Danielle Solzman
To Catch a Thief teams up Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 thriller about a reformed jewel thief attempting to clear his name.
John Robie (Cary Grant) is “The Cat,” a reformed jewel thief. Jewels have been stolen from the many luxurious hotels in the French Riviera as the film starts. Naturally, people suspect Robie given his former past time. He insists that he’s innocent. Robie gets his chance when he meets Frances (Grace Kelly). His plan is to use her mother’s (Jessie Royce Landis) jewels as a way of luring the thief into a trap and clearing his name once and for all. It’s not going to be as easy as he thinks and knowing how Hitchcock works, we already know this going in.
Cary Grant is certainly one of the greatest actors of his generation. He didn’t team up with Hitchcock that many times. However, the last two films they did together were also classic thrillers. Because of Grant’s fame, the Production Code Administration was also concerned about his playing a villain. This certainly wouldn’t be the case in more recent years. Audiences probably don’t have a problem when it comes to suspending their disbelief. An actor should be able to play both a good character and a bad one. They’re still an actor at the end of the day. It’s as easy as that or at least it should be.
This film was also the last Hitchcock film starring Grace Kelly. The filmmaker tried luring her back for other features and came very close. It’s a hell of a film to go out on especially the scenery and on-screen chemistry with Grant.
As one of the earliest studios in Hollywood, Paramount certainly has a vast library. The Paramount Presents line of films included a curated selection of popular films or titles that had an immediate cultural impact. New blu-rays include a fold-out image of the original poster and interviews with filmmakers or Leonard Maltin. In the case of To Catch a Thief, it’s an interview with Leonard Maltin. The film itself has been remastered from a 4K film transfer. To Catch a Thief joins King Creole and Fatal Attraction as being the first three titles in the new line.
To Catch a Thief is the third title in the Paramount Pictures’ new Paramount Presents line of Blu-rays. The Blu-ray includes a new feature with film critic/historian Leonard Maltin discussing the film. The other bonus features remain the same from prior releases: Behind the Gates and commentary from Dr. Drew Casper.
To Catch a Thief celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2020 and the film has never been more beautiful.
DIRECTOR: Alfred Hitchcock
SCREENWRITER: John Michael Hayes
CAST: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams
