Classic Film Review – To Catch A Thief (1955)

Sometimes all the stars align just right and you get a thing of great beauty. Perhaps, that is how those involved in the making of To Catch a Thief felt. I doubt many pictures had a crew as simpatico as this one. Director Alfred Hitchcock admired both Grace Kelly and Cary Grant. He had worked with both actors several times, but never together. Kelly and Grant both appreciated the director. And thanks to this film, Kelly and Grant remained lifelong friends.

Matching the natural beauty of Grant and Kelly is the vibrantly magnificent views of the French Riviera where the film is set. Add in the fashionable, yet classic costumes designed by the award winning designer Edith Head and you have one of the most visually gorgeous films I’ve ever seen.

SUMMARY

Grant is John Robie, a retired jewel thief living a comfortable life in the south of France, until a new round of burglaries is attributed to his alter ego The Cat. The local police believe that Robie has returned to his life of crime. To make matters worse, Robie’s former compatriots in the French Resistance share that believe. Robie decides the only way to clear his name is to catch the thief who is posing as him.

With the help of an insurance investigator, Robie begins shadowing those who might be targets of the jewel thief. His mission is complicated by American heiress Francie Stevens. Francie inserts herself into his life and constantly interrupts Robie’s private investigation. But Francie’s motives aren’t exactly what they appear to be. Engaged in dual games of cat and mouse, there is more at stake than Robie’s personal reputation.

To see my full review, please follow me over to The Silver Petticoat Review.

 

 

Book Review -If Spring Comes

SUMMARY

Motivated by a traumatic past, Candice Stevens has survived to become a respected Medical Examiner  in St. Louis. Though successful in her career, she is much less so in her social life. Candice likes to keep to herself. She is also consistent in rejecting the advances of FBI agent Dorian “Sal” Salivas. But when Candice finds a rare piece of evidence which might provide a clue in the long term hunt for a serial killer, she is forced to turn to the man she just can’t take seriously.

Sal has been injured in the line of duty and sidelined by his boss at the FBI. Though unfit for active duty, he is given an undercover assignment to determine if there is a mole in the department who might be in league with the serial killer known as Vivaldi. He of course is thrilled that he must work closely with Candice, a woman Sal has been fascinated with since their first meeting.  It will give Sal the time to prove that he is serious in his pursuit of her while also proving that they just may have more in common than they think. But hunting down a serial killer is dangerous work and not exactly the environment for a romance. When Candice is threatened, Sal realizes he could lose her before he has even won her. Continue reading “Book Review -If Spring Comes”

Film Review -The Saint (1997)

The character of Simon Templar debuted in a series of books first published in the 1920’s and running through the 1980’s. There have been many film and television adaptations, but my favorite is this film version from the nineties.

SUMMARY

Raised in an orphanage, young John Rossi renames himself after his childhood heroes, the Templar Knights. While there he develops a unique set of skills, but also witnesses a tragedy which haunts him.

As an adult Simon Templar is a thief who uses his skills for his own benefit and the highest bidder. In his line of work, he changes his appearance as often as his identity and his name. Simon is personable and clever, but forms no attachments and calls no place home. Determined to see his bank account reach a comfortable fifty million dollars, before he retires, he takes one last job. Unfortunately, it happens to be for the Russian billionaire, Ivan Tretiak. On a previous job, Simon had a run-in with Tretiak’s son Ilya, whom he left with disfiguring facial scars.

Tretiak hires Simon to steal a formula for clean, inexpensive energy. This formula is a scientific breakthrough developed by the English scientist Emma Russell and her late father.

Simon is surprised to find that Emma is not what he expected. Though she is a brilliant scientist, she is also rather naive and a romantic at heart. Simon determines the best and safest way to steal the formula is to seduce her.  But in the process, he is charmed by her innocence and her willingness to release her formula publicly, instead of selling it for a profit. When Tretiak threatens Emma’s life, Simon is forced to make a decision. And when Emma discovers Simon’s secret, she puts herself in danger to confront him.

For my full review, please follow me over to The Silver Petticoat Review.

 

Book Review -A Dangerous Legacy

 SUMMARY

It is the turn of the century in New York City. Lucy and her brother Nick have inherited a decades old family legal feud  which requires all their resources to fight. While Lucy and Nick live frugally, their uncle lives like a king, thwarting their every attempt at justice.

Lucy’s work as a telegraph operator with the AP news service puts her in direct contact with the British Sir Colin Beckwith, who works for Reuters. Though they are attracted to each other, their companies’ rivalry precludes any type of relationship. Not to mention that Colin, who bears a noble name and heritage, is in New York seeking a wealthy wife to prop up his crumbling estate.

At the same time Lucy and Nick’s legal drama takes an unexpected turn, Colin learns something about her which could put their case in jeopardy. At the same time Lucy runs across a news item which could ruin Colin’s reputation and thereby his marriage hopes.  In an agreement of quid pro quo, Lucy and Colin decide to join forces while fighting their mutual attraction. Continue reading “Book Review -A Dangerous Legacy”