To
Catch
a Thief
(1955)
Posters
-
click on any image for a larger view -
Cast
Grace
Kelly as
Frances Stevens
Cary Grant
as John Robie
Jessie Royce Landis
as Mrs. Jessie Stevens
Brigitte Auber
as Danielle Foussard
Credits
director:
Afred Hitchcock
production:
Paramount
producer:
Alfred Hitchcock
screenplay:
John Michael Hayes
(based on the novel by David Dodge)
photography:
Robert Burks
costume design:
Edith Head
Synopsis
John Robie, a former jewel thief, who has paid his debt to society by
joining
the Resistance
during the war, is falsely accused of going back to his old tricks as a
cat burglar. To clear himself
of suspicion he decides to catch the real thief in the act.
Frances
Stevens, a witty, sophisticated and
radiantly beautiful
American
heiress, is a guest on
the French Riviera. Enchanted by the alluring quest and thrilled by
both, the sense of adventure
and marital pursuit of Robie, she begins her own chase across the azure
and picturesque
coast.
With its verbal and visual audacity, lightness of narration, elegance
and subtlety, To Catch
a Thief is one of the most playful Hitchcock films ever.
Smouldering,
risky, seductive. Polished
and refined. Luxurious. Colourful. Chic and stylish in every way.
Quotes
***
Frances: Ah well, that's warm, friendly France
for
you!
***
Frances: Are you sure you were talking about water
skis?
From where I sat, it looked as if
you were conjugating irregular verbs.
John: Say something nice to her Danielle.
Danielle: She looks a lot older upclose.
Frances: To a mere child anything over 20 might seem
old.
***
John: And jewelry - you never wear any.
Frances: I don't like cold things touching my
skin.
John: Why don't you invent some hot diamonds?
Frances: I'd rather spend my money on more
tangible
excitement.
John: Tell me, what do you get a thrill out of
most?
Frances: I'm still looking for that one...
***
John: What you need is something I have neither the
time
nor the inclination to give you.
Frances: Oh? Just what is that?
John: Two weeks with a good man at Niagara Falls.
***
John: What do you except to get out of being so nice to
me?
Frances: Probably a lot more than you're willing to
offer.
***
John: Nevertheless, tell me how clever you were.
Frances: Well, the first thing I noticed about you
was...
John: Don't sound so pleased with yourself!
Frances: I've never caught a jewel thief before. It's
so
stimulating! It's like... It's like...
John: Like sitting in a hot tub?
***
Frances: Do you want a leg or a breast?
John: You make the choice.
***
John: I can already hear your next line...
Frances: The Cat has a new kitten. When do we start?
John: Don't talk like that!
***
Frances: If you really want to see fireworks, it's
better
with the lights off. I have a feeling
that tonight you're going to see one of the Riviera's most fascinating
sights. I was
talking about the fireworks.
John: I never doubted it.
***
John: May I have a brandy?
Frances: Please.
John: Would you care for one?
Frances: No, thank you. Some nights a person doesn't
need
to drink. Doesn't it make you
nervous to be in the same room with thousands of dollars' worth
diamonds,
and
unable to touch them?
John: No.
Frances: Like an alcoholic outside of a bar on Election
Day.
John: Wouldn't know the feeling.
***
John: I have about the same interest in jewelry
that
I have in politics, horse racing, modern
poetry and women who need weird excitement. None.
***
John: Tell me, have you ever been on a psychiatrist's
couch?
Frances: Don't change the subject!
***
Frances: What do you say?
John: My only comment would be highly censurable.
***
Frances: Give up, John - admit who you are. Even in
this
light I can tell you where your eyes
are looking. Look John, hold them - diamonds! The only thing in the
world
you can't
resist. Then tell me you don't know what I'm talking about. Ever had a
better offer
in your whole life? One with everything!
John: I've never had a crazier one.
Frances: Just as long as you're satisfied!
John: You know as well as I do this necklace is
imitation.
Frances: But I am not.
***
Frances: I called the police from your room and told
them
who you are and what you did tonight.
John: Everything? Oh, the boys must have enjoyed that
down
at headquarters.
***
Frances: So, this is where you live? Oh, Mother will
love
it up here!
***
Notes
- At the beginning of the film
Hitchcock
shot Grace mostly from aside to achieve the effect of
aloofness, indifference and coolness. Later on he will use the same
technique
for Kim Novak's
first appearance in Vertigo.
- The film's most promminent visual motif is the
ghostlike
green colour the roofs are associated with.
-
All the criminals are linked to
images
of water.
- Filmed on locaation in the French Riviera.
Awards
Academy
Award: Best Cinematography - Robert Burks
Academy Award Nomination: Best Art Direction - Hal Pereira, Joseph
McMillan
Johnson,
Sam Comer, Arthur Krams
Academy Award Nomination: Best Costume Design - Edith Head
