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Robin talks about Hitchcock's most escapist, and perhaps his most lightweight, film, featuring his two favourite actors.

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52 Weeks of Hitchcock: 19. To Catch a Thief

Robin looks at Hitchcock's most escapist, and perhaps his most lightweight, film.

Comments

Stephen Crane

Is it wrong that I've never liked Grace Kelly as an actress? I thought she was miscast in High Society. You have a movie with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong, you pick an actress that can at least hold a tune.

Anonymous

Yeah, I agree that Thief is a charmer whose charm wears thin--as you say, it's supposed to be light and escapist, but after a while you can't help noticing there's...really nothing to escape from.

Anonymous

Another great video looking forward to next week. I agree with this, I didn't really like the film and would liked to have seen Grant do more and have more at stake. Both things that are fixed in 'North by Northwest'. As for the crop duster, I always assumed it was a hired goon. It is interesting that because of the VistaVision they had to do a lot of effects matting, as of course by the 70s VistaVision was dirt cheap and the go to technology for doing things like that, most famously on 'Star Wars'.

Anonymous

I think with ‘High Society’ it was a case of the studio wanting to get their money’s worth out of her before she married and retired. She shot it back to back with ‘The Swan’ at the last minute when Liz Taylor pulled out. Not helping was Sinatra’s animosity towards her due to her turning her back Sammy Davis Jr.

Anonymous

Love, Love, Love this film. It's certainly not anyone's best work, but everyone involved looks like they are having a great time. Mr. Grant's charm and elegant cool were cranked up to 11. Ms. Kelly just glows with sexual mischief, and all the supporting players just keep the entertainment flowing. Mr. Hitchcock certainly never considered this a great work of cinema, but he also never (to my knowledge) never implied it was a movie he regretted, as he did several others.

darkcorners

Rewatching this and at one point I say Vertigo when I mean Rear Window and at another I say Rear Window when I mean Dial M For Murder. rb

Anonymous

Been a very long time since I've seen this one. It's on Amazon Prime, so I'll queue it up for some weekend when I just want to relax. I believe that the film, or at least the concept, was the basis for the US TV series "It Takes a Thief" with Robert Wagner, and Fred Astaire as his Dad.

Anonymous

A film I like but which is not one I can rewatch time and again.

Anonymous

This is my first film of being a member of the Dark Corners Club. Hey, I so far like this club, and I am a big Hitchcock film adorer. I actually saw this film with my wife in the big cinema house in the city. If you want to escape from the heat of the day, and cool off with "To Catch A Thief", it is a good choice. Cheers, and stay safe, eh.

Anonymous

I do like To Catch A Thief (though haven't seen it for a while) and think it a classic of its type. For me, I'd say its weakness might be Grace Kelly. I don't know why Hitchcock favoured these "ice queen" types, and I think they tend to be a character vacuum in whatever film they're in. One reason The Trouble With Harry is a better film is that Shirley Maclaine actually injects a bit of personality into the part! I thought Hitchcock did all exterior-scene dialog in front of plates (or on studio sets) because he could get clean sound that wouldn't need to be dubbed later.