To Catch A Thief

'' To Catch a Thief'' is a 1955 American romantic thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, from a screenplay by John Michael Hayes based on the 1952 novel of the same name by David Dodge. The film stars Cary Grant as a retired cat burglar who has to save his reformed reputation by catching an impostor preying on wealthy tourists (including an oil-rich widow and her daughter played by Grace Kelly) on the French Riviera.

Plot

Retired jewel thief John "The Cat" Robie is suspected by the police in a string of burglaries on the French Riviera. When they come to his hilltop villa to question him, he slips their grasp and heads to a restaurant owned by his friend Bertani. The restaurant's staff, members of Robie's old gang who have been paroled for their work in the French Resistance, are angry at Robie because they are all under suspicion as long as the new Cat is active. When the police arrive at the restaurant looking for Robie, Danielle, the daughter of the restaurant's wine steward Foussard, spirits him to safety.

Robie realizes he can prove his innocence by catching the new Cat in the act. He enlists the aid of insurance agent H. H. Hughson, who reluctantly discloses a list of persons currently on the Riviera who own the most expensive jewelry. The American tourists Jessie Stevens, a wealthy ''nouveau riche'' widow, and her daughter Frances, top the list; Robie strikes up a friendship with them, posing as a businessman from Oregon on vacation. Frances feigns modesty at first, but kisses Robie at the end of the night as she retires to her room.

The day after, Frances invites Robie to a swim at the beach in Cannes, where Robie runs into Danielle. He keeps up his cover of being a wealthy American tourist, despite Danielle's jealous barbs about his interest in Frances. Frances accompanies Robie to a villa where Robie suspects the new Cat might break in. Frances reveals that she knows Robie's real identity. He initially denies it, but concedes it that evening as the two watch a fireworks display from her hotel room. They kiss passionately.

The next morning, Jessie discovers her jewels are gone. Frances accuses Robie of using her as a distraction so he could steal her mother's jewelry. The police are called, but by the time they reach Jessie's room Robie has disappeared.

That night, Robie is attacked by an unknown assailant while staking out an estate trying to catch the thief. A second attacker raises a wrench and tries to kill Robie but accidentally instead hits the first assailant, who falls off the estate's seawall into the water. When the police reach the body in the water it turns out to be Foussard.

The police chief announces to the press that Foussard was the jewel thief, but, as Robie points out privately in the chief's office with Hughson present, this would have been impossible because Foussard had a wooden leg and could not climb on rooftops. Foussard's funeral is interrupted by Danielle's loud accusation that Robie is responsible for her father's death. Outside the graveyard, Frances apologizes to Robie and confesses her love. Robie asks her to arrange his attendance at a masquerade ball where he believes the Cat will strike again.

Robie accompanies Frances to the ball dressed as a masked Moor. The police hover nearby. When Jessie addresses the Moor as "John" and asks him to go and get her "heart pills", the authorities are tipped off as to his identity. Upon the masked Moor's return, the police wait as he and Frances dance together all night. When the masked Moor accompanies Frances to her room, he removes the mask and turns out to be Hughson, who switched places with Robie to conceal the latter's exit. Upstairs, the burglar silently cleans out several jewel boxes.

Robie lurks on the rooftop, and his patience is finally rewarded when he spots a figure in black whom he unmasks as Danielle. The police throw a spotlight on him and demand that he halt, giving Danielle the chance to slip away. Robie flees as they shoot at him and manages to corner his foe with jewels in hand. She loses her footing on the roof and starts to fall, but Robie grabs her hand at the last second. While she hangs in his grasp, he forces her to confess to the police and admit that Bertani planned the thefts.

Robie speeds back to his villa. Frances follows to convince him that she has a place in his life. He agrees, but looks less than thrilled when she says that "Mother will love it up here."

Cast

* Cary Grant as John Robie ("The Cat")
* Grace Kelly as Frances Stevens
* Jessie Royce Landis as Jessie Stevens
* John Williams as H. H. Hughson
* Charles Vanel as Monsieur Bertani
* Brigitte Auber as Danielle Foussard
* Jean Martinelli as Foussard, Danielle's father
* Georgette Anys as Germaine, housekeeper
* René Blancard as Commissaire Lepic (uncredited)
* Paul Newlan as Vegetable Man in Kitchen (uncredited)

Cast notes

*Alfred Hitchcock makes his signature cameo, approximately ten minutes into the film, as a bus passenger sitting next to Cary Grant and a caged pair of birds.

