TO CATCH A THIEF: DVD

SYNOPSIS:
John "The Cat" Robie (Cary Grant) is a supposedly reformed jewel thief who leads a charmed life on the French Riviera. After a spate of new copycat burglaries point to him as the principal suspect, Robie sets a trap to catch the thief and clear his name, cosying up with a bejewelled and widowed millionairess (Jessie Royce Landis) and her daughter Frances (Grace Kelly). A game of romantic cat and mouse ensues between Robie and Frances, but when her mother's jewels go missing, she sets the authorities after him, believing he is the cat-burglar after all.

Review by Shannon J Harvey:
It might not be my favourite Hitchcock film - give me Psycho, The Birds or Rear Window any day - but it is at the very top of my favourite romantic movies, and I'm hardly a romantic! Yet To Catch A Thief has hardly been bettered for its vaseline-lensed dreaminess, for its beautiful European locations and - most of all - for its pairing of two such iconic screen leads, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.

While the intrigue hinges upon whether Grant's slippery smooth ex-cat burglar is actually at the centre of this new string of crimes, the romance he fires up with the shimmering Grace Kelly (who met Prince Ranier during the filming) is what we're more interested in here. Hardly have two Hollywood stars been more resplendent on screen, which is why To Catch A Thief is a romantic favourite, from its shadowy figures that tip-toe across tiled rooftops to its infamous fireworks finale, when Grant and Kelly finally get to smooch.

While we still await the definitive Hitchcock box set on DVD (forget the underwhelming, overpriced double set currently available), we have to suffice with the single editions. Of those, this is one of the better ones for extra features. Though not quite as packed as Vertigo, it does come with some interesting background stuff about the film and the legendary filmmaker himself. And we hear it from the horse's mouth, as Hitchcock's daughter Pat and grand-daughter Mary Stone provide much of the commentary, which is touching at first but soon reminds you that family members don't make the most objective of critics. Hitchcock: An Appreciation goes behind the scenes to investigate the man behind all these celebrated films, featuring some quaint home videos. 

The Making Of doco deals with the film's language problems, the new VistaVision format, Edith Head's fabulous costume design, and how Hitchcock's wife Alma made contributions to the script. Edith Head: The Paramount Years (also featured on the Roman Holiday and Sunset Boulevard DVDs) is a generic tribute to the famed costume designer, while the lengthiest extra, Writing and Casting, discusses the title's double entendre, the script's original ending, how Hitchcock came to work at Paramount, and the film's supposed sexual innuendo. The Photo and Poster gallery, which moves to the film's score, includes behind-the-scenes shots, publicity shots, lobby cards and day bills.

There might be little new ground here for Hitchcock academics. We know that Grant came out of retirement to film this and North by Northwest, and that Hitchcock wanted Kelly to later star in Marnie but she put her family and her adopted country first. But it does provide you with a rare glimpse into Hitchcock's private life, where his heirs believe his greatest talent was in child rearing rather than filmmaking. That might be a subjective statement, but it's still pretty powerful.

Published February 6, 2003