A supposedly reformed cat burglar out to prove himself innocent of a recent crime spree tries to capture the thief who's terrifying the French Riviera. Cary Grant is devastatingly elegant as the reformed thief John Robie and charming enough to attract the attention of the lovely Frances Stevens (Grace Kelly) a wealthy and spoiled American traveling the Riviera with her widowed mother (Jessie Royce Landis). However things do not begin on a romantic note. Robie is more interested in clearing his name than in pursuing the beautiful American but the two will not... go their separate ways so easily. Classic suspence and romance from director Alfred Hitchcock. [show more]
"To Catch a Thief" is Alfred Hitchcock on a European vacation, a breezy, casual film that feels as relaxed and fun to watch as it doubtless was to make. As such, it stands out in Hitch's filmography -- it's not much of a thriller, it's not especially funny (more like amusing), and the central mystery tends to take a back seat to the romance and carefully designed set pieces. What you get with this film is Cary Grant and Grace Kelly having some fun on screen, and Kelly is especially great here -- ravishingly beautiful, and radiating sensuality with her every word. The night scenes also sparkle, as Hitch bathes these scenes in colored lights; a lush green glow often coats the screen. And of course there's the film's centerpiece, the famous and still satisfying scene where Hitchcock cut shots of fireworks into a Grant/Kelly love scene, to very clever effect. This may not be top-level Hitchcock, and it is a fair distance from the type of film he's usually known for, but taken on its own terms, this is great fun and very much worth seeing. It's easy to forget that Hitchcock made a number of films that weren't suspense thrillers, and this is a very pleasant reminder.
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