To Catch a Thief

“Cary Grant is John Robie, reformed jewel thief who was once known as “The Cat,” in this suspenseful Alfred Hitchcock classic: presented here newly remastered from a 4k film transfer. When Robie is suspected of a new rash of gem thefts in the luxury hotels of the French Riviera, he must set out to clear himself. Meeting pampered heiress Frances (Grace Kelly), he sees a chance to bait the mysterious thief with her mother’s (Jessie Royce Landis) fabulous jewels. His plan backfires, however, and Frances, who believes him guilty, proves her love by helping him escape. In a spine-tingling climax, the real criminal is exposed.”

To Catch a Thief opens on a beautiful morning in the French Riviera as several people wake to discover their jewelry missing. The newspapers report that the thefts bear a striking resemblance to the style of John Robie, a convicted jewel thief since released. As police pay Robie a visit wanting him to accompany them to the station for questioning, Robie creates a diversion that allows him to elude capture so he can investigate himself who is trying to pin the blame on him, as he knows the police won’t believe he truly is retired from criminal life. Robie turns to his friends from the French Resistance during the war, now working at a restaurant under his old friend Bertani (Charles Vanel), who instructs him to speak with someone he knows in the insurance business, H.H. Hughson (John Williams), who compiles a list of the most expensive jewelry insured in the area, a potential list of targets for the would-be cat burglar tarnishing Robie’s name. The first name on the list leads him to Mrs. Jessie Stevens and her daughter, Frances. After Robie ensures a ‘chance’ encounter at the gambling tables, the family is quite taken with his charm. While Robie continues to try and prove his innocence, everyone seems to be a suspect as thefts continue and the police close in on Robie.

To Catch a Thief continues Hitchcock’s well-known style of mystery and intrigue with a story that keeps you guessing who-dun-it. Although it isn’t his best work with Paramount, the film still holds up to this day as a great collaboration between Cary Grant and Hitchcock, eventually surpassed by North by Northwest. What the film does best is present that sense of European wonderment with beautiful, breathtaking locations that are probably more impressive than the film itself.

Cary Grant does a perfect job at playing John Robie, although in the novel the character is twenty-some years younger, he still has that air of a distinguished thief who genuinely feels remorse for his crimes and has spent much of his life trying to make up for that fact. He has always embodied the lone wolf type of character in Hitchcock’s films, more interested in clearing his name than giving in to the temptations of Grace Kelly’s character who is trying to woo him in hopes to live vicariously through him for some excitement in her life. Grace Kelly is absolutely beautiful, full of sophistication and allure. She has great chemistry with Grant, though it is a bit played down in favor of solving the mystery.

As much as I love Alfred Hitchcock, this is one of his that I just don’t enjoy as much as his other films. For being the Master of Suspense, there really is hardly any suspense in the film. Sure, it does provide an entertaining mystery at who the culprit is, but at the end of it, I’m always asking why I should even care who ends up being the mystery thief. The reveal just isn’t that shocking, nor is the final rooftop showdown of agile cat burglars tip-toeing across the clay roof shingles. The love-story, as I mentioned, is downplayed, so there really isn’t even that to enjoy, wasting the potential for some great scenes with two iconic leads of the golden age of cinema.

Video

To Catch a Thief is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1 featuring a newly remastered 4k transfer. When the opening credits begin you can tell how much of a difference that 4k transfer makes here, with beautiful, vibrant colors and a very clear picture. With these new sets, the transfers are what set them apart from the previous releases, so even if you have this one already, that breathtaking new video will tempt some to upgrade.

Audio

The audio is presented in English Dolby TrueHD 5.1. This track sounds great, with a good mix that offers a nice balance between the surrounds and center channel. There are some good sequences that will highlight the surrounds, mainly with some of the car chases, bustling activity in the streets or beaches, and of course the score.

Special Features

Like the other Paramount Presents releases, this set features a new extra at the cost of losing some previously included extras on other Blu-Ray releases. The set comes with a newly designed slipcover with 3 on the spine indicating the third film of this series. The slipcover opens to reveal the original poster art for the theatrical release.

The extras you’ll see on this set include:

New Feature:

• Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on To Catch a Thief

Original Special Features

• Behind the Gates (2009): Cary Grant and Grace Kelly HD
• Commentary by: Dr. Drew Casper, Hitchcock Film Historian
• Original Theatrical Trailer HD

For anyone curious, this set is missing the following from the previous Blu-Ray release:

• A Night with the Hitchcocks
• Unacceptable Under the Code: Film Censorship in Hollywood
• Writing and Casting To Catch a Thief
• The Making of To Catch a Thief
• Alfred Hitchcock and To Catch a Thief: An Appreciation
• Edith Head: The Paramount Years
• If You Love To Catch a Thief, You’ll Love This Interactive Travelogue
• Galleries

As you can see, there is a lot missing from this new one. Will the new transfer warrant an upgrade? You’ll have to make that decision yourself.

To Catch a Thief isn’t the best collaboration between Hitchcock and Paramount, but still is a worthy inclusion in this series. Hopefully, we’ll see more of the eight other films he did for them, but in the meantime, this newly remastered set looks incredible, worth picking up if you don’t already have it.