I Restored a Missing Sequence from the Classic 1969 Film The Italian Job with the Help of AI.

I'm still undecided about the ethics of using AI video, but I recently conducted an experiment that left me pleasantly surprised with the results.

Doom scrolling through YouTube I stumbled across the missing scene from The Italian Job was uncovered by a Channel 4 documentary on the classic British film in 1998. This particular clip shows the Mini Coopers being chased onto an ice rink by the police, where they then engage in a surreal waltz to the “Blue Danube” before racing off again. Fans of 60s cinema claim it’s a satirical nod to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The scene was initially cut from the final movie because it dissipated the tension of the chase. Shot and edited together in an exhibition hall in Turin, usually used for the Turin Motor Show, three Minis waltz with three Alfa Romeo Italian police cars, accompanied by the Turin Symphony Orchestra performing the ‘Blue Danube’ by Johann Strauss II. Writer Troy Martin Kennedy wasn’t impressed with this extra scene, believing it would slow down the fast-paced getaway chase. However, 2nd Unit Director Phillip Wrestler thought it was a magical piece of filming that, while slowing the pace temporarily, ultimately enhanced the rapidity of the rest of the chase.

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I used TensorPix to upscale, sharpen, and remove imperfections in the original footage. I also adjusted the “smoothness” slightly, which is where the AI really showcased its capabilities. TensorPix allows you to upscale old SD format videos to HD or even 4K resolution, restoring details, removing blur, and bringing back sharpness.

I chose The Italian Job for this experiment because it's a film I deeply enjoyed as a kid (in the eighties) and because of the unique opportunity to restore a previously lost scene. The quality of the remastered video was visually remarkable, removing imperfections, enhanced clarity and detail that brought the scene to life and in focus in a way I hadn’t really anticipated.#

If you're interested, a recently remastered version of The Italian Job starring Michael Caine is available to stream here.