Above the roofs of Nice
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Above the roofs of Nice |
| Original title | To catch a thief |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language |
English French |
| Publishing year | 1955 |
| length | 106 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Alfred Hitchcock |
| script | John Michael Hayes |
| production | Alfred Hitchcock for Paramount Pictures |
| music | Lyn Murray |
| camera | Robert Burks |
| cut | George Tomasini |
| occupation | |
| |
Above the Rooftops of Nice is an American thriller by Alfred Hitchcock based on the novel of the same name by David Dodge . The film was shot from May to August 1954 and released by Paramount Pictures in 1955 .
action
A jewel thief is up to mischief on the French Riviera . John Robie, a notorious pre- WWII jewel thief (known as the cat ) and war hero of the Resistance , is suspected because the thief is copying his old method. When he is about to be questioned by the police, he goes into hiding. In order to prove his innocence, he goes on a search for the crook himself. His former partners, all of whom are now doing a respectable job in the Bertani restaurant , are annoyed because they think he is the thief and the French police are interested in them again. Nevertheless, Bertani and Danielle Foussard help him to escape the police. Young Danielle is in love with Robie and suggests that he flee to South America with her.
Following a tip from the restaurant operator Bertani, Robie turns to the insurance agent Hughson, who - initially suspicious - offers him his help. Robie befriends the millionaire Mrs. Stevens and her daughter Frances, who are in possession of valuable jewels. Soon after, Mrs. Stevens is also robbed. It's going to be tight for Robie. Frances, who had a love night with Robie, distrusts him and makes life difficult for him, while her mother believes in Robie's honesty.
Robie puts everything on one card and tries to catch the thief red-handed in his next coup. He almost has to pay for this with his life, because he falls into a trap. But since Robie was prepared for the attack, he can fend it off. Foussard, a waiter in Bertani's restaurant and a former sidekick from the Resistance, accidentally dies. After Foussard's death, the police presented him as the cat , although they knew that he had a wooden leg and could not possibly have been the master thief.
Knowing that he would put the noose around his neck in case the thief escapes and he is arrested at the scene, Robie puts everything on one card again. At the last moment, at a masked ball, he can unmask the thief: It's Danielle, the daughter of the late Foussard. She committed the thefts for Bertani and has to face the police herself. John is rehabilitated. Frances and John eventually become a couple.
backgrounds
Locations
Hitchcock shot Above the Rooftops of Nice in Saint-Jeannet , Gourdon , Nice , Monaco , Grasse , Cannes , Eze Village , Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Cagnes-sur-Mer . The scenes in what is known as the "Villa Sandford" in the film were shot in the Château de la Croix des Gardes in Cannes. The rapid aerial shots of a chase through several villages were shot around Saint-Paul-de-Vence as well as a longer film sequence of another excursion on the highest coastal road Grande Corniche (between Nice and Monaco) with an extensive view of the Mediterranean Sea and Cap Ferrat . On September 13, 1982, Grace Kelly and her daughter Stéphanie had an accident with their ten-year-old Rover 3500 on a very similar-looking coastal road outside of Monaco . For reasons unknown, they took a hairpin turn off the road and fell 40 meters down a slope ( 43 ° 43 ′ 35 ″ N , 7 ° 24 ′ 10 ″ E ). The car that Grace Kelly drives on the outing in the film is a sapphire blue Sunbeam Alpine Mark III convertible. In a very similar hairpin bend - but this time in Monaco - the two players then have a picnic. Film sequences in close succession, which convey spatial proximity in the film, are often geographically very far apart. However, the viewer does not notice this fact due to the assembly.
script
It is based on the novel To Catch a Thief by David Dodge from 1952, the script was written by John Michael Hayes . The original title is ambiguous: the main objective is to catch the jewel thief, at the end of the film Frances catches John Robie, the jewel thief, and marries him. The original title is based on a play on words: The English phrase "take a thief to catch a thief" (or "to set a thief to catch a thief") can best be translated as "It takes a villain to catch a villain" . In the film it takes John Robie as a former "cat" to catch the active cat, which the police failed until then.
Hitchcock expressed his aversion to eggs in two scenes . In the first scene, Cary Grant looks through a window into the kitchen of the Bertani restaurant, at that moment a raw egg slaps against the window. In the second scene, Jessie Royce Landis puts out her cigarette in the yellow of a fried egg.
With Above the Rooftops of Nice, Hitchcock founded a new sub-genre: the “cultivated thriller romance” (Harris / Lasky, 1976), which was later taken up by Stanley Donen in Charade and Arabesque , among others .
actor
Hitchcock cast the two leading roles with his then favorite stars Grace Kelly (the third role in a row) and Cary Grant (the third of four leading roles for Hitchcock). Both contributed greatly to the movie's popularity.
production
Over the Rooftops of Nice is the second of five films that Hitchcock produced for Paramount between 1954 and 1958. Originally the contract was for eight films, four of these films were to revert to the rights to Hitchcock after the first release after an exploitation period of eight years, as part of his estate. These four films were shot and then not shown for three decades.
