Charada

When I first saw "Charade", I was convinced for the longest time this was a Hitchcock movie. Small wonder; Hitchcock all but set the standard for quality mystery films. Still, I give director Donen my sincerest apologies. Anyway, where did this film go?? Its tasteful humor, colorful characters and intelligent plot make "Charade" one of the best mystery movies ever made, but it's not well known even among classic films.

"Look for it. Look as hard and as fast as you can." This film ranks with "Clue", "The Name of the Rose" and "The 39 Steps" as one of the most enjoyable mysteries of all time. Makes a great dating/party movie.

"I don't bite, you know. Unless it's called for." "How would you like a spanking?"

A woman on a ski holiday (Audrey Hepburn) talks about getting a divorce, but it turns out she doesn't have to, because her husband has been murdered. Worse yet, three men are now after her because of some money they think she might have gotten from him. They were with her husband behind enemy lines during WWII as part of a covert operation to give a quarter of a million dollars to the French Resistance, but decided to bury the money instead, and dig it up after the war. Another man (Cary Grant) has turned up as well and seems to be her protector, but is he really on her side?

It's a fantastic concept, and as everyone and their grandma has noted, the film is reminiscent of Hitchcock. We see that in its tension, shots like the view from the perspective of a corpse as a morgue drawer closes, and dramatic scenes using the environment, like the fight on the roof behind the giant neon sign, or the chase down in the Paris Metro. Maybe it's also got a bit of Clouzot's Diabolique in a bathtub scene, or just how long the viewer is held in suspense before knowing who the bad guy is.

It's lighter than the average Hitchcock fare and in ways that sometimes border on silliness, but on the other hand, the chemistry between Hepburn and Grant is far greater than anything Hitch ever produced with his obsession over icy blondes. The banter is risqué and Hepburn's come-on's to Grant are steamy, even though Grant's character regularly reminds Hepburn's how much younger she is. This has to be one of my favorite performances from Hepburn, as she ranges from comedy to flirtation to frightened for her life seamlessly. Meanwhile, you have Cary Grant at 59 still getting it done as a debonair romantic lead, and also cutting loose with silly faces, getting into a shower in his suit, and trying his best not to grope women as he plays Pass the Orange with them in a nightclub.

Does it all hold together? Hepburn's character knowing so little about her husband, falling in love again so quickly, or how several characters figure out how the money is hidden? Maybe not completely, but I don't care. It's a rare film that has fantastic moments as a thriller, comedy, and romance, and the star power is through the roof. Besides the leads, the supporting performances from George Kennedy, James Coburn, and Walter Matthau make for a very strong cast. There is depth in other ways as well, e.g. Little moments of humor in places like Matthau asking Hepburn if she knows how much cigarettes cost when she wastes one, or the lovely shot of the reflection of the lights from a boat going down the Seine. Hey, I'd love for the 60's animation style over the opening credits to make a comeback too; between the dead body being tossed from a train and the snazzy graphics, this film hooked me from the beginning. All in all, it's a charming package.

Just one of the many marvelous moments in "Charade", one of Cary Grant's and Audrey Hepburn's best films. There's a quarter of a million dollars floating around instant-widow Hepburn but nobody can SEE IT (it's right in front of their eyes). Filled with running jokes, colorful and eccentric oddities (such as trenchcoat-wearing George Kennedy with his hook and the little guy who won't stop sneezing), funny set-pieces (like the funeral scene, and Audrey's priceless exaggerated reactions) and suspenseful sequences, not to mention Audrey and Cary looking smashing together. This is one of 50 best films ever made, as good as "Casablanca" and "My Fair Lady". In fact, I think it's better.

Let's see: what we got here is one of the best romantic-comedy/thriller scripts ever made, one of the best Hollywood directors from 50's and 60's, the more elegant and classy actress ever (Audrey Hepburn), the more elegant and classy actor ever (Cary Grant), two of the best "tough guys" from the big screen (G. Kennedy and James Coburn), one of the best comedy actors ever (Walter Matthau), and the city of Paris. Nothing could possibly go wrong, don't you think?

