To Catch a Thief Reviews

holds up beautifully. some amazing performances and incredible shots.
It's nice when the filmmakers take their time to allow us to soak up the vistas.

This movie won the Academy Award for cinematography and it shows. The scenery of the French Riviera is shown throughout and is done beautifully.

This was a romantic thriller by Alfred Hitchcock. It was amusing enough, but not the caliber of movie that I normally associate with Hitchcock.

The romance was odd and seemed to really be one-sided, with Francie pursuing relentlessly, and John never really seeming all the interested.

The mystery portion wasn't all the convincing, either. The limited number of characters in the movie makes it a pretty easy guess. The behaviour of the police, first chasing him for so long, then letting him go didn't make much sense, or at least why so much time was spent developing the chase only to have it not matter.

Still, it was a decent watch, and it was fun to see an older film on the big screen. 6/10

Cary Grant. Grace Kelly. Alfred Hitchcock. The French Riviera.

 

There’s nothing else you need to make a wildly entertaining thrill ride, complete with some romance, action, and beautiful jewels. It’s charming minor Hitchcock, but an entry that is demonstrative of his range as an artist. After the one-two punch of the prior year’s Dial M for Murder and Rear Window, both claustrophobic movies dripping in suspense, it’s fun to watch him shake loose with this soufflé-light dessert.

 

At times, To Catch a Thief does play like a trial run for North by Northwest, or even a road map for the eventual James Bond franchise only a few short years away. Mainly, this feeling occurs during the awkward first thirty minutes as we play a waiting game for Grace Kelly to emerge and sit through some awkward dubbing of a few of the French actors. Still, it’s a chance to watch Hitchcock direct Grant and that accounts for a lot of mileage.

 

No other director did as much to carve into cinematic royalty the visages of Grant or Kelly as Hitchcock, and here he gives them the flimsiest pretense of characters to play. It doesn’t really matter what their names are, we’ve come to watch Grant seduce Kelly, Kelly swoon, Grant look debonair, and bask in the reflected glory of their combined beauty. The main crux of the story is a retired cat burglar (Grant) getting framed for crimes he didn’t commit, and wooing an American heiress (Kelly). That’s it, and that’s more than enough of a framing device to watch them together.

 

Lovingly dubbed a “snow covered volcano” by the director, Grace Kelly reveals a hitherto unseen penchant for naughtiness. She exhibits a barely concealed carnality here, exemplified by the infamous fireworks scene. Her décolletage on proud display, she bends over to turn off a lamp telling Grant that he’s about to see one of the great sights of the French Riviera before quickly adding that she’s talking about the fireworks. Yeah, right, the fireworks. Hitchcock gave Kelly the best parts of her career, and this role is no different with her rich, glacial beauty embodying all of the alluring schisms in this film.

 

For all the surface beauty on display here, there’s one stylistic choice that is downright questionable. Late in the film, a green light becomes the default for evening scenes, bathing everything in a sickly glow. This one problem aside, which is easily overpowered by the sheer beauty of the rest of the movie, To Catch a Thief is a high point of cinema-as-travelogue. There’s a blatant worship in the luxury passing before the screen, not only the landscapes but the movie stars, cars, and clothes.

 

There’s still the unmistakable markings of Hitchcock’s greatness all over To Catch a Thief. The innocent man on the run is a reoccurring theme, as is the remote, cold blonde goddess with undercurrents of explosive sexuality, the daffy mother (Jessie Royce Landis, practically humping Grant’s leg during their first scene together), and the suave elegance of Cary Grant used for darker impulses. It may not be an essential viewing experience in the careers of Grant or Hitchcock (of the four films they made together, either Notorious or North by Northwest earns that title), but it is essential Grace Kelly, with Hitchcock's ultimate frozen blonde goddess slowly thawing in the face of risqué gags and fireworks ejaculating outside the window during a slow burning seduction.

 

I cannot make any solid arguments against classifying To Catch a Thief as a bauble in-between the more ornate masterpieces, but goddamn is it a blast! In order to celebrate the truly towering works of artistic genius we must also be able to indulge and recognize the great works of popcorn-entertainment. It can’t hold a candle to Rear Window, Vertigo, The Wrong Man, or any of the other stone-cold classics during this incredibly rich period of Hitchcock’s output, but I just really love this movie. Much like Kelly’s icy ingénue, the surfaces are immaculately crafted with some kinky jollies just roaring to break free underneath.

Since I’m a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock, I was really eager to check this flick. Unfortunately, honestly, I thought that the whole thing was slightly disappointing. I mean, I did like it but I was expecting more from it. Indeed, the concept (a renowned but retired thief is accused of stealing some jewels so he intends to catch the real thing) really sounded pretty cool but, unfortunately, the story turned out to be rather dull after all. Apparently, Hitchcock didn’t focus too much on the plot which was rather light and frivolous. Instead, he focused more on the relationship between Cary Grant and Grace Kelly and, fortunately, they had a great chemistry together. Indeed, Cary Grant played here his usual suave charming fellow but he did it so well, he was once again quite irresistible. Even more impressive than Grant, Grace Kelly must have been one of the most ravishing creatures I have ever seen. It was only the second movie starring her that I saw, the first one in color, and she was just so spellbinding to behold. Seriously, it was actually quite distracting and I’m not sure she was acting well or not. The other thing that I enjoyed was the great landscape and cities of South France. Even though I’m French, I have never been there and it looked quite awesome. Eventually, I think it is rather sad that this movie was obviously a minor effort for Alfred Hitchcock but it was still a huge box-office success when it was released when some more thoughtful movies of his would really tank. Anyway, even though it is nothing mind-blowing, it is still a classic, I thought it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Hitchcock’s work.