Above the roofs of Nice was ultimately the only film left over from the package, in which the rights remained with Paramount (unlike Das Fenster zum Hof , Immer Ärger mit Harry , the remake The Man Who Knew Too Much and Vertigo - From the Realm of the dead ). Paramount was therefore able to keep all copies (including the international soundtracks) of the film and continue to exploit the film internationally in the decades that followed. This includes television broadcasts in Germany, where the film was first shown on ZDF on December 13, 1969.
Sexual innuendos
The revisions made by Hitchcock to the finished script ensured that the two main characters were pointed and that the love story was more clearly emphasized, right through to clear sexual innuendos, which at the time were more than unusual for Hollywood productions. In the United States, the Hays Code (or Production Code) was in force between 1934 and 1967 , a collection of guidelines on adherence to common moral standards and on the permissibility of depicting crime, violence and sexuality in films. Compliance with the Hays Code was strictly monitored and no director could evade it, as every film had to be submitted to the Production Code Administration before it was released. As a result, a symbolic language with hidden sexual references was established among filmmakers over the years in order to be able to bypass censorship.
Hitchcock had tiresome experiences with Hollywood's censors as early as the 1940s. He has always been tempted to explore the limits of what is permitted and to outsmart the moral guards. In Above the Roofs of Nice visual and verbal allusions of a sexual nature are contained in a directness that exceeded everything previously known in Hollywood, but which surprisingly survived the censorship without damage.
In several scenes there are hidden sexual innuendo and ambiguities (the following translations of the English quotes do not match the German dubbed version):
- When they have a picnic on the cliff, they talk superficially about food. " Kelly: I've never caught a jewel thief before. It's stimulating. […] Do you want a leg or a breast? "(German:" I've never caught a jewel thief. It's so stimulating. [...] Would you like a leg or chest? ").
- The Kelly Grant dialogue is clearer, in which he explains to her that she needs something that he cannot offer her for lack of time and inclination, namely a two-week honeymoon with a real man. “ Grant: What you need is something I have neither the time nor the inclination to give you. - Kelly: Oh, and just what is that? - Grant: Two weeks with a good man at Niagara Falls. ”(German:“ What you need is something that I have neither time nor inclination to do. - And what is that? - Two weeks with a real man at Niagara Falls. ”)
- In one scene, Grant and Kelly talk about diamonds and the desire to touch and own them: “ Kelly: Look, John. Hold them. Diamonds. Only thing in the world you can't resist. Then tell me you don't know what I'm talking about. Ever had a better offer in your whole life? One with everything? - Grant: I've never had a crazier one. - Kelly: Just as long as you're satisfied. - Grant: You know as well as I do this necklace is imitation. - Kelly: Well, I'm not. "(German:" Grab it. What are you waiting for? They are precious. After all, jewels are the only thing that you cannot resist. And then tell me that you don't know what I'm talking about. Have you ever had a better one Had an offer? All at once? - In any case, never such a fancy one. - Well, I hope you are satisfied. - You know as well as I that the necklace is an imitation. - But I am not. "This is followed by a scene. in which both kiss while sitting on the sofa. According to the strict regulations of the time, this should have been cut shortly before Grant and Kelly leaned against the sofa. However, Hitchcock did not want to cut it and commissioned the composer to make the film music less “suggestive” and more slightly “happy-comedic”. The film editor George Tomasini also had to combine the scene with several intermediate images for the fireworks that took place at the same time. The scene with changed film music and changed editing later passed the exam and was shown in full in the film.
- When Grant said he was a timber merchant, Kelly replied about his meeting with the young French woman, “ I bet you told her all your trees were Sequoias. ”(German:“ I bet you told her all of your trees were sequoia trees ”), which adds another ambiguity to the masculinity of Grant's character. In the German dubbing, however, this allusion is not so clear.
- In a scene between Frances Stevens (Kelly) and her mother (Landis), Frances scolds John Robie (Grant), and her mother asks what he stole from her. The mother's unanswered question “ Just what did he steal from you? ”(German:“ What has he stolen from you? ”) Should be an allusion to the“ loss of your innocence ”.
Dubbed version
In contrast to other Hitchcock films, Above the Rooftops of Nice was only dubbed once. The German dubbed version was created in 1955 by Berliner Synchron Wenzel Lüdecke . The dialogue book was written by Fritz A. Koeniger - the dialogue was directed by Volker Becker . This German version is also used for the current German TV broadcasts and the latest DVD editions with a restored film image.
In the German dubbed many notices contained in the original are missing on the fight against the Germans in the French Resistance ( Resistance ). For example, it is said in the original that he escaped from custody when the Germans bombed the prison. In the German version, the reason given is a general amnesty . While Robie tells Hughson in the original that he killed 72 people during his time in the Resistance and that his housekeeper strangled a German general with her hands, the dubbed version is about the fact that he was a famous man in his field and his Housekeeper caught a lion with her bare hands.
| role | actor | German dubbing voice |
|---|---|---|
| John Robie, the cat | Cary Grant | Curt Ackermann |
| Frances Stevens | Grace Kelly | Eleanor Noelle |
| Jessie Stevens | Jessie Royce Landis | Friedel Schuster |
| HH Hughson | John Williams | Siegfried Schürenberg |
| Monsieur Bertani | Charles Vanel | Walther Suessenguth |
| Danielle Foussard | Brigitte Auber | Margot Leonard |
| Father Foussard, waiter | Jean Martinelli | Klaus Miedel |
| Inspector Lepic | René Blancard | André Saint-Germain |
Reviews
- The New Yorker : "This is romantic suspense, lively, cheerful, Mediterranean playful, with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, how they compete very pretty and cool with the charms of the appetizing Côte-d'Azur backdrop."
- Lexicon of the international film : "Temperamental and witty criminal humor with pointed dialogues and cleverly intertwined tension knots."
- Adolf Heinzlmeier and Berndt Schulz in Lexicon "Films on TV" (extended new edition). Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg 1990, ISBN 3-89136-392-3 , p. 844: "Exciting and amusing adventure against the wonderful backdrop of the French Riviera." (Rating: 3 stars = very good)
- 6000 films. Critical notes from the cinema years 1945 to 1958 . Handbook V of the Catholic film criticism, 3rd edition, Verlag Haus Altenberg, Düsseldorf 1963, p. 443: "Humorous, exciting, with lively dialogue and a beautifully colored landscape."
- Süddeutsche Zeitung : "The film oscillates between parodic horror cinema and freshly cheerful comedy without losing its balance."
- Evangelischer Filmbeobachter , Evangelischer Presseverband München, Review No. 16/1956: “A well-made and played Hitchcock film with wonderful landscape shots . From the age of 16 you can have a lot of fun with it. "
Awards
- Oscar for Robert Burks ( Best Cinematography )
Oscar nominations 1956:
- Oscar nomination for Hal Pereira , Joseph McMillan Johnson , Sam Comer , Arthur Krams ( Best Production Design )
- Oscar nomination for Edith Head ( Best Costume Design )
Cameo
Hitchcock can be seen on the bus to the right of Cary Grant - but not in the 4: 3 version that has been broadcast on German television for decades. There it can only be seen in the side cut. In the restored version (also DVD), which has meanwhile been seen more often on German television, Hitchcock can now be almost completely recognized again. Hitchcock was known for his pictorial wit, which, however, is not always immediately recognizable for every viewer. In the bus scene, Grant sits down between Hitchcock and a woman with a birdcage. Understandable that at this moment the birds in the cage begin to flutter around nervously, given the fact that they are getting so close to the cat .
Publications
- Above the roofs of Nice . DVD, CIC Video / Paramount Home Entertainment 2004
- Above the roofs of Nice. DVD, Special Collector's Edition . CIC Video / Paramount Home Entertainment 2007
- Above the roofs of Nice . Blu-ray Disc, Paramount Home Entertainment May 10, 2012
Soundtrack
- Lyn Murray , Nathan van Cleave : To Catch a Thief. Suite , on: Psycho. The Essential Alfred Hitchcock (2-CD-Set). Silva Screen Records, London 1999, sound carrier no. FILMXCD 320 - digital new recording by The City of Prague Philharmonic under the baton of Paul Bateman
literature
- David Dodge: Above the roofs of Nice. The "cat" and its doppelganger (OT: To Catch a Thief ). Diogenes, Zurich 1990, ISBN 3-257-21865-6
- François Truffaut : Mr. Hitchcock, how did you do it? . Heyne, 2003, ISBN 3-453-86141-8 (sequence of interviews (approx. 50 hours) by the French director from 1962). Original edition: François Truffaut: Le cinéma selon Hitchcock (Eng. "The film according to Hitchcock") Simon and Schuster, 1984, ISBN 0-671-52601-4
- Robert A. Harris, Michael S. Lasky, eds. Joe Hembus : Alfred Hitchcock and his films (OT: The Films of Alfred Hitchcock ). Citadel film book from Goldmann, Munich 1976, ISBN 3-442-10201-4
- John Russel Taylor: The Hitchcock Biography , Fischer Cinema 1982, ISBN 3-596-23680-0
- Donald Spoto : Alfred Hitchcock - The dark side of genius . Heyne, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-453-55146-X (German translation by Bodo Fründt)
- Bodo Fründt: Alfred Hitchcock and his films . Heyne Film Library Volume 91, 1986, ISBN 3-453-86091-8
Web links
- To Catch a Thief in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Above the roofs of Nice in the Hitchcock Wiki (English)
- Detailed film description by Tim Dirks (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Info-Luxe: Luxury Estate - Le Château de la Croix des Gardes | Info-Luxe. Accessed January 2, 2020 (Fri-FR).
- ↑ Grace Kelly: 30 years ago: Horror crash into death In: Berliner Kurier , September 12, 2012