Thief (DVD)

Advantages: Delectable story, delightful screenplay
Disadvantages: They don't make films like this anymore

...' for Murder (1951), Rear Window (1953) and To Catch a Thief (1955). Hitchcock's work intrigued and engaged me, and I am now in the process of completing my Hitchcock DVD collection. And so being instantly smitten with Grace back on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in 1995 led me to gain a passionate interest in films and film making. To Catch a Thief is typical Hitchcock. It combines many, if not all, of his trademark features. It has the iconic ice queen blonde, Frances (Francie) Stevens (Kelly), the charming bad boy made good slightly down on his luck hero, John Robie (Cary Grant), combined with an interwoven, layered plot, a sophisiticated and charming screenplay and a slightly comedic twist at the end. Not to mention the brief cameo that is the trade mark of the Hitchcock film. The film is a gorgeous masterpiece of comedy, suspense, sexual... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: great story, acting and directing
Disadvantages: none really

...is a thief. Somehow they make love during the fireworks display. Jesse stubs a cigarette in an expensive plate of eggs. Robie meets another woman, Danielle Foussard(Brigette Auber) who is falsely accused of the crime. But eventually Robie caputures the real jewel thief and is free of the crime and gets the girl. It seems To Catch A Thief is a very appealing film to watch over and over again. The Riveria location photography is magnificent shot on film. The film seems to be one of Hitchcock's finest and somewhat humorous films ever made. This classic film is a far cry from the familiar, horrifying thrillers of Hitchcock. I do recommend watching To Catch A Thief on video or DVD.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Caroline Goodall's okay as Ida
Disadvantages: Dreadful acting and direction, a patronising script and a dearth of excitement

...Orphans Prosper and Bo run away from their nasty relatives and take refuge in the backstreets of Venice. There they fall in with the Thief Lord and his kid gang, who live in an abandoned cinema and make their money from stealing to order. But the boys' aunt and uncle won't let them get away so easily. Soon they have a private detective on their trail and a whole heap of trouble brewing when they are asked to nick a wooden wing for a shadowy count. Cornelia Funke's novel has already sold more than a million copies in the US alone. So you would have thought the film companies involved in the production of the film would have spent more money on it. There's obviously a market for it. Sadly the whole movie comes across as a cheap made-for-TV affair and at some points it even recalls horrific seventies' tat like "The Double Deckers... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful