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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
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:

Never Has The Screen Told A Story Like This! 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

Odd, innovative Cold War psycho-drama
13 July 1999 | by Eddie-102 – See all my reviews

This film is notable for not containing a single word of dialogue. Ray Milland plays a U.S. scientist who suffers a crisis of conscience while selling secrets to the Soviets. Partners Greene and Rouse made several very challenging films in the 50s, none more so than this. It's an exercise in "pure" cinema, aided immensely by the creative scoring of Herschell Burke Gilbert. Its fascinating to see a famed Hollywood actor play a role silently
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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