And right from the off it's clear that although not quite as breathtaking as the Zulu effort, it's still a dream come true for the film's legions of fans.

The first thing that struck me was how incredibly clean the image looked, as Paramount has somehow managed to eradicate during the mastering process seemingly every last trace of the sort of noise - sparkle or dirt flecks - that must surely exist on the original film print. Seriously, we doubt the film looked this good even back in 1969 when the very first print was run for the very first time.

The broadcast also avoids the gritty, speckly look found with some HD films, as well as ditching pretty much all traces of the MPEG noise that can sometimes creep into Sky HD movies if Sky doesn't allow a film a high enough broadcast bitrate.

The picture is also remarkably sharp, easily revealing those tell-tale signs of HD prowess such as the weave in one of those oh-so-dashing 1960s suits or individual hair strands on actors' heads. Plus, of course, it does a hugely satisfying job of presenting the gorgeous Italian scenery in all its glory.

The truly HD nature of the picture also helps the broadcast recreate a terrific sense of depth, with, say, foreground objects really looking like they're moving against a distant background rather than looking like they're just moving across a flat, two-dimensional plane.

Yet more good news finds immaculately defined edges that never look forced or ghosty, and colour tones that are rich and, best of all, superbly natural. With the possible exception of the Mini Coopers, there is, admittedly, nothing to match the consistent intensity of the red jackets of the British soldiers in the phenomenal Zulu broadcast. But skin tones are definitely more authentic as the transfer accurately recreates the superior tonal character of the later film stock used for The Italian Job.

One final source of celebration is the film's black level response, which finds dark scenes like the one where Charlie watches the film of his Italian contact describing the heist look stunningly cinematic for a digital broadcast of such an aging film.

The Italian Job loses a mark because of the way the occasional mid- to long-range shot looks slightly less detailed than it might, and the way one or two other shots curiously appear to be more focussed across the middle than they are at their upper and lower edges.

But these really are but small distractions from what really is another terrific showcase for how HD can inject stunning new life into the great films of yesteryear as well as those of today.

But there's no doubt that the Dolby Digital mix enhances the clarity of the sound, especially where vocals are concerned, and there is actually just about enough going on in the rear channels to create both a better sense of the environment - be it the streets of Turin or the interior of the church as the Italian police try to batter their way inside - and a more immersive experience generally than you would have had with a purely stereo mix.

It's also worth adding that the sound mix is extremely 'clean' with no hiss or fizzing to detract from it.

In fact, at times I'd almost say the sound is too clear, at least where dialogue is concerned, making it appear a little separated from the rest of the mix. The clarity can also occasionally make it a little too obvious when an audio effect - particularly car tyre screeches - has been dubbed onto the mix rather than recorded live.

Still, when all's said and done it's hard not to love any soundtrack that 'funks up' The Self-Preservation Society...