To Catch A Thief: Take 9

Le Stuff’s Definitive Location Guide to Alfred Hitchcock’s Classic Film

Series Post #11

After the wonderful raft scene just off the beach in front of The Hotel Carlton, Francie Stevens (Kelly’s character) convinces John Robie to let her accompany him on a “villa shopping” excursion.

What follows is one of the great driving sequences in cinematic history.

Hitchcock certainly must have known that the French Riviera would electrify the screen almost as much as Grant and Kelly, and to his credit, he let it.

A tour of “To Catch A Thief” locations is, quite simply, a tour of some of the most beautiful scenery the French Riviera has to offer.

Stevens and Robie depart for the hills from the hotel parking lot in her sublime Sunbeam Alpine convertible.  For anyone who has been to Cannes it’s interesting to note how things have changed in front of The Carlton.  In 1954 one simply had to pull off The Croisette (back then a pleasant two lane road) and park in front of the hotel.  Today the former parking area has been turned into a garden and The Croisette expanded into a four lane boulevard separated by a tree-lined median. 

In the next clip the Sunbeam Alpine is seen traveling along a winding road (most likely the moyenne corniche) with the Mediterranean in the background.  The promontory of land jutting out into the azure water is St Jean cap Ferrat.

The moyenne corniche is still one of the world’s great drives and I heartily recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

The ensuing scene, featuring plenty of clever dialogue by both Grant and Kelly, was played out at Hollywood’s Paramount studios using rear-screen projection, but it’s interesting to note that

The French Riviera: Best Drives

Click here for information on the French Riviera Mini Cooper Driving Adventure!

The south of France has everything for those of us who feel the need to add a little speed to our lives.  Think twisting mountain switchbacks, sun-drenched coastal roadways, a populace that enjoys and appreciates fast driving, and some of the best scenery on the planet.

The Corniche Road System
There are actually three corniche roads, the lower (basse), middle (moyenne), and upper (Grande), that run from Nice to Menton (the last French town before the Italian border).  In order to get the best bang for your buck from each of them you need to have a little advance knowledge.

Let’s begin with The Lower Corniche.
Timing is everything.  Really.
Don’t even consider hopping on the lower corniche during holidays, the summer season, Friday afternoon, Sunday afternoon, or at any time that could be even slightly construed as rush hour.  In fact, if you have just an inkling that there may be traffic on the road, forget it.
Properly timed, though, and a drive along the lower corniche can be exceptionally rewarding.