I haven't seen many movies with Cary Grant, but I have enjoyed the ones I've seen.  I also haven't seen many Grace Kelly movies either.  I just watched To Catch a Thief, the Hitchcock movie they made together.

Former jewel thief John Robie, also known as the Cat, is living a quiet life at his vineyard in the South of France.  A string of new robberies, using the same methods he used when active, make the police believe that he has returned to his former profession.  When the police show up to talk to him, John runs.  He goes to see a group he was in the French Resistance with who now work in a restaurant together.  They are not happy to see him since they think he is responsible for the thefts and blame him for the police watching them.  Despite that, Danielle, daughter of one of the men, helps John get away.

John decides that he needs to try to catch the thief himself since the police really aren't doing much investigating since they think he is the thief.  John receives a bit of help from H.H. Hughson, an insurance agent who provides information on potential targets of the thief.  John ends up meeting Jessie Stevens, a rich widow and her adult daughter Francis and start to spend some time with them.  Francis seems a bit suspicious of John before deciding that he is responsible for the thefts.  

To Catch a Thief is a bit different from most of the other Hitchcock movies that I've seen.  This one is more lighthearted overall and is more a romantic comedy instead of a suspenseful thriller.  I don't mind that and think the movie is still very entertaining, but some fans of Hitchcock may end up disappointed.  I think there is enough going on for the movie to be entertaining and worth watching.

The developing relationship between John and Francis is really the main focus of To Catch a Thief in my opinion.  It does take a little while before they meet, but after that, they end up spending a decent amount of time together.  Francis is very flirty and is clearly chasing John.  He does seem interested, though he acts like he isn't as interested even while flirting back.  There is definite chemistry between them.  Not much is shown, though I think it is clear what is going on from what is shown and what is said.  The relationship does add a decent amount of romance to what is going on.  

Humor turns up in several scenes throughout To Catch a Thief, usually in connection to John in some way.  Jessie, Francis's mother, also adds a decent amount of humor to the scenes she is in.  Some of Hitchcock's other movies have had a bit of humor in them, but I don't think any of the ones I've seen have had as much as this one.  Much of the dialogue between John and Francis is at least somewhat funny, something that ends up working really well.  All the touches of humor are a big reason why this movie is more lighthearted.  The humor makes the movie fun.

John spends much of To Catch a Thief trying to figure out who the new thief is so he can clear his name.  That does add a bit of mystery to what is going on.  The mystery doesn't receive as much attention as I had thought it would.  It serves more as a reason to get John in different situations and meet Francis.  Even though it didn't receive as much attention, I still thought that the mystery was interesting.  I did figure out who the thief was fairly early, but I still really enjoyed the movie.  Suspense really only turns up in one or two scenes, so it really isn't that suspenseful overall.  That may disappoint some Hitchcock fans.  

To Catch a Thief is based on the book of the same name by David F. Dodge.  I didn't know there was a book before.  Since I haven't read the book, I have no idea what things were changed for the movie.  The movie takes place entirely in the south of France.  There are some very beautiful locations in the movie.  Some of the movie was filmed on location, and other things were filmed at the studio.  The location and studio footage blends together very well, making it almost impossible to tell the difference.  Edith Head designed two gorgeous dresses for Francis as well as other wonderful costumes.

John had been a very successful jewel thief before he retired from that line of work.  He has a quiet life on a vineyard that is disturbed once a new thief starts stealing jewels in the same way that John had when he was still active.  John is determined to avoid the police while tracking down the thief to clear his name.  Cary Grant is wonderful in the part, making John suave and charming when needed or more sneaky at other times.

Francis Stevens is traveling with her mother Jessie.  Francis is sophisticated and refined, though she shows a bit of a wild side with her interest in John even once she thinks he is the jewel thief.  Grace Kelly is wonderful in the part, giving Francis an elegance that fits with the character perfectly.  Late in the movie when she is wearing a huge ball gown, she seems to just glide across the floor.  She and Grant were wonderful together in their scenes.  This is the third and final movie Kelly made with Hitchcock.  She only made two more movies after this before marrying Prince Rainier of Monaco.

Jessie has a lot of jewels, but she isn't worried about their safety.  She has money, but she doesn't act as sophisticated as her daughter.  Jessie is a very entertaining character and Jessie Royce Landis does a very good job with the part.  H.H. Hughson works for an insurance company that is insuring a lot of expensive jewels in the South of France.  He ends up helping John try to track down the thief, though he is very nervous about what he is doing.  John Williams is wonderful in the part. 

Bertani and Foussard are two of the men that John had worked with before.  Bertani does do a few things to help John even while seeming to believe he is guilty.  Danielle is the daughter of Foussard.  She is very interested in John and gets really jealous once he starts spending time with Francis.  

Main Cast

Cary Grant - John Robie
Grace Kelly - Francis Stevens
Jessie Royce Landis - Jessie Stevens
John Williams - H. H. Hughson

Alfred Hitchcock - Director

DVD Information

I think there have been a few different DVD releases of To Catch a Thief.  I don't think it is out of Blu-ray yet.  The version I watched as the widescreen version of the movie.  There are three short featurettes about different aspects of the making of the movie that are very interesting.  Hitchcock's daughter and granddaughter are included in the featurettes talking about him and the movie.  Pictures from when the movie was filmed are shown throughout the featurettes.  Edith Head - The Paramount Years is an interesting look at the costume designer.  I had heard of her before, but I really didn't know much about her before watching this.  She designed some very beautiful and elegant outfits for Grace Kelly to wear in this movie.

To Catch a Thief is a more lighthearted movie than most other Hitchcock movies and there isn't as much suspense.  Some people may be disappointed by that, but I think the movie is fun and entertaining.  It is definitely worth watching for fans of Grant or Kelly.

Alfred Hitchcock Movie Reviews
The Birds ~ Dial M for Murder ~ Family Plot ~ Lifeboat ~ The Lodger ~ The Man Who Knew Too Much ~ North by Northwest ~ Notorious ~ The Paradine Case ~ Psycho ~ Rear Window ~ Rebecca ~ Rope ~ Sabotage ~ Strangers on a Train ~ Suspicion ~ Vertigo ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD