To Catch a Thief (1955)
88%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
1 win & 5 nominations total
It may occasionally be guilty of coasting on pure charm, but To Catch a Thief has it in spades — as well as a pair of perfectly matched stars in Cary Grant and Grace Kelly
To Catch a Thief is like a fancy cocktail – it’s not the most profound drink you’ll ever have, but it’s damn enjoyable. The French Riviera is the perfect backdrop for Cary Grant and Grace Kelly to flirt and banter their way through a heist caper. And let’s be real, who doesn’t want to watch two impossibly attractive people trade double-entendres while wearing fabulous outfits? It’s a classic for a reason, and it’s worth watching just to see Grant’s debonair charm and Kelly’s effortless elegance. Cheers to 65 years of To Catch a Thief!
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
335 Route de Saint-Jeannet, St Jeannet, France
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some action violence, mild suggestive material and smoking
Year of Release
1955
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 46m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 5, 1955 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 4, 2005
Genre(s)
Comedy/Romance
Keyword(s)
starring Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams, Charles Vanel, Brigitte Auber, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by John Michael Hayes, comedy
Worldwide gross: $2,964
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $37,340
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,098
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 4,072
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Grace Kelly – Frances Stevens
Jessie Royce Landis – Jessie Stevens
John Williams – H. H. Hughson
Charles Vanel – Bertani
Brigitte Auber – Danielle Foussard
Director(s)
Alfred Hitchcock
Writer(s)
John Michael Hayes
Producer(s)
Alfred Hitchcock
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
1 win & 5 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (3)
It literally bubbles with humor, spice, sparkling dialogue and baffling complications which keep the moviegoer on tenterhooks right up to the heap big surprise ending.
September 25, 2021
Jean Yothers
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
It’s not one of Hitch’s most profound films, but it remains a twinkling, innuendo-laden pleasure, with Grant, Kelly and the French Riviera vying for your attention.
November 3, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Ed Potton
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Francie finds something inauthentic in Robie: “like an American in an English movie”. Well, yes, perhaps. But Grant’s debonair and oddly unlocatable mid-Atlantic identity is absolutely right for the part.
August 7, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
A fun seaside frolic, but doesn’t sit long in the mind.
August 7, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
David Jenkins
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
The whole thing is really a condensed summer holiday, all hot sun and suavity.
August 7, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Danny Leigh
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
It is a significant dud, and Grace Kelly’s role has the virtue of making clearer the quality which excited so much attention in previous roles.
January 23, 2013
Delmore Schwartz
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
Both director and writer seem unable to sustain character, much less develop, and enrich it. Both [To Catch and Thief and The Trouble with Harry] drag along from scene to scene without much inner motivation.
November 18, 2021
Andrew Sarris
Film Culture
The highlight of the film is the chemistry and dialogue between Kelly and Grant, who playfully flirt with ceaseless double-entendres and sassy innuendos.
August 23, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
To Catch a Thief celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2020 and the film has never been more beautiful.
May 8, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
Grant had a certain suave, debonair appeal, and charming good looks which made him the perfect casting choice for the role of Robie.
April 23, 2020 | Rating: 4.5/5
Allison Rose
FlickDirect
It’s hardly one of his best, but it’s not half-bad – and the French Riviera, in VistaVision, is a sight to behold.
October 21, 2019
Clyde Gilmour
Maclean’s Magazine
Mainly a star vehicle for Grant and Kelly, and one of those glamorous studio capers you occasionally get now that put a leading man and lady together in some hokum genre fare.
July 26, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro…
Plot
American expatriate John Robie, living in high style on the Riviera, is a retired cat burglar. He must find out who a copycat is to keep a new wave of jewel thefts from being pinned on him. High on the list of prime victims is Jessie Stevens, in Europe to help daughter Frances find a suitable husband.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
To Catch a Thief stars Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, who are described as “perfectly matched stars” with “pure charm” in their performances.
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