For CINE 345: this entry engages with learning materials explored in Weeks 1-2
In light of being separated during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, my family established a weekly movie watching and review routine over Zoom. Every week one of our four family members would select a movie for everybody to watch, rotating to a different member every week, that would be reviewed the following Thursday with all members giving a rating between 0.0 and 10.0. Even though all of us are together now we’ve continued this tradition, and last week my dad selected one of his favorite Hitchcock movies as his choice: To Catch a Thief. The movie focuses on an American (Cary Grant) living in Nice, France where he is unliked by the locals due to his past history as a cat burglar, for which he was pardoned after being a captain in the French Revolution. His criminal knowledge becomes particularly useful in hunting down a new unknown burglar in town, with Grace Kelly playing the daughter of a wealthy American woman, a tourist in town, whose invaluable jewelry leads Cary Grant to become familiar with her in an effort to catch the unknown burglar red-handed stealing her belongings.
From start to finish the film is a visual treat, with Hitchcock utilizing Nice as a vibrant backdrop for multiple scenes, however the atmosphere’s natural beauty is of barely any importance when compared to the film’s direction and acting. Even though the film is crime-centric, it never feels as if there’s any real risk of death or tragedy, and this is partly due to the crime in question being burglary as well as the consistent incompetency from the French police in attempting to capture Grant’s character. Despite its levity, To Catch a Thief carries light suspense from start to finish, as any character who appears on screen could be the burglar in question, and this is mainly achieved through Hitchcock’s immense talent for lighting, colors, and camera angles. Aside from the excellent direction, and despite its somewhat humorous atmosphere and unrealistic dialogue, this movie carried substance: what differentiates To Catch a Thief from countless other well-made, entertaining yet mostly empty movies I’ve seen is the presence of Grace Kelly.
In an alternate universe or in an alternate timeline, To Catch a Thief stars someone other than Kelly in the leading female role, and this movie is not only a box office failure but also one of the more forgettable productions in Hitchcock’s filmography. Kelly doesn’t just act the daughter of a wealthy American woman who flaunts fashionable beachwear and nightgowns, but truly embodies her past the outfits, jewelry, and general aesthetic. She encapsulates a seemingly unattainable image of perfection beaming with elegance and coolness, but not to the extent where she alienates her own or surrounding characters. Within her well-mannered regality is an affable charisma that draws everybody, the audience included, to her attention, and it’s with this special trait that Hitchcock’s film is elevated beyond a simple mystery flick. In admiring Kelly’s suaveness and on-screen presence, I couldn’t help but compare her to Marilyn Monroe from All About Eve in my mind, as Monroe draws attention similarly to Kelly.
Even though she’s only on screen for a couple of minutes and in the company of Bette Davis, Monroe manages to stand out. Whereas Grace Kelly’s attraction is based in sexuality hidden behind a regal mask, Monroe’s attraction is based entirely on her sexuality being open for everyone to see, and despite their varying representations of sexuality, Monroe and Kelly are both appealing for their naturalness. In the first chapter of Richard Dyer’s Heavenly Bodies, he states, “Monroe knows about sexuality, but she doesn’t know about guilt and innocence- she welcomes sex as natural”. It’s Monroe’s naivety in regards to the time period specific notions surrounding sex that makes her stand out, which can easily be confused for ignorance on the matter of sex itself. Her appearance in All About Eve confirms this idea, with her balance of sexual knowledge and innocence making her unique in an environment filled with otherwise unnatural characters representing common aspects of society at that time.
In Thomas Harris’ The Building of Popular Images, he remarks on Grace Kelly, “As a product of wealth, genteel breeding and close family ties she became widely accepted as representative of man’s ideal longings within the family structure”. Grace Kelly defies societal expectations in To Catch a Thief by embodying this image of a perfect mate yet going against that very image through spontaneity. The first instance of this is when she kisses Cary Grant’s character out of the blue after he walks her back to his room, and Grant’s face reflects part expectancy and shock once she closes her door. Another instanc
e is when she maniacally drives with Grant on narrow mountain roads, fully enjoying herself while Grant is noticeably on edge. Kelly encapsulates a contrast between regal coolness and spontaneous enjoyment, making her a uniquely remarkable female centerpiece for Hitchcock’s burglar mystery; this contrast is similar to Monroe’s in that they both go against societal norms and engage in actions satisfying the character’s natural urges.
Despite this similarity, Monroe and Kelly are absolutely different in their conveyance of sex, with Monroe fully encapsulating the idea of sex while Kelly merely hints at it through a sophisticated lens. This adds to Kelly’s intrigue in To Catch a Thief as her sexuality remains mostly unknown to the audience, and while she exudes beauty her mystery garners respect from the male characters in needing to impress her or grab her attention in some way. Monroe’s intrigue is grounded in the opposite of Kelly’s appearance, which is with complete openness in her sexuality, and while this is more societally disruptive than Kelly’s image it garners less overall respect since her power lies in the male gazes she receives. Interestingly enough, one would think that Kelly’s independence from male characters would make her less attractive, but this independence lies in preexisting heterosexual constructs; in other words, she’s only independent to the extent as to intrigue Cary Grant’s character, not with the purpose of alienating him.
To Catch a Thief was as entertaining as it was artistically tasteful in its direction, specifically among its star actors, and setting. The story was unoriginal in its concept but original in its details, and through the unique energy of Grace Kelly was made an unforgettable contribution to the genre of mystery. As is tradition with all of my family movie reviews, I give this movie a rating of 8.4 / 10.0.
Works Cited
Harris, T.. “THE BUILDING OF POPULAR IMAGES: Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe.” (2003).
Dyer, Richard. Heavenly Bodies: Film Stars and Society. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1986.