To Catch a Thief (1955)

A retired jewel thief sets out to prove his innocence after being suspected of returning to his former occupation.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

John Michael Hayes (screenplay), David Dodge (based on the novel by)

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 copycat is to keep a new wave of jewel thefts from being pinned on him. High on the list of prime victims is Jessie Stevens, in Europe to help daughter Frances find a suitable husband. The 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 the décolletage of a French roulette player.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | southern france | thief | burglar | french riviera | 

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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:

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:

5 August 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief

Filming Locations:

335 Route de Saint-Jeannet, St Jeannet, 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

Cary Grant had announced his retirement from acting in February 1953, stating that since the rise of Method actors like Marlon Brando, most people were no longer interested in seeing him. He was also angry at the way Charles Chaplin had been treated by the HUAC. He was lured out of his retirement to make this movie, and thereafter, continued acting for a further eleven years.

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Goofs

When John Robie and H.H. Hughson are having lunch together at the villa, Hughson picks up his glass of wine twice in consecutive shots without putting it down.

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Quotes

John Robie: Well, we only met a couple of minutes ago.
Danielle Foussard: That's right, only a few minutes ago.
Frances Stevens: Only a few minutes ago? And you talk like old friends...
Frances Stevens: Ah, well, that's warm, friendly France for you.

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Crazy Credits

The opening title sequence shows the window of a travel agent, with the text of the titles superimposed. The bottom of the window is not quite horizontal because the window is seen from a slight angle to perpendicular. The text of the titles is given slight parallelogram distortion so the bottom line of text is parallel to the window-sill, and therefore it is not horizontal and parallel with the film frame.

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Connections

Referenced in 'Topaz': An Appreciation by Film Critic/Historian Leonard Maltin (2001)

User Reviews

Good stuff all around

A bit of a departure for Alfred Hitchcock, somewhat lighter and with less of the trademark suspense. Thoroughly enjoyable, though. Cary Grant was playing Cary Grant by this time, and no one could do it better. And Grace Kelly, what eye-candy! The snappy dialog with the sexual innuendo was done perfectly. And huge kudos to Brigitte Auber, who was gorgeous and very good. An interesting aside was that Grant's character, while pretending to be someone else, claimed to have been an American circus acrobat, which Grant sort of was early in life (albeit English, not American.) Grant (with his accent) could really never be mistaken for an American, even though he usually played one. Also it was a little eerie to see Grace Kelly driving so fast on those French Riviera cliffside roads, in light of what happened to her later. (Of course, she obviously wasn't doing so, they were using back-projection) Anyway, this film is a must for fans of Hitchcock, Kelly or Grant. Grade: A