To Catch a Thief

This 1955 Hitchcock movie stars Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. In the movie Grant plays John Robie, a man who had earlier in life been known as The Cat and was the most famous Cat Burglar in France. In World War II both he and his crime compatriots had been active members of the French resistance leading to parole for them.

As the movie starts a wave of burglaries reminiscent of the style of Robie have been occuring and suspicion is quickly cast on him. Realizing the only way he can prove his innocence is to capture the true thief he begins just that.

Grace Kelly plays Francie Stevens a woman visiting the French Riveria with her Mother and who is " husband hunting" as Robie puts it.

This is a good movie and any movie with Kelly in it will always have that going for it. She might well be the prettiest woman ever in film. That said, compared against most other Hitchcock movies this one pales a bit.

The scenery in the Riveria is wonderful, Kelly is strong but Grant seems too old to be a real love interest for Kelly, and the movie's plot is not confusing in a normal twist and turn Hitchcock way but more confusing for the sake of being confusing.

This movie does not get a high rating.

North by Northwest

This 1959 Albert Hitchcock movie is one of his best. Starring Cary Grant as Roger Thornhill and Eva Marie Saint as Eve Kendall this is a mistaken identity plot gone far and long.

Roger Thornhill is a ad executive who as he puts in supports a mother, two ex wives and several bartenders. As he dines one day a waiter asks for a Mr Kaplan in the room. At the same time Thornhill asks the waiter to come over prompting two gentleman to confirm in their minds that he is Kaplan.

As he goes to make a phone call he is grabbed and whisked away. Over the course of the next two hours we see a plot take Thornhill from a meeting with those who assume who they think he is, a perilous journey down a winding seaside road, The United Nations, a ticketless train trip, an art auction in Chicago and ends at Mt Rushmore. This is truly a seat of your pants movie.

Grant is superb, playing a nonplussed ad exec thrust into the role of superspy caught between both the good guys and the bad guys with a romance adding to the mix.

in Hitchcock's cameo in this movie he portrays a man who misses the bus in the opening credits. He did not miss the bus on this movie. Four stars.