Production

''To Catch a Thief'' was the director's first of five films made using the VistaVision widescreen process, and the last of the three starring Grace Kelly. It was also was Hitchcock's penultimate collaboration with Cary Grant, followed by ''North by Northwest'' (1959); both films are about a man with a mistaken identity who goes on an adventure to prove his innocence.

The costumes were by Edith Head, including Kelly's gold lamé gown for the film's costume ball.

The car driven by Grace Kelly was a metallic blue 1953 Sunbeam Alpine Mk I.

Locations

''To Catch a Thief'' was filmed largely in the Paramount Studios, Hollywood, California, and on location in the Alpes-Maritimes of southeastern France. It included the resorts of Cannes, Nice, Saint-Jeannet and Tourrettes-sur-Loup.

Crucial to the film's success in shooting on location was the presence of unit production manager C.O. "Doc" Erickson. He had developed a reputation for his work on prior Paramount films that had relied on a great amount of location photography, such as ''Shane'' (1953) and ''Secret of the Incas'' (1954). Erickson thoroughly researched the logistics of shooting in the South of France and communicated with Bill Mull, the production manager on '' Little Boy Lost'' (1953).

Distribution

''To Catch a Thief'' is the only Hitchcock film released by Paramount that is still owned and controlled by the company. The other five films Hitchcock made at Paramount—''Rear Window'', ''The Trouble with Harry'', '' The Man Who Knew Too Much'', ''Vertigo'', and '' Psycho—''each passed from the studio to his personal ownership eight years after the date of their theatrical release, under the conditions of his contract. Those five are currently distributed by Universal Pictures.

Reception

The film drew mixed reviews from critics, with some enjoying Grant and Kelly in the lead roles as well as the French Riviera setting, while others expressed disappointment at the lack of suspense compared to earlier Hitchcock films.

Bosley Crowther of ''The New York Times'' wrote in a positive review that the film "comes off completely as a hit in the old Hitchcock style ... Mr. Grant and Miss Kelly do grandly, especially in one sly seduction scene." ''Variety'' wrote that while the film was "not the suspense piece one usually associated with the Alfred Hitchcock name," it was "strong on sight and performance values" though it had "some plot weaknesses and is not as smooth in the unfolding as one might expect from an upper 'A' presentation."

''Harrison's Reports'' wrote, "Alfred Hitchcock has not endowed the action with as much suspense as one might expect in a picture produced and directed by him; nevertheless, its story of a one-time jewel robber who sets out to establish his innocence by catching a thief who was using his technique is tight and swiftly-paced, and constantly offers dramatic and comical developments." Richard L. Coe of ''The Washington Post'' called it "one of those de luxe pictures in which everyone lives in glorious workless luxury on the French Rivera, looks wonderful, speaks amusingly and is unconcerned with transit strikes or hurricanes. I loved every minute of it."

Philip K. Scheuer of the ''Los Angeles Times'' was also positive, calling Grant and Kelly "ideal in the romantic leads" and the dialogue "daring but delightful," adding, "Above all, there is the spell of the French Riviera—a lazy, laissez-faire thing that apparently captivated the director as much as it will audiences in the soft, beguiling hues of its Technicolor and VistaVision."

John McCarten of ''The New Yorker'' dismissed the film as "an Alfred Hitchcock picture that makes you wonder what has happened to the man ... As the heiress, Grace Kelly is very pretty. She does not, presumably, try to act." ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' wrote, "Even a comedy thriller needs considerably more in the way of plain excitement and tension than ''To Catch a Thief'' provides, and Hitchcock's celebrated habit of playing tricks with the audience ... seem a poor substitute for the real thing."

''The Guardian'' called the film "a thorough disappointment," writing that Hitchcock had "failed so completely that one can only wonder if, in this tale of high-class burglary on the Côte d'Azur, he has not altogether abandoned his devotion to 'tension.' Certainly the 'whodunnit' element in this film is remarkably slack; the unmasking of the master criminal, which is the climax of the story, comes as mildly as bread and milk."

