To catch a Thief  

 

Year: 1955.

Starring: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams, Brigitte Auber.

Production: Alfred Hitchcock, Paramount Pictures.

Screenplay: John Michael Hayes.

Photography: Robert Burks (Technicolor).

Music: Lynn Murray.

Duration: 107 min.

Color: color.

Cast:

Argument:
Cary Grant plays the role of John Robie, a famous ex-jewel thief, who actually has left this career. Although, some jewel robberies have been happening during the last weeks, and the style is dangerously similar to that performed by Robie when he was a thief, which makes the police suspect of him.

In order to prove his innocence, Robie begins his own investigation, so he contacts an insurance agent, Mr. Hughson, who will show him the next possible new thief's targets. At the same time, Robie knows a young and rich north-american girl, Frances Stevens, and her mother.

Impressed by Robie's past, Frances falls in love with him, and though believing he's the true thief, she'll finally help him in order to catch the robber. The thief will result to be a young french girl, Danielle Foussard, who was held by Robie for a friend.

'To catch a thief' was realized in natural landscapes located at the French Riviera, which transmitted to the viewer a strong feeling of freedom; therefore the contrast with the immediately anterior 'Rear Window'. The bright and colorful photography enabled Robert Burks to win 1955 an Academy Award for the best photography.

Besides, the dialogues introduced in this movie showed us a sample of what we would see later in the excellent 'North by Northwest'. The presence of Cary Grant announced sice the beginning humour to play an important role in the movie, and this is exactly what happens here.

Surprisingly, the true thief's role belonging to Danielle Foussard is not as important as should be expected regarding the film's subject matter; in spite of this, the main omnipresent element in this movie is undoubtely the love story between Robie and Frances, and the fact that this last shows up numerous psychological similarities to Danielle, thus making Frances appear as the film's "psychological thief", much more important than the "material thief" played by Brigitte Auber, which is relegated continuosly to a second plane.

Following this argument, Mrs. Stevens' role should be regarded as the necessary formal link between Robie and Frances for Hitchcock to build up the mentioned love story, and possibly as the character which generates, with aid from Cary Grant, Hitchcock's famous sense of humour.