To Catch a Thief (1955)

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.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

John Michael Hayes (screenplay), David Dodge (novel),

Stars:

Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

American expatriate John Robie living in high style on the Riviera is a retired cat burglar. He must find out who a copy cat is to keep a new wave of jewel thefts from being pinned on him. High on list of prime victims is Jessie Stevens, in Europe to help daughter Frances find a suitable husband. Lloyds of London insurance agent is using a thief to catch a thief. Take an especially close look at scene where Robie gets Jessie's attention, dropping an expensive casino chip down decolletage of French roulette player.

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Plot Keywords:

thief | burglar | cat | riviera | jewelry | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some action violence, mild suggestive material and smoking

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

September 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief

Filming Locations:

Alpes-Maritimes, France

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Paramount production files contained at the AMPAS Library, Alec Coppel worked on the script for about a week in mid-November 1954, shortly before the final set of retakes was done.

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Goofs

When Francie grabs John's right arm on her car at the funeral, she's shown gripping him at the wrist, but in the close-up immediately following her hand is holding him near his elbow.

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Quotes

H. H. Hughson: The pastries are light as air.
John Robie: Germaine has very sensitive hands and an exceedingly light touch. She strangled a German general - without a sound.

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Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Million Dollar Movie Week 3 (2010)

User Reviews

Delivers on all its promises

You cannot discuss any Hitchcock movie without first giving a nod to the master.

Let me ask you this: Was Michelangelo a painter or a sculptor? It is a trick answer of course.. both answers are correct but it is more correct that Michelangelo was an artist. In a similar way you might consider the relationship between the body of Hitchcock's work and "To Catch a Thief".

TCaT (To Catch a Thief) is not a classic Hitchcock suspense thriller. It is, however quite a nice piece of work. In fact, the most suspenseful thing about this picture is whether Cary Grant will get together with Grace Kelley. The relationship between these two is really the bulk of the movie. It is beautifully photographed and what better subjects for photography than Grace Kelly and the South of France?

"Notorius Cat Burgular meets Wealthy American Heiress" is a plot that only Hitchcock and few others could make into a picture that would hold up for nearly 50 years. The playful exchanges between Grant and Kelly, rife with sexual innuendo, propell the movie forward to its happy conclusion. For me, the "slice of life" of French Rivera in the 1950s is enough to make this film eminently watchable.

I recommend it highly. Great date movie... though living up to Grant's or Kelly's high marks might be difficult.