34	* HamAndDeadpanDuo: Arthur is the ham. He is always self-confident, ambitious and bombastic. Anatole is the deadpan: he keeps on complaining and making sarcastic comments.
35	* HereWeGoAgain: In the end, the Brain suggests Arthur and Anatole to attack another train in the United States.
36	* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: Arthur orders the driver of a car to follow another car. He says that he is the police. The driver does not believe him because he is a policeman himself, but he pretends to be fooled, because he thinks this may be a convenient way to get to the author of the train job and his loot.
37	* IShallTauntYou: Arthur loves this. He actively trolls his warden to get thrown in solitary and escape, and insults the Brain's neighbor to create a diversion.
38	-->'''Neighbor:''' It's raining in my place, Sir!\
39	'''Arthur:''' It's raining in your place? As intended!
40	* JanitorImpersonationInfiltration: Anatole and Arthur manage to approach the train because they disguise themselves as railway maintenance workers.
41	* TheMafia: The Brain makes a deal with Frankie Scannapieco (Eli Wallach), a Sicilian mafiosi.
42	* MayDecemberRomance: Between Sofia (Silvia Monti was in her early twenties) and Colonel Carol Matthews (David Niven was almost 60).
43	* MeaningfulName: The Brain owes his name to, well, that organ. His is too heavy for his neck to keep his head straight all the time.
44	* MediumBlending: An unusual example -- the Brain is exposing to his henchmen his plan for a future train heist... with the projection of a short animated film, [[MartyStu starring himself]]. The real heist goes much less smoothly that the one shown in the animation, of course.
45	* MoleInCharge: In his actual identity, the Brain overviews the transfer of the very money he is about to steal.
46	* MsFanservice: Sofia, quite intentionally at first to piss off her brother. She introduces herself to the Brain by stripping down to her undies, breaking her window, gliding down a cord and [[ShowerScene getting a shower]] in front of Frankie, the Brain and their associates and bodyguard, all the while having a love song blazing through her radio [[note]] ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7ECqmbdNuE Cento Giorni]]'' by Caterina Caselli[[/note]].
47	-->'''The Brain:''' Your wife?\
48	'''Frankie:''' No, my sister.\
49	'''The Brain:''' Ah, she's still quite fetching.
50	* MyBrainIsBig: The Brain's brain is not oversized but it is so heavy that, when he has a strong emotion, he cannot keep his head upright and it leans on his shoulders.
51	* MySisterIsOffLimits: Frankie really is protective of his sister.
52	-->'''Sofia:''' You don't know my brother. If he saw us, he'd kill us.\
53	'''The Brain:''' But that's quite unfair. He could wait until we actually did something.
54	* NoHonorAmongThieves: Frankie makes a deal with the Brain to launder the money from the train job. Nevertheless, he tries to double-cross him and to take all the money for himself.
55	* PantheraAwesome: The Brain's pet, a leopard.
56	* PhantomThief: The Brain's reputation precedes him, and the police constantly failed to even find him.
57	* PoolScene: The Brain negotiate with Frankie Scannapieco in his swimming pool. This offers him the opportunity to meet his sister Sofia in bikini.
58	* RampJump: Anatole and Arthur cross a drawbridge at full speed. The bridge is rising, so the car takes off. When it lands, it splits in two.
59	* RealEventFictionalCause: The Brain and his team performed the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Train_Robbery_(1963) Glasgow-London Great Train Robbery]], apparently.
60	* RedBaron: Col. Carol Matthews owes his nickname, "The Brain", as much to the size of the organ in his head as he does to his IQ and his operations' masterful planning.
61	* RefugeInAudacity: Invoked by both The Brain's and Arthur's plans, which are to reproduce an older heist. The Brain's plan also involves taking the money away in fire engines with sirens blaring. Also the chosen "Piggy-Bank" where Frankie hides the money.
62	* RippedFromTheHeadlines: Based on the Great Train Robbery of 1963, which is even mentioned as The Brain's handiwork prior to the film.
63	* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: Sofia suggestively takes a shower in front of the Brain to get on her brother's nerves.
64	* ShoutOut: One of the Belgian guards on the train reads ''Recap/TintinTheCalculusAffair''.
65	* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: During the animated rehearsal of the heist.
66	-->'''Animated Brain:''' Hello there. What is my plan to steal Nato's billions? We cannot repeat the Glasgow-London heist.\
67	'''The Brain:''' Can we, gentlemen?\
68	'''Gangsters:''' No, of course not.\
69	'''Animated Brain:''' Well, it's exactly what we're going to do, [[BatmanGambit because every idiot will react like you did]].
70	* TooCleverByHalf: The Brain taunts the mafia with informations about the money he wants them to launder, thinking them incapable of guessing his target.
71	* TrainJob: A non-western version. The two separate heist plans are about stealing a ton of money from a NATO train.
72	* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Played with. During the preparation phase, the Brain shows to his associates a cartoon presenting the various steps of the plan. However, during the actual heist, the Brain has a harder time than his animated counterpart, but still goes through with the robbery. In the end, the mafia shows up, having figured out the unspoken part of the plan (the time and the place) and takes the money.
73	* UnusualPetsForUnusualPeople: The Brain (who is a GentlemanThief, and a British officer) owns a pet leopard.
74	* VillainProtagonist: The protagonists, Arthur and Anatole, are thieves.

Context Film / TheBrain1969