Stars: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, John Williams, Charles Vanel, Brigitte Auber, Jesse Royce Landis, Wee Willie Davis

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Summary: A reformed cat burglar, retired to the Riviera, encounters a 'copy-cat' who is framing him for the thefts at a number of luxury hotels in the area. He sets out to clear his name and to catch the culprit.

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 former 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. When Mrs. Stevens has her jewels stolen, the snubbed Frances puts the police on Robie's trail. Now the dashing Robie will have to win the confidence and assistance of Frances if he is to ever set things right. The stars are radiant together, with an entrancing chemistry that sparkles, especially in the impromptu ad-libbed dialogue of the picnic scene. A series of elaborate set pieces combined with dramatic Riviera scenery make the film an enduring glamorous spectacle, featuring a fireworks kissing scene that is truly a classic.

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To Catch a Thiefis not one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest, but it's arguably his most stylish thriller, loved as much for the elegantly erotic banter between Grace Kelly and Cary Grant as for the suspense that ensues when retired burglar Grant attempts to net the copycat diamond thief. The action, much of it shot on location, hugs the coast of the French Riviera; John Michael Hayes' screenplay crackles with doubles entendres; and Edith Head's dresses define the aloof poise of one of cinema's more enigmatic icons.

If anything is missing, it's the undertow of black humour which snags the unsuspecting viewer in so many of Hitchcock's greater films. Here, the edge is supplied by the splendid Jessie Royce Landis as Kelly's vulgar, worldly mother; her special way with a fried egg is one of those cinematic moments which linger in the mind with almost pornographic disgust. History, of course, delivered its own ironic blow years later when the then Princess Grace of Monaco died in an accident on the very road where Kelly and Grant shot their exhilarating car chase. Portents aside, she remains Hitchcock's most alluring and sophisticated heroine.

On the DVD:To Catch a Thiefis presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, which distils the distinctive qualities of the VistaVision cinematography, and with a mono Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Interesting extras include several mini-documentaries in which Hitchcock's daughter and granddaughter, among others, reminisce about the great director, censor problems over the risqué dialogue, the talents of costume designer Edith Head, and the peculiar difficulties of shooting in VistaVision. An original theatrical trailer is another bonus. --Piers Ford

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Featurette - 1. Alfred Hitchcock & To Catch a Thief : An Appreciation, Theatrical Trailer
Year:	1955
Release Date:	October 4, 2004
Runtime:	102 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P H E 8495
Label:	Golden Classics
Keywords:	Special, Catch, General, Edition, Thief, Romantic, Drama, Thriller
Genre:	Thriller