A Bomb Was Stolen is a 1962 Romanian dialogue-free spy film directed by Ion Popescu-Gopo. It was entered into the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot

The film begins with a nuclear bomb test. One of the bombs is stolen by gangsters, who hide the bomb in a bag. Inept police pursue the gangsters, and the bag containing the bomb is lost, and recovered by a passerby who does not know what's in the bag. The passerby goes about his day with the bag, pursued by the gangsters who are in turn pursued by the police.

Reception

The international press praised this film. In the English press, A Bomb Was Stolen received the label “an exuberant comedy” (Eric Shorter, Daily Telegraph, 25 August 1962), "a subtle and frequently hilarious satire" (Satiră din România, Edinburgh Evening News, 30 August 1962), "a satirical fantasy" (Bomba, Daily Worker, 3 September 1962). The Soviet journalist I. Surkova, writing for Sovetskaya Kulture, considered the film “full of witty jokes.”

Cast

Awards

In May 1962, the film participated at the International Film Festival in Cannes, being nominated for the official Palme d'Or Award.