Nice Story(PART 3 OF 4)
To Catch a Thief
It is a 1955 romantic thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis and John Williams.
The movie is set on the French Riviera, and was based on the 1952 novel of the same name by David F. Dodge.
The screenplay was written by John Michael Hayes.
Plot:
John Robie (Cary Grant) is a notorious but retired jewel thief or "cat burglar," nicknamed "The Cat," who now tends to his vineyards in the French Riviera.
A series of robberies that closely resemble his in style leads the police to believe that the Cat is up to his old tricks again.
They come to arrest him, and he adeptly gives them the slip.
He immediately seeks refuge with his old gang from his days in the French Resistance, a group of ex-cons whose patriotic work led to grants of parole that depend on them keeping their noses clean.
Bertani, Foussard, and the others are all under a cloud while the Cat is at large, and they blame Robie.
Still, when the police arrive at Bertani’s restaurant, Foussard’s daughter Danielle (Brigitte Auber) spirits her old flame to safety.
Robie's plan is to prove his innocence by catching the new cat burglar in the act, so he enlists the aid of an insurance man of Bertani's acquaintance, H. H. Hughson (John Williams), who reluctantly obtains a list of the most expensive jewels currently on the Riviera.
The first owners listed are Jessie Stevens (Jessie Royce Landis) and her daughter Francie (Grace Kelly).
Robie strikes up an acquaintance with them — delighting Jessie even as Francie offers a pretense of modesty, while Danielle bares her jealous claws.
Francie is not afraid of a little fun.
Although she sees through Robie’s cover as an American industrialist, the considerable charms of this thief are worth catching.
She dangles before him her jewels, teases him with steamy tales of rooftop escapades, exposes herself as a feline of a special breed: an accomplice who might share his passion and be available to his sordid desires.
Fireworks fill the night and can even be seen in the sky.
The next day, Jessie discovers her jewels are stolen, and Francie suddenly feels that Robie has taken advantage of her.
The police are called and he must go back on the lam.
To catch the new burglar he stakes out a rooftop at night and finds himself struggling with an attacker who loses his footing and tumbles over the side.
It is Foussard, and he does not survive the fall.
The police chief is satisfied that Foussard was the jewel thief, but, as Robie points out to him in the presence of the abashed Hughson, this would have been impossible: Foussard had a prosthetic leg and could not possibly climb on rooftops.
Robie's attendance at Foussard’s funeral is marred by Danielle's accusation that he is responsible for the man's death, after which Francie apologizes and confesses her love for him.
They agree to attend a masquerade ball the coming weekend.
At the ball, Francie is resplendent in a gold gown, Robie unrecognizable behind the mask of a Moor.
The police hover nearby, ready to arrest Robie at the drop of a hat.
When Jessie asks the Moor to go get her "heart pills," Robie’s voice tips off his identity to the authorities.
Upon his return the police wait out Francie and the Moor as they dance the night away.
Upstairs, the cat burglar strikes, cleaning out many a jewel box.
Finally, Francie and the Moor go to her room, and the mask is removed: it is Hughson, switched in to conceal Robie’s exit.
On the rooftop Robie lurks.
His patience is finally rewarded when he is joined by another figure in black.
But just as his pursuit begins, the police throw a spotlight on him.
Again he flees and shots ring out, but he manages to corner his foe with jewels in hand.
Unmasked, his nemesis turns out not to be a man after all.
Danielle is "The Cat," and she confesses that she has been working for her father and Bertani.
Robie speeds back to his vineyard and Francie races after to convince him that he does need her in his life.
He agrees, but seems less than thrilled about including her mother.
NOTE:
This was Grace Kelly's final film for Hitchcock; she became Princess Grace of Monaco in 1956.
Edith Head designed Kelly's clothes for the production, including a memorable golden ball gown.
Hitchcock later tried to cast Princess Grace in Marnie (1964), but the citizens of Monaco expressed disapproval in her acting in another film; she later served as a narrator for at least two films.
SOURCE: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PICTURES: From the Denman Library
So, Kato, do you love this film?
Oh, yes. I love movies.
So, you're a cinephile, eh?
huh? ... cinephile?
Oh, yes. You're crazy about movies, aren't you? Cinephile means a film lover or enthusiast.
Have you coined the word, Diane?
Oh, no. It's a new word. Not many Canadians know the word. As a matter of fact, you can't find the word in many English dictionaries.
Interesting! ... I'm certainly a cinephile.
Do you love the above film because of Grace Kelly?
Yes, besides, the view from the Grande Corniche is fabulous and fascinating.
But unfortunate and grieving was the accsident on September 13, 1982. While driving with her daughter Stéphanie to Monaco from their country home on the French side of the border, Grace Kelly took a bend too fast as she descended from La Turbie to the Moyenne Corniche.
Princess Grace suffered a stroke, which caused her to drive her Rover P6 off the serpentine road down a mountainside. The princess was pulled alive from the wreckage, but had suffered serious injuries and was unconscious. She died the following day at the Monaco Hospital.
How tragic and heart-breaking!
Yes, indeed. I'm an enthusiastic fan of Grace Kelly, you know.
Are you?... So, this is the reason you wanted to tell me the above story, isn't it?
Oh, no.
Then how come you've told me the above story?
Well, the above photo of Grace Kelly reminds me of the following picture:
Oh, it's me, isn't it?
Yes, Diane, it's you.
But how come you shows me this picture?
You're so beautiful and charming, Diane.
Kato..., You've told me the roundabout story simply to tell me this?
Oh, no... oh, no. there's something else.
What's that?
Read this.
The pain of our neighbours is our pain too. When neighbours suffer, neighbours must respond. In this way we build a better world. We dignify humanity. We overcome what we have not caused. Even now as we in Canada breathe the air flowing to us from Fukushima (in Japan), we are reminded we are connected to each other. Our lives are interwined on the same planet, the same ecosystems, the same humanity. Perhaps God has created such a world in order to perfect our humanity. With the promise that death is not the end of life.
You see, the pain of Grace Kelly is our pain. So is the pain of her daughter Stéphanie. When neighbours suffer, neighbours must respond. In this way we build a better world. We dignify humanity. We overcome what we have not caused. We are connected to each other. Our lives are interwined on the same planet, the same ecosystems, the same humanity. Perhaps the Creator has created such a world in order to perfect our humanity at present as well as in the past and the future. With the promise that death is not the end of life. So, Diane, you and I could share the pain with the souls of Grace Kelly and Stéphanie.
Are you serious, Kato?
Yes, of course, besides, I wanna tell that you're a kind-hearted, good-natured woman. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,...
Are you an apple-polisher or what?
Oh, well..., I'm an apple-eater. He, he, he, ...
(To be continued)