François Truffaut wrote "''To Catch a Thief'' completely satisfies all itchcock'sfans—the snobbiest and the most ordinary—and still manages to be one of the most cynical films Hitchcock has ever made."

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 92% based on reviews from 53 critics, with an average rating of 7.9/10, with the critical consensus reading: "It may occasionally be guilty of coasting on pure charm, but ''To Catch a Thief'' has it in spades -- as well as a pair of perfectly matched stars in Cary Grant and Grace Kelly."

Accolades

Robert Burks won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, while Hal Pereira, Joseph McMillan Johnson, Samuel M. Comer and Arthur Krams were nominated for Best Art Direction, and Edith Head was nominated for Best Costume Design.

In 2002, American Film Institute included the film in AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions (#46).

Adaptations

In May 2018, it was announced that Viacom was set to adapt the film as a Spanish-language television series. It was launched in October 2019 as '' Atrapa a un ladrón'' ( es).

Soundtracks

* ''Alfred Hitchcock's TO CATCH A THIEF'' (EP). With ''Francie's Theme, You'll Love France'' and ''Unexpected'' by Lyn Murray, as well as ''Your Kiss'' by George Cates & Georgie Auld. Conducted by Lyn Murray. Tenor Sax Solos by Georgie Auld. Coral Records EC 81083, USA 1955 and Coral Records CXP45-846 and Festival Records CXP45-846, Australia 1956.
* ''To Catch A Thief / The Bridges At Toko-Ri'' (CD) by Lyn Murray. 22 Tracks from "To Catch a Thief". Conducted by Lyn Murray. Recorded at Paramount Scoring Stage, Los Angeles, USA 1954. INTRADA Special Collection Volume 266, 2014.
* ''Serenade To A Princess - theme songs from the motion pictures made famous by GRACE KELLY'' (LP). With ''Francie's Theme'' by Lyn Murray and ''Your Kiss'' by George Cates & Georgie Auld. Conducted by David Carroll. Mercury Records MG 20156, USA 1956, Canada 1956.
* ''TO CATCH A THIEF - A HISTORY OF HITCHCOCK II'' (CD). With ''Paramount Vista Vision Fanfare'' by Nathan van Cleave and ''To Catch a Thief - Suite (You'll Love France / My Jewels / Red Convertible / Riviera Car Chase / Bus Stop / Finale)'' by Lyn Murray. Performed by ''The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra''. Conducted by Paul Bateman. Recorded at Smecky Music Studios, Prague, Czech Republic. Silva Screen Records, USA 1995.
* ''Psycho - The Essential Alfred Hitchcock'' (2-CD-Set). With ''To Catch a Thief: Suite'' by Lyn Murray and ''Paramount Vista Vision Fanfare'' by Nathan van Cleave. Performed by ''The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra''. Conducted by Paul Bateman. Recorded at Smecky Music Studios, Prague, Czech Republic. Silva Screen Records, FILMXCD 320, London 1999.

See also

* List of American films of 1955

References

Bibliography

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Further reading

* "Two Interviews About ''To Catch a Thief'' by Tifenn Brisset, ''Film International'' magazine Vol. 11, No. 6, 2013, pages 13–21. Interviews with French script supervisor Sylvette Baudrot conducted September 2011 and actress Brigitte Auber, September 2011, March 2013, regarding their work on the film and with Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock. Discussion of a different ending and script differences. Twelve color photographs, nine pages.

External links

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Historic reviews, photo gallery at CaryGrant.net

{{DEFAULTSORT:To Catch A Thief
1955 films
1950s mystery thriller films
1950s romantic thriller films
American mystery thriller films
American romantic thriller films
1950s English-language films
Films based on American novels
Films based on mystery novels
Films directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Films produced by Alfred Hitchcock
Films scored by Lyn Murray
Films set in Monaco
Films set on the French Riviera
Films shot in France
Films shot in Monaco
Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award
1950s French-language films
Paramount Pictures films
VistaVision films
Films with screenplays by John Michael Hayes
1950s multilingual films
American multilingual films
1950s American films
English-language romantic thriller films
English-language mystery thriller films
French-language American films
Articles containing video clips