6.8/10
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28 user 15 critic

The Thief (1952)

Approved | | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir | 10 October 1952 (USA)
The Thief Poster
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 | See full cast & crew »
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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ray Milland ... Allan Fields
Martin Gabel ... Mr. Bleek
Harry Bronson Harry Bronson ... Harris
Rita Grapel Rita Grapel ... Miss Philips (as Rita Vale)
Rex O'Malley ... Beal
Rita Gam ... The Girl
John McKutcheon John McKutcheon ... Dr. Linstrum
Joe Conlin Joe Conlin ... Walters
See full cast »
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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. Written by <kelloggs@ug.eds.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

physicist | washington d.c. | fbi | spy | dream sequence | See All (37) »

Taglines:

The Motion Picture Unusual - Beyond All Words! See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

None

Release Date:

10 October 1952 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Hirsiz See more »

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA See more »
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Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,000,000, 31 December 1952
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harry Popkin Productions, Fran Productions See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

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

Goofs

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

Connections

Referenced in Face of the Frog (1959) See more »

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User Reviews

 
Great Location Shots
23 February 2005 | by zsenorsock – See all my reviews

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.
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