It literally bubbles with humor, spice, sparkling dialogue and baffling complications which keep the moviegoer on tenterhooks right up to the heap big surprise ending.

It's not one of Hitch's most profound films, but it remains a twinkling, innuendo-laden pleasure, with Grant, Kelly and the French Riviera vying for your attention.

Francie finds something inauthentic in Robie: "like an American in an English movie". Well, yes, perhaps. But Grant's debonair and oddly unlocatable mid-Atlantic identity is absolutely right for the part.

To Catch a Thief may not be the auteur's most memorable outing, but it remains a rather enjoyable romp that features two fine performances from its leads, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, a touch of excitement, and a fair amount of entertainment throughout.