John Robie (Cary Grant) has an unfortunate reputation - hero + thief. In the war, he was a part of the French Resistance, but to survive, he also became an adept burglar who was known as "The Cat." Although he now lives peacefully in a villa on the French Riviera, his reputation still follows him, especially when burglaries start occurring in the area with the same signature as those of The Cat. So John goes on the lam when the police try to pick him up for the crimes, determined to solve the crime and find out who is setting him up. He blends in easily with the wealthy jet-setters and sets about to determine who will be hit next, so he can catch them in the act and clear his name. In the process, he meets up with Francie Stevens (Grace Kelly), an aloof but beautiful girl of privilege, and her mother, the wise-cracking Jessie (Jessie Royce Landis). Jessie is completely charmed by John, who goes by a different name to mask his true identity, but Francie is on to him and tries to tease and seduce him, with her body and her mother's diamonds. When Jessie's diamonds are finally stolen, Francie is livid and tries to turn John in, making it that much more difficult for him to reveal the true "Cat." As Francie struggles with her feelings for John, he fights to bring the truth to light.
To Catch a Thief is a wonderful mystery, complete with romance, breathtaking vistas and roller coaster adventure. In true Hitchcock form, the sets are lush, from those actually filmed in the French Riviera, to those that were filmed on Paramount's lot, but still look like the real thing. The sizzle between Grace Kelly and Cary Grant is unmistakable, as are the loaded double entendres found throughout the movie. While watching the featurette on the Hays Code, the moral scale by which movies of the day were measured, I learned just how much Hitchcock pushed the limits in his films. The fireworks scene, in particular, is rife with sexual overtones but I recognized this without watching the special feature. While watching the scenes where Grace Kelly is racing down a dangerous mountain curve, with Grant white-knuckled on the passenger's side, I couldn't help but think that this is how she met her end. It was chilling. Also of note is that this was Kelly's final movie (much to Hitchcock's disappointment), as she met and fell in love with Prince Rainier of Monaco while filming To Catch a Thief and would marry him and quit working. On the contrary, Grant had wanted to retire and was coaxed to star in this film and would later go on to make North By Northwest, again with Hitchcock.
Hitchcock fans are sure to appreciate two of the featurettes included: A Night with the Hitchcocks and Writing and Casting To Catch a Thief. Both have liberal footage of the remaining members of the Hitchcock family, namely his daughter and granddaughter, and it is great to hear about Alfred Hitchcock from those who knew him best. Also included is a featurette on the genius of Edith Head, who was responsible for the glamourous costumes in the film. I've only scratched the surface in talking about them, but all of the special features are well worth watching and there's no fluff to be found here.
If you are a Hitchcock fan, a fan of Kelly or Grant, or just of great classic films in general, To Catch a Thief: Centennial Collection belongs in your video collection. This is the ultimate version to own and has been masterfully restored to perfection. If you have any doubt, watch the original, crackly trailer to see just how fantastic a job the restoration team did. This release is stellar in every way and is not to be missed!
