To Catch a Thief: A Timeless Beauty
By: Elizabeth Cifu
Issue date: 3/12/10 Section: Entertainment
Alfred Hitchcock, one of the great producers of American and British cinematic history, has produced over 50 feature films complete with thrilling plots and victimized blondes. To Catch a Thief is but one film among the vast expanse of Hitchcock's successes, continually increasing in notoriety with the help of actors Cary Grant and Grace Kelly whose star power pushes the film through history. Produced in 1955, To Catch a Thief is a film that engages its timeless audience and draws modern America into the vast world of Hitchcock's unending talent.
Set in the French Riviera, the plot of the film is centered on a former jewel thief, "The Cat," played by Cary Grant, who is attempting to avoid suspicion in recent crime sprees whilst making every effort to catch the culprit himself. It is a simple plot complicated by a romance spurred by Grace Kelly's character, the daughter of a wealthy American woman who falls under the radar of The Cat because of her large collection of jewelry. The narrative is complete with twists and deceptions-fitting qualities given Hitchcock's experience with suspense.
The actors of this film are among film royalty, Grant and Kelly both being exceptional figures of the golden age of cinema. It is the cool manner of Grant that makes The Cat's character believable, because only Cary Grant could play a retired jewel thief attracting women half his age. Kelly, one of the women who falls under Grant's spell, plays the confident heiress with ease, complementing Grant's character and creating an entrancing romantic chemistry in the midst of an unsolved crime spree.
While this film may be nearly 60 years deep in cinematic history, the timeless directing of Hitchcock beautifully enables relevancy for generations to come.
Set in the French Riviera, the plot of the film is centered on a former jewel thief, "The Cat," played by Cary Grant, who is attempting to avoid suspicion in recent crime sprees whilst making every effort to catch the culprit himself. It is a simple plot complicated by a romance spurred by Grace Kelly's character, the daughter of a wealthy American woman who falls under the radar of The Cat because of her large collection of jewelry. The narrative is complete with twists and deceptions-fitting qualities given Hitchcock's experience with suspense.
The actors of this film are among film royalty, Grant and Kelly both being exceptional figures of the golden age of cinema. It is the cool manner of Grant that makes The Cat's character believable, because only Cary Grant could play a retired jewel thief attracting women half his age. Kelly, one of the women who falls under Grant's spell, plays the confident heiress with ease, complementing Grant's character and creating an entrancing romantic chemistry in the midst of an unsolved crime spree.
While this film may be nearly 60 years deep in cinematic history, the timeless directing of Hitchcock beautifully enables relevancy for generations to come.
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