To Catch a Thief

To Catch a Thief (1955)

Timing: 1:46 (106 min)

7.266/10
1651

7.513/10
19291

7.4/10
86000

All about film

Video 3

Photo 111

Actors and characters

Release date

1955-08-03

Country

United States

Production

Paramount

Genre

Mystery, Thriller, Romance, Comedy, Crime

Budget

$2 500 000

Revenue

$8 750 000

Website

Director

Alfred Hitchcock

Actors

Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams, Charles Vanel, Brigitte Auber, Jean Martinelli, Georgette Anys, René Blancard, William 'Wee Willie' Davis
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Alfred Hitchcock

Operator

Robert Burks

Composer

Lyn Murray

Artist

Audition

Editing

George Tomasini
All team (20)

• During filming, Grace Kelly met the Prince of Monaco, her future husband.
• Hitchcock's cameo – at the 9-minute mark, he is a passenger on the bus next to Cary Grant.
• Cary Grant (1904-1986) announced in February 1953 that he was retiring from acting because, in his own words, he was losing interest as the careers of actors embracing the Stanislavski system (1863-1938), such as Marlon Brando (1924-2004), rose to prominence. Grant was also angered by the way the House Un-American Activities Committee (a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives that existed from 1934 to 1975) treated Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). Grant was persuaded to return to filming for this movie, and he continued to act for another 11 years.
• Director Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) inquired whether the chase scene could be filmed from a helicopter. Special mounts didn't exist at the time, but the camera was successfully secured to a civilian Sikorsky H-5 helicopter with the side door removed using ropes and cables.
• Alfred Hitchcock filmed this movie because he wanted to relax in the south of France.
• The film was shot in the summer of 1954, but its release was postponed because the producers felt that viewers would not believe in the romantic relationship between the characters due to the significant age difference between Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. As it turned out, after the film's release, it became one of the most popular films of the decade.
• The original screenplay finale explained more than is shown in the film's finale, including the arrest of the main antagonist, although the scene hints that they and Brigitte Ober's character planned to escape. The screenwriters were very disappointed when Hitchcock changed all of that, so the film's ending became quite abrupt and ended on a cheerful note. Hitchcock had once wanted to do something similar with the film 'Strangers on a Train' (1951), but the studio did not approve of the idea at the time.
• The original ending of the script explained more than is shown in the film's finale, including the arrest of the main antagonist, although the scene hints that he and Brigitte Ober were planning to flee. The screenwriters were very disappointed when Hitchcock changed all of this, so the film's ending became quite abrupt and the film ended on a cheerful note. Hitchcock once wanted to do something similar with "Strangers on a Train" (1951), but the studio did not approve of the idea at the time.