In Room 623 at the Carlton: The Story of the Stolen Kiss
That is what is called an important door. In the background, moreover, was the mr hitchcock, he was filming a scene for one of his movies, catch a thief, which would premiere in 1955. If Hitchcock ever looked at you, you already have something to tell for the rest of your life. This door, and the room it leads to, have it.
Alfred Hitchcock Suite
The room 623 of the **InterContinental Carlton** is called Alfred Hitchcock Suite in honor of a director who turned the hotel into another character in his film. Hitchcock wanted to shoot a story of a jewel thief catching a jewel thief in the south of France. The English director chose Cannes and, of all the hotels in the city, he chose the best. There he settled with the team in May 1954. The Carlton had been open for thirty years; when Hitchcock caught him for the movie he was already a great hotel lady with his princely appearance and service; It was also the epitome of old europe hotel that would dazzle the protagonists of the film, an American (and very rich) mother and daughter who find themselves involved in the most exciting adventure of their lives.
Cary Grant and Grace Kelly on the beach in Cannes
The domes of the building (they say they reproduced the breasts of the Bella Otero ) presided then La Croisette , the promenade that is the main avenue of Cannes. They preside over them because the hotel (today part of the InterContinental group) continues to be a myth that likes to surround itself with its myths; you just have to stop by its restaurants and bars every May during the Film Festival. Their balconies were perfect for shooting a thief movie , his very appropriate ballroom for a movie where everyone has money (or wishes they had) and his terribly photogenic beach to shoot a movie with handsome actors.
The dome that reigns on La Croisette
François Chopinet is the director of the Carlton and a man in a three-piece suit who seems to have come out of a movie like… catch a thief . He, very affable, tells and tells stories (something important in someone in his position) and one of his favorites is the following: Grace Kelly was staying at the hotel as a guest of the festival when she was introduced to the prince rainier . She, then, did not know that she would live the rest of her days just a few kilometers away, in Monte Carlo. The hotel has also dedicated her own suite to the actress/princess, the 750.
Let's not get lost in the room. We are here to talk about the 623 . The kiss at the door justifies her presence between these lines, but there is more. One of the key scenes, that of the Fireworks , also takes place in it. We see a bouquet of roses, an elegant armchair, a lamp and some open windows on the Mediterranean. In that space there is a man and a woman dressed for a party and seducing each other, plus she him, who was busy with her misdeeds. The scene takes place there but was not filmed at the Carlton. Hitchcock, for the sake of convenience and not to invade a working hotel, shot interiors in hollywood , in the Metro studios. It's cinema, what else? catch a thief It's Cannes even though it was filmed in Los Angeles. And let no one discuss it.
To Catch a Thief
Today the room exists, you can visit it and you can sleep in it . With a name like Hitchcock Suite who wouldn't want to. Extreme moviegoers ask about it and reserve it. It has two rooms and the 1950s furniture that was replicated in Hollywood no longer exists; it was replaced by a similar but more up-to-date one. The suite is decorated with photographs from the film. The sea views remain the same. Upon entering there is the temptation to recreate the scene wearing a white dress (she) or a tuxedo (he). But nothing that happened inside that room compares to what happened outside, with that kiss in front of number 623 that caught Cary Grant by surprise.
The story of the kiss stolen from Cary Grant
Book the Alfred Hitchcock Suite
Book the Alfred Hitchcock Suite