The Thief (1952)

A chance accident causes a nuclear physicist selling top secret material to the Russians to fall under FBI scrutiny and go on the run.

Director:

Russell Rouse

Writers:

Clarence Greene (written for the screen by), Russell Rouse (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Ray Milland, Martin Gabel, Harry Bronson

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ray Milland	...	Allan Fields
Martin Gabel	...	Mr. Bleek (as Martin Gable)
Harry Bronson	...	Harris
Rita Vale	...	Miss Philips
Rex O'Malley	...	Beal
Rita Gam	...	The Girl
John McKutcheon	...	Dr. Linstrum
Joe Conlin	...	Walters

Storyline

Interesting, but sometimes slow film about a nuclear physicist working in Washington DC who also spies for some unnamed foreign country. It does have a rather funny, patriotic/propagandist ending. It's most interesting aspect is that it is filmed entirely without dialogue.

---

Plot Keywords:

physicist | spy | fbi | washington d.c. | telephone | 

---

Taglines:

NOT A WORD IS SPOKEN! (Original print ad - all caps)

---

Genres:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hirsiz

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harry Popkin Productions, Fran Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Thief is one of the few films with synchronized sound to be made completely without spoken dialog.

---

Goofs

Martin Gabel's name is misspelled as "Martin Gable" in the closing credits.

User Reviews

Great Location Shots

If you can get through the first 15 minutes or so of this film, you're in for a real treat. Once the film gets going, its quite enjoyable, with scenes shot in Washington DC, Times Square, and most notably, the Empire State Building back when it was the tallest skyscraper in the world. The scenes on the 88th floor are beautifully shot, an then we get to travel higher to the 102nd floor and beyond. Anyone who loves New York will love this stuff. As a film, the gimmick of no dialogue works fairly well, though there are some scenes where it just doesn't seem natural that nobody would say anything (Milland's encounter with Gam at the flophouse screams for dialogue). But Milland carries it off for the most part and makes "The Thief" well worth a look.