They’ll be screening all three classic movies that Kelly made with Alfred Hitchcock, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief in the Hunting Room at Castletown in Celbridge, County Kildare.
Alfred Hitchcock was spellbound by Grace Kelly’s cool, blonde elegance and subtle sex appeal – to him, she was “a snow-covered volcano”. In the course of only two years, he shot three aforementioned films with her. And he would have loved to make a fourth, Marnie (1964).
Yet, despite his best attempts to persuade her of a comeback – and despite Grace’s own pronounced interest in the role – the Princess of Monaco never returned to the screen after her marriage.
The mini-film festival at Castletown House will start with a screening of Dial M For Murder at 3pm on 5 August. In her first appearance in a Hitchcock thriller, Grace Kelly plays Margot Wendice, wife of retired English tennis pro Tony Wendice (Ray Milland). When her ex-lover, American crime writer Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings) comes to visit the couple in London, the discovery of Margot’s past unfaithfulness leads her husband to plot her murder. With Margot out of the way, he would inherit her fortune and could continue his life of leisure. But the perfect crime does not go as planned…

At 3pm on 6 August they’ll screen the brilliantly catastrophic Rear Window. Confined to his New York apartment with a broken leg, professional photographer L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart) spends his time looking out of the rear window observing the neighbours. One afternoon, he witnesses a scene that leaves him wondering if a man across the courtyard murdered his wife. Jeff enlists the help of his high society fashion-consultant girlfriend Lisa Freemont (Grace Kelly) to investigate.

And, finally, at 3pm on 7 August there will be a screening of To Catch A Thief. This romantic thriller is set on the French Riviera where a series of ingenious jewellery robberies leads the police to suspect retired jewel thief John Robie (Cary Grant) is back to his old tricks. To clear his name, Robie persuades an insurance man to identify for him the most likely next targets so he can catch the actual thief in the act. Top of the list of prime victims are the rich American widow Jessie Stevens and her attractive daughter Frances (Grace Kelly), whom Robie befriends.

After viewing the movies, you might like to pop in and have a gander at the photography exhibition, which runs until 30 September. Admission to the exhibition is included in the ticket to Castletown House.
The 124 original photographs in this collection capture the fascinating transformation of Hollywood icon Grace Kelly into Princess Grace of Monaco. First shown at Galerie Ferrero in Nice last summer, it has been expanded to include additional vintage photographs covering the State visit to Ireland in 1961 of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco. The OPW says they’re delighted to present this wonderful exhibition curated by Guillaume Aral, Virginie Journiac and Leonardo Saviano.
Starting at the height of her career in 1955 – Grace had just received the Oscar for her performance in The Country Girl – we first encounter the actress on the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief, filmed on the Côte d’Azur, then see her pose for photographers at the Cannes Film Festival a few months later.
Through the lens of Irish-born photographer Edward Quinn, we have the opportunity at the exhibition to witness her first meeting with Prince Rainier at the Royal Palace in Monte Carlo, a photo opportunity arranged by Paris Match to which both parties had only reluctantly agreed. Photograph by photograph, their story unfolds: Prince Rainier’s voyage to the United States in December – ostensibly for medical reasons – where he would spend Christmas with the Kellys and propose to Grace, then Grace’s voyage to Monaco the following spring for her wedding.
A kaleidoscope of intimate snapshots and press photographs goes far beyond the polished images associated with the fairy-tale story of the decade. Instead, it offers unique and unexpected glimpses of Grace’s world: the world of the court, of high society and celebrities, of public commitments and royal duties. And at the same time, the private world of family life, of personal encounters, of moments that capture her disarming allure and esprit.
In this lies the charm of the exhibition: carefully composed and researched – each photograph is accompanied by valuable background information – it flows easily like a vivid conversation or a pleasant walk through the years, drawing the viewer in from the first photograph to the last.
“To coincide with this exhibition at Castletown House in 2017, we have a programme full of activities, including film screenings, children’s film workshops and talks with fashion experts like Ib Jorgensen, Deirdre McQuillan and Peter O’Brien,” says a spokesperson.
Visit www.castletown.ie to find out more.