Movie of the Week XV

To Catch a Thief (1955)

This is one of those movies that I think I must have dreamed. Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, jewel heists, gorgeous clothes, the French Riviera, all directed by Alfred Hitchcock...I mean, come on!

But the movie does exist. And it is beautiful and fun--Ocean's 11-esque in its shimmering lighthearted thriller/heist/romance package.

The movie is about a former cat burglar, John Robie, (Cary Grant) in the south of France. Everyone thinks he is reformed, living quietly in his villa. But suddenly several wealthy women on the Riviera are robbed of their extravagant jewels...and the crimes are just like the ones Robie used to pull off! The police arrive to question their prime suspect, but he eludes capture and starts trying to find the real burglar in order to clear his name and keep out of prison.

With the help of an insurance agent who somewhat inexplicably agrees to help the former thief, Robie (as an American timber baron) meets stunning Frances Stevens, (Grace Kelly), a crazy-rich American heiress, and her mother, Jessie (Jessie Royce Landis.) (Landis would play Grant's own mother in North by Northwest (1959)). The Stevenses are on Robie's radar because of Jessie's well known jewel collection and her equally well-known decision to wear her diamonds and rubies instead of keeping them in a safe. Robie thinks that the thief will probably target Frances and Jessie, so he decides to stay close to them and hopefully discover his copy-cat.

Of course, it is not really a chore to "stay close to" Frances Stevens. She encourages Robie, who she knows is not an American millionaire. She believes/hopes that he is the cat burglar because it would be exciting! He tries to convince her of his innocence, but she prefers to taunt him about her diamonds.

Grant and Kelly make a fun couple and they have excellent, quick dialogue, like the famous exchange supposedly about a chicken lunch: "Would you like a leg or a breast?" Kelly knowingly asks. "You make the choice," answers Grant, suavely. (This was apparently an improvisation, by the way.) There was some consternation over the romance between Grant and Kelly. In the script, John Robie is 35. Grant was 50 when he played the part, Kelly was 25. But Grant is ageless and it isn't as creepy as it might be. What is creepy is how tan Grant is. His face looks like a mahogany mask. Still handsome, though.

As one might expect from Hitchcock, there are twists and turns and suspenseful (but never scary) moments, and I don't want to ruin that for you by going into the plot much more. Just know that Grant is trying to stay one step ahead of the police, Frances (who is not an innocent little heiress and drives way too fast*) and his former gang, who, besides being jewel thieves, were also active and successful in the French Resistance in World War II. So that is sort of neat.

And oh! The film is stunning. Absolutely beautiful. The scenery: Monaco and the Riviera. Wow.

The people. It doesn't get much better than Grace Kelly and Cary Grant.

One way it can, and does, get better is having Grace Kelly and Cary Grant in Monaco wearing fabulous clothes and driving cool cars.

Edith Head designed Kelly's costumes, and, again, wow. Above, Kelly in her "going to the beach" outfit. Exactly what I wear, too.

Instead of playing the costumes "straight," the movie pokes fun at the extravagance. When Kelly walks in the hotel lobby in this amazing black and white number, people stop and stare, and Grant even looks awed. Kelly's incredible gowns and her jewels and her car become little jokes. The movie doesn't try to claim that they are normal or realistic. Even the super-rich on the Riviera can't compete with Frances Stevens. Everyone, movie people and audience, wait to see what she will wear next.

Although her white strapless chiffon dress is perhaps more famous (she wears it, and a huge diamond necklace, in the remarkable seduction scene played against a background of laughably obvious fireworks), I prefer a pale blue gown she wears earlier in the film.

And then for the finale--why not put Kelly in a giant gold lame ball gown with gold birds perched on the skirt, full length gold gloves, and a gilded wig? And let's put her mom in a blue velvet thing dripping with diamonds, and perhaps a blue wig to match. Crazy and awesome.

In this one you can see one of the birds on the skirt, and the bird on her hair.

Here she is with Hitchcock. It gives you an idea of the size of the skirt.

Fantastic excess. If you are in the mood for a caper movie with iconic actors, wow-visuals, a good plot, and skillful direction by a master, try To Catch a Thief. I am very glad I didn't dream this movie!

*One scene in the film has Frances driving rather recklessly along curving cliff-side roads while Robie looks terrified in the passenger seat. The scene was filmed near where Kelly eventually died in a car accident in 1982. Tragic trivia.