To Catch a Thief (1955)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

John Michael Hayes (screenplay)
David Dodge (novel)

Release Date:

September 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

WANTED by the police in all the luxury-spots of Europe!... A catch for any woman!

Plot:

When a reformed jewel thief is suspected of returning to his former occupation, he must ferret out the real thief in order to prove his innocence.

Plot Keywords:

Thief | Cat | Riviera | Burglar | Robbery

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 13

8:00 AM

TCM

Cast

Cary Grant	...	John Robie
Grace Kelly	...	Frances Stevens
Jessie Royce Landis	...	Jessie Stevens
John Williams	...	H.H. Hughson
Charles Vanel	...	Bertani
Brigitte Auber	...	Danielle Foussard
Jean Martinelli	...	Foussard
Georgette Anys	...	Germaine

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief (USA) (complete title)
La main au collet (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Über den Dächern von Nizza (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Ladrão de Casaca (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Atrapa a un ladrón (Spain) [es]
Caccia al ladro (Italy) [it]
Fang tyven (Denmark) [da]
Houdt den dief (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Met dieven vangt men dieven (Netherlands) [nl]
Para atrapar al ladrón (Argentina) [es]
Ta fast tjuven! (Sweden) [sv]
To kynigi tou klefti (Greece) [el]
Uhvatite lopova (Croatia) [hr]
Varkaitten paratiisi (Finland) [fi]
Zlodziej w hotelu (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Spain:T | Netherlands:6 | Ireland:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #17226) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Canada:G (video rating) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | Norway:12 (1955) | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

On 14 September 1982, Grace Kelly was killed in an automobile accident in Monaco, supposedly on the very same road as her famous chase scene in this film and not far from where she had a picnic scene with Cary Grant. She was 52 years old and lost control of her car after apparently suffering a stroke while at the wheel.

Goofs:

Continuity: John says he'll leave his clothes with Danielle, but later, when he is at the flower market, he's in the same clothes.

Quotes:

Frances Stevens: I called the police from your room and told them who you are and everything you've been doing tonight.
John Robie: Everything? The boys must have really enjoyed *that* at headquarters!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Plotting 'Family Plot' (2001) (V)

Hitchcock's Charming Romantic Bubble

There is much to like about Hitchcock's TO CATCH A THIEF: Cary Grant and Grace Kelly at the height of their appeal, a witty script that offers Jessie Royce Landis one of the funniest roles ever seen in any Hitchcock film, and excellent cinematography designed to show off the beauties of Monte Carlo--all packaged in a lightweight tale that is two parts romance, two parts travelogue, one part comedy, and just enough classic Hitchcock suspense to keep this lighter-than-air confection from flying apart.

The well known story concerns a string of jewel robberies along the Riviera which lead local officials to suspect that a famous and long retired cat burglar (Grant) is once more on the prowl--but rather than hope the authorities will find the real culprit Grant elects to protect himself by unmasking the thief for himself. In the process he encounters an icy beauty (Kelly) who takes considerable pleasure in tantalizing him with her charms, her jewels, and her knowledge of his criminal past, and her mother (Landis), who is perhaps the best of the "clever matrons" to appear in any Hitchcock film. As the police close in, the three of them devise a plot to expose the thief and clear Grant, with whom Kelly has now fallen in love.

Unlike most Hitchcock's most famous films, TO CATCH A THIEF offers nothing dark to trouble our thoughts, and it is perhaps best regarded as a romantic fantasia, the director's vacation from his more typical material. While it will never compete with the more famous VERTIGO and REAR WINDOW of the same period, it is extremely well done and quite a bit of fun to watch. Viewers seeking a pleasant film with a romantic touch will enjoy it a great deal.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer