Charade (1963)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writers:

Peter Stone (screenplay)
Peter Stone (story) ...

Release Date:

5 December 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

You can expect the unexpected when they play..."Charade"

Plot:

Romance and suspense in Paris, as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Who can she trust?

Plot Keywords:

Paris | CIA | Trapdoor | Rare Stamp | Stamp

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 7

4:30 AM

AMC

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Peter Joshua
Audrey Hepburn	...	Regina Lampert
Walter Matthau	...	Hamilton Bartholemew
James Coburn	...	Tex Panthollow
George Kennedy	...	Herman Scobie
Dominique Minot	...	Sylvie Gaudet
Ned Glass	...	Leopold W. Gideon
Jacques Marin	...	Insp. Edouard Grandpierre
Paul Bonifas	...	Mr. Felix - Stamp Dealer
Thomas Chelimsky	...	Jean-Louis Gaudet

Also Known As:

Charada (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Charade (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Amerikai fogócska (Hungary) [hu]
Charade (France) [fr]
Charade - ett farligt spel (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Charade - tre mand frem for en enke (Denmark) [da]
Charade - vaarallinen peli (Finland) [fi]
Randevou sto Parisi (Greece) [el]
Sciarada (Italy) [it]
Szarada (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | German | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G (alternate rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved | Finland:K-15 (new rating: 2001) | Netherlands:6 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1991) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Alps, Haute-Savoie, France

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The young man in the Embassy elevator telling the story about the poker game is screenwriter Peter Stone - with the dubbed voice of director Stanley Donen.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the morgue technician closes Mr. Lampert's drawer, the shot from inside the drawer shows the attendant's hands on the inside, too.

Quotes:

Leopold Gideon: Well, you know I'd tell you if I had it.
Tex Panthollow: Oh *naturally*, just like I'd tell you if I had it.
Leopold Gideon: *Naturally*. And that goes for Herman too.
Tex Panthollow, Leopold Gideon: *Naturally*.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gumnaam (1965)

Soundtrack:

Charade

Still Going Strong Past 40!

I have found many films just aren't as good as I remember seeing as a kid. A wide-eyed youngster gaping at a big silver screen at the theater can be more memorable than a middle-aged guy seeing that film decades later on a small television.

However, here is one film that is EVEN BETTER than I remembered it. Yeah, it's a little dated here and there, but not much, just mainly Audrey Hepburn's dialog. However, the story with all its twists is just as suspenseful and fun to watch as it was 40 years ago. I've seen this three times in the last two years, after that long, long absence. (Tip: spend the extra money to get the Criterion DVD disc. It is the only clear, sharp copy of this film I have seen.)

The story's strength lies in getting the viewer involved. One never knows whether Gary Grant is a good guy or a bad guy. The dialog between Grant and Hepburn is very entertaining as the latter tries to figure out the same thing. There are lots of good lines, particularly by Grant. That in itself makes this film fun to watch multiple times. The pacing of this story also is good; the film moves fast and spaces the action out smartly.

This has to be one of the best movies ever to come out of the 1960s. I have never known anyone who didn't like this film.