To Catch a Thief (1955) - film review

The French Riviera is hit by a spate of jewel robberies and the local police immediately suspect John Robie, a once notorious cat burglar, now apparently a reformed character.  To prove his innocence, Robie forms an alliance with H.H. Hughson, an insurance agent who has most to gain by the capture of the real crook.  Hughson provides Robie with a list of wealthy clients who may be the burglar’s next targets.  Near the top of the list is the wealthy American Jessie Stevens, who is holidaying in the South of France with her beautiful daughter, Frances.  The latter is on the look out for excitement and romance – and Robie seems to offer her both of these...

Whilst it may not be the most highly regarded of Hitchcock’s films, To Catch a Thief is, thanks to its abundance of wit and glamour, easily one of the director’s most popular and entertaining films.  Of course, the main attraction is the dream pairing of Cary Grant with Grace Kelly – the debonair charm of the former fusing perfectly with the radiant beauty of the latter, with enough sexual tension on and beneath the surface to power a fleet of tractors.  If on-screen chemistry could be converted into hard currency, this film would be an inexhaustible gold mine.     

The film has some other strong selling points – a cracking screenplay that is awash with very funny double entendres; the Riviera setting that conveys a sense of opulence and exoticism that accentuates the film’s dreamlike feel; and the stunning colour photography which won the film its only Oscar.  It may not be a conventional Hitchcock, but it includes many of the elements of his films – the wrongly accused man trying to clear his name, the cool blonde trying to catch her man and the troublesome mother who is simply trying – all woven together into a dark web of suspense and mystery, with a healthy dose of dry comedy to help the medicine go down.

Although Hitchcock had often holidayed in France when he was living and working in England before the war, this was the first time he had filmed in the country.  He recorded an unprecedented half of the film on location in the South of France, the remainder in the studios at Paramount.  The cast includes several names to those familiar with French cinema of this period – Charles Vanel, Brigitte Auber, Georgette Anys and Roland Lesaffre.  Vanel’s inability to speak English, even phonetically, caused unexpected problems, with the result that all of his dialogue had to be dubbed by another actor.

Cary Grant was at first reluctant to appear in this film.  At the time, he was considering taking a break from acting, but the opportunity of working with Alfred Hitchcock and Grace Kelly was too big a lure to resist.  Hitchcock had previously worked with Kelly on Dial M for Murder (1954) and Rear Window (1954); To Catch A Thief would be their last collaboration.  Within twelve months, the actress had married Prince Rainier of Monaco and decided to give up her career to live as a real-life princess.

© James Travers 2008

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