5/5 The thief has finally been captured on an incredible DVD!!
  by Stephen Pletko (London, Ontario, Canada)
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"Is it true, or just a rumour--that John Robie, a former cat burglar of Paris before the war [World War II], is once again on the prowl? Fashionable resorts on the Riviera are being regularly looted by a skilful jewel thief. Robie, once a hero in the French Resistance Army, was said to have reformed--however, the style of this new crime wave is certainly his."

The above is a close-up of a newspaper article found in this movie that happens to explain its entire premise. John Robie (Cary Grant), nicknamed "The Cat," is thought to be on the prowl again after a lengthy absence. Problem is he hasn't "stolen a piece of jewellery in 15 years."

Robie's self-chosen mission: to catch this imitator, this copy-cat. In order to do this, he "unofficially" enlists the aid of an insurance agent (John Williams) and a rich, widower (Jessie Royce Landis) & her daughter (Grace Kelly). Along the way, Robie becomes romantically involved with the daughter.

This movie (a romantic thriller) is based on the novel "To Catch a Thief" (1952) by David Dodge. It was directed by the "master of suspense," Alfred Hitchcock. It would be Grace Kelly's third and final film for Hitchcock (as she was to become a real princess shortly after).

This movie is filled with witty dialogue. Here's an example just after some jewels have again been stolen on the French Riviera and the thief is again thought to be John Robie by a French woman Robie is talking to:

French woman: "Last night you steal a small fortune, and today you lie on the beach with an American beauty [the rich widower`s daughter]."

Robie: "Well, that's why one needs a small fortune."

The acting is fantastic with Grant Cary (whose birth name was Archie Leach) being debonair, charismatic, and charming. Grace Kelly (being 25 years younger than Grant) holds her own with Grant. Despite the age difference, there was a definite chemistry between Grant and Kelly that comes through on the screen. I also liked the performances by John Williams and Jessie Royce Landis. (Note that by the end of this movie, it seems that Robie (as played by Grant) might become the son-in-law of the rich widower (as played by Landis). Landis was only seven years older than Grant.)

There are also some French actors that appear in this movie. Many seem to be uncomfortable speaking English. There is one exception though. The French actress (Brigitte Auber), whose character (she's the French woman alluded to in the witty dialogue above) is integral to the plot, gives a good performance. (This was a rare occurrence for her to be appearing in an English movie.)

Look for Hitchcock's customary cameo which appears at about nine minutes into the movie.

The cinematography is in a word--magnificent. You can't go wrong when you have the French Riviera (known as the Cote D'Azur in France) in the background. The colour of this movie is beautiful. It was filmed in VistaVision. If you have a large widescreen television to view this movie, then you're in for an incredible experience, (I also envy you.)

The DVD itself (the "Centennial Edition" released in 2009) is perfect in picture and sound quality. Altogether there are eleven interesting extras.

You might be interested to know that there was a television series in the mid-sixties entitled "T.H.E. Cat."

Finally, my only problem concerns the disc's English subtitles. There is some French spoken in the movie. Now the French actors do a good job through their movements and expressions of conveying what is said. However, I would have appreciated that their spoken French be translated by the English subtitles. (Note that the first words Cary Grant speaks are in French.)

In conclusion, there are movies that are said to be "classics." Watch this movie to see for yourself why it is a true classic!!

(1955; 1 hr, 45 min; 18 scenes; 2 discs; widescreen)

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4/5 1955 Hitchcock film.
  by Dr. Feelgood (USA)
This was a very entertaining film for Hitchcock. The subject matter was light, partly filmed on location in Paris. Starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, who's on-screen chemistry, seemed to work well together. Mystery, Suspense, Romantic, Drama.

5/5 A classic and suspenseful thriller!
  by Geri (Henderson, Nevada)
Cary Grant and Grace Kelly star in the 1955 Alfred Hitchcock film. This version is almost technically perfect and the surround sound is excellent on a home theater system.

Grant plays John Robie a retired jewel thief known as "The Cat". While enjoying retirement on the French Riviera, he learns of a copy-cat thief that is stealing gems from the luxury hotels the way he used to. Robie is out to clear his name. He recruits the aid of an insurance man and meets a wealthy American heiress, Frances (Grace Kelly) and her mother (Jessie Royce Landis), thus romance ensues. Robie's old pals from his past come about and as with any Hitchcock film the audience is not disappointed. The breathtaking views of the French Riviera make the film even more enjoyable.

The chase is out to find the copy cat thief. The movie never lets you down, a total action thriller! There's a great car chase scene through the mountains of southern France with Grace Kelly at the wheel---wait a minute, is this a foreshadowing of what would happen in the future? In this pituresque film, she drives like a professional through the windy roads.

This is one Alfred Hitchcock movie that you should not miss.

Watch it and enjoy!

5/5 Starring the French Riviera... and Grace Kelly, too
  by Celia Hayes (San Antonio, SA)
Another Paramount classic, given the lavish "Centennial Collection" treatment - Cary Grant at the height of his powers as the suave and debonair reformed jewel-thief, once known as "The Cat", Alfred Hitchcock at the height of his own directorial powers, Grace Kelly in her last big-screen role as the willful heiress ... and the French Riviera in all of it's mid-century glory. Tiny villages with weathered tile roofs cling to the mountain ridges, classical villas with formal gardens overlook the distant blue Mediterranean, and in the casinos and grand hotels of Nice and Cannes, the wealthy amuse themselves with gambling and displaying their wealth - including lavish jewels. As the story begins, an extremely agile and daring burglar is harvesting said jewels, and the suspicions of those on both sides of the law fall upon one John Robie, an American expatriate, reformed jewel thief and local hero of the French Resistance. Robie, who has been granted a conditional parole for his burglarious activities on account of his wartime heroism, realizes that his only chance of remaining out of jail and to clear his own name ... is to catch the real thief. So he strikes a deal with a representative of the insurance company - he'll use his own skills to track down and catch the thief. In the process of this, he encounters Frances Stevens, who is more than a little titillated to think that Robie might actually be a jewel thief. And so it goes, the two of them striking provocative sparks off each other, as the plot turns and twists upon itself, just as one of those twisting roads along the coastal cliffs twists and turns, climbing higher. Ironic indeed, watching Grace Kelly as Frances, try and shake Robie's nerve by driving fast and reckless on one of those roads, knowing that she would die after an auto accident on a similar road, decades later.

The movie itself has aged very well - the Riviera locations and the palette of colors are still striking, although the use of rear-screen projections for the scenes in which the actors are traveling in a motor vehicle is very obvious, and looks even more contrived now than it did fifty years ago. Of the extra features included, the stand-out is a long feature on the movie production code which existed at the time "To Catch a Thief" was written, produced and filmed. This feature dealt amusingly with all the constraints imposed on the director and the studios, and the stratagems employed to get around them and still tell the story, with a wink and a nod.


4/5 To Catch a Thief - classic Hitchcock with great dialogue
  by Brooks (Lexington, KY USA)
Classic Hitchcock with great dialogue between Cary Grant and Grace Kelly - what's not to like?