Cary Grant plays John Robie, reformed jewel thief who was once known as “The Cat,” in this suspenseful Alfred Hitchcock classic thriller. Robie is suspected of a new rash of gem thefts in the luxury hotels of the French Riviera, and he must set out to clear himself. Meeting pampered heiress Frances (Grace Kelly), he sees a chance to bait the mysterious thief with her mother’s (Jessie Royce Landis) fabulous jewels. His plan backfires, however, but Frances, who believes him guilty, proves her love by helping him escape. In a spine-tingling climax, the real criminal is exposed.
What We Thought:
To Catch a Thief is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thrillers that for whatever reason I never remember is from Hitchcock. I hadn’t seen it in probably 20 years so it was nice catching up with it in this new 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Steelbook physical media release.
In the film, screen legend Cary Grant plays a former jewel thief who is suspect #1 when a bunch of heists hit post-World War II French Riviera. Grant had turned his life around after the war, but the heists are very similar to jobs he pulled prior to going straight. The authorities try to hunt him down to see if he’s involved and he decides he needs to prove his innocence by trapping the thief himself.
Enter Grace Kelly. One of the most gorgeous creatures to ever appear on film, Grace Kelly shines as an heiress Grant uses to trap the thief. Unfortunately she believes Grant is the actual cat burglar, but a romance happens and she decides to help him. There is quite the age difference between Grant and the future Princess of Monaco, but this was back when nobody cared about that stuff. Grant is one of Old Hollywood’s top leading men and Grace Kelly became a real life princess because she was just stunning. The scene of her sitting there with the jewels wrapped around her neck enticing Grant is famous because of these two legends and Hitchcock behind the camera.
With two top leading names and a beautiful setting and set design, To Catch a Thief still holds up 70 years later. Sure the driving scenes with the fake backdrops are a bit funny in today’s world of CGI, but the story and leads are timeless. It may not be the horror-ish drama I think of when I think of Hitchcock, but it is one of his great drama thrillers. This new 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Steelbook is jam-packed with bonus features including commentary, a look at the writing and casting of the film, a feature from Leonard Maltin, Making Of and much, much more. If you are a Hitchcock collector this 4K is worth the picture and sound upgrade. The film looks fantastic and sounds even better. I hope I get more of these coming up.
The Nerds Templar 