Audrey Hepburn is Reggie Lambert, an American girl married to a swiss guy called Charles Lambert (at least that's what she thinks)... She's spending her holidays in some ski resort with her best girlfriend Sylvie and the son of hers. Reggie has decided to divorce her husband, so she gets back to Paris. Once there she found out that her husband's been killed. From this moment on she gets involved in the funniest spy plot ever.

Watching Charade you'll have an smile on your face from the beginning till the very end. And you'll burst out laughing in many moments of the movie. Stanley Donen gets out of every sequence very skillfully and, as he did before in Seven Brides or Singin' In The Rain, he probes he's an outstanding filmmaker. There're two names that come into my mind every time I watch this movie: Alfred Hitchcock and Blake Edwards. In Charade, Stanley Donen merged suspense and romantic-comedy in the best possible way. Actor's selection is just perfect, the chemical between Hepburn and Grant is simply unbeatable. One more perfect couple to add to Hollywood's Couple's Hall Of Fame: side by side with Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn-Cary Grant (him once again!), Lauren Bacall-Humphrey Bogart... It's not easy to find two actors so compatible. What to say about George Kennedy or James Coburn? Best known for their roles in action movies, they do their best as CIA agents. And least but not less, we got Walter Matthau, one of the best comedy actors ever (I should've put Walter Matthau-Jack Lemon in my Couple's Hall Of Fame!) doing the best he can (that is a lot!) as (in principle) an American Embassy employee.

So if you liked North By Northwest or Breakfast At Tiffany's, if you think that there's never been a more classy actress than Audrey Hepburn, if you do believe that Cary Grant's been one of the more talented actors ever (and one of the funniest ones)... please, don't miss Charade. You'll spend one of the times of your life.

Aur Voir, Mon Amis!

My Rate: 10/10 or even higher.

"Charade" seems to exist in a parallel universe, where it is not only humanly possible for a man to be as dapper, sexy and urbane as Cary Grant, and a woman to be as chic, adorable and beautiful as Audrey Hepburn, but for them to be a romantic couple, to boot (the mind reels at what the children would look and sound like). Long underrated and underappreciated (and only available in horrible-looking, grainy video prints), this fabulously entertaining comedy-thriller is the cinematic equivilant of a champagne cocktail. Often compared (perhaps unfavorably) to Hitchcock's films of the period, "Charade" contains little of the heavy psychological tension that marked Hitch's work. Instead, the film concentrates on witty banter, Audrey's wardrobe and a clever script--and we're the richer for it. Audrey is a sudden widow who is terrifyingly thrust into a web of deceit; her late husband, it seems, was being hunted by three ex-war buddies with whom he stole $250,000. Audrey, they think, has the money--and if she doesn't come up with it quickly, she'll be joining him. Cary Grant is the handsome, mysterious stranger who may be friend or foe. It had been done before, and it's been done since, but never with such panache. Henry Mancini's stylish score adds immeasurably to both the fun and the tension; and the ever-nimble Stanley Donen directs the suspense scenes just as deftly as the comic ones. My favorites: Audrey trailing Cary dressed "inconspicuously" in a white Givenchy trenchcoat and huge movie star sunglasses, while giving a poor German tourist the fits; Audrey finally cornering Cary in her hotel room and lightly kissing her way down his face--today's filmmakers might take a page from her book: this scene is intensely romantic without ever seeing a bit of exposed flesh or dueling tongues; and of course, the fabulous opening scene (I won't give away the surprise)--with Audrey wearing one of my favorite Movie Star get ups of all time: a hooded mink poncho over a catsuit. This is entertainment with a capital "E", made all the more enjoyable because it never panders to the lowest common denominator, never dips into "camp," and never breaks a sweat. Today's films continue to mine the same territory, and the results are ceaselessly boring, tawdry or both. You can FEEL the strain of the writers and actors as they attempt the kind of slick interplay that came naturally to those involved in "Charade." The beautiful, magnificently restored Criterion DVD edition now allows us to revel in this film like never before.