Movie Review: To Catch A Thief

To Catch A Thief: Torgo approves

Maybe I just saw the best Hitchcock movies when I was young, so those I have yet to see are disappointing, but I become less and less interested in him as the years go by. My favorite is Rope (though I haven't seen it in years -- it's out now on dvd, so I need to see it again). I remember liking Rear Window and Psycho. I never thought The Birds was very good. Creepy, yes, but poorly written and badly paced. North by Northwest is one I didn't like before but saw again and enjoyed. Torn Curtain is terrible. Vertigo didn't live up to the hype.

To Catch A Thief was clever enough. Grace Kelly is fun to watch. I don't quite get the appeal of Cary Grant, but he has a decent role here.

The plot is simple: Grant was a cat burglar in France. He reformed his ways. Now someone is repeating his style and he's getting blamed, so he sets out to catch the thief.

There's beautiful cinematography (which, I believe, won the oscar) and good costuming (except for one highly questionable blackface scene). As a travel brochure for the south of France, it's highly effective.

There's also the issue of what they can and can't get away with regarding sex and, more ridiculous, modest displays of affection. On one of the of the dvd extras, it's pointed out that a scene in which Grant kisses Kelly, leaning her into a couch (it's not as sexual as it sounds) didn't pass the board, so they just changed the music from romantic to whimsical, and it passed.

But meanwhile, Kelly and the other female lead just about jump out of their skirts over Grant, offering innuendo galore. I'm perpetually amazed at what kinds of dialogue got in while fully clothed but seated kissing got censored.