"One of the most dangerous stunts to film was the leap the Minis make between the roofs of two Fiat factory buildings. It was Remy Julienne who insisted that the stunt was feasible, but I wasn't taking any chances. I wanted to see a test done first on the ground. Julienne and his boys practised many times on the flat. We watched keenly, and I was persuaded that they could do the job - but it is a different matter when those engines are revving at eighty feet above ground. Not only was I concerned for the safety of the drivers, I also had my own fate to worry about. I was told that, as the person in charge of the enterprise, I would be the one held liable if there was an accident. I would immediately be nabbed and thrown into a Turin jail if something went wrong. Thus we arranged that there would be a getaway car by the side door of the factory where we were shooting, and a plane fuelled and ready at the airport. If the worst happened, I could argue my case from outside the country rather than from inside an Italian prison cell.

When it came to get the scene before cameras, the emotion on set was so intense that one of the extra Italian cameramen broke down in tears, unable to witness the action. The crew really didn't want to watch the stunt."
- Michael Deeley, on producing The Italian Job, from Blade Runners, Deer Hunters, & Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies