Interesting: a former member of the French Resistance became a jewel thief and now has reformed (albeit he is still in trouble). The role is not a good fit for suave Cary Grant, but we’re glad he’s in the film—i.e. To Catch a Thief (1955). We’re comfortable with him.
Interesting, too, is that women here can be plainly foolish. Feminists over the years have virtually communicated that women, except for Christian ones, are never foolish—a lie, of course. Even so, there should be no argument that however foolish Grace Kelly‘s cocky Francie can be, she is also excellent with her initiative-taking, her apologies, and her glamour.
Hitchcock‘s thriller deals with the suspicions befalling the Grant character when an unreformed burglar uses Grant’s modus operandi for current stealing. It’s a scenic joyride often filmed in the French Riviera, but some poor choices were made. Fades to black are constant, and a sequence with kissing and actual fireworks is awkward and hokey. A lot of contrivance exists in the not-great script, even if numerous lagniappes crop up. Maybe Thief is worth catching, but I wish it had been better. There is something canny, though, about a scene wherein a man sucks it up and tolerates a woman’s strikingly fast driving because he secretly wants to elude a car that is chasing him.
