CHARADE (1963)

“Charade” works on just about every level.

It’s hard to resist the romantic teaming of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. In his late fifties, Grant is only two films away from retirement. This is the last film where he takes on the romantic lead and inhabits the suave, debonair persona that made him famous. In his next film, ‘Father Goose,” he will turn years of imaging on its ear to play the scruffy, curmudgeonly beachcomber Walter Eckland. In his last movie, “Walk Don’t Run,” he eschews the romantic lead in favor of playing cupid to Jim Hutton (father to Timothy) and Samantha Eggar.

Hepburn is at the apparent peak of her career, two years after “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and a year before “My Fair Lady.” But she is only four years away from an eleven year hiatus from the screen.

Both actors, almost unbearably gorgeous, deliver flawless, witty performances. Grant was concerned that it would be unseemly for him to romantically pursue Hepburn, 26 years his junior, and the script was reworked to make Hepburn the romantic aggressor, a situation that the film mines for much of its humor.



A once-in-a-lifetime supporting cast features future Oscar-winners Walter Matthau, James Coburn, and George Kennedy, all at the beginnings of their film careers. (It’s amazing to consider that, out of these five actors, Cary Grant is the only one NOT to win an acting Oscar.)

Cary Grant might well have been my Dad’s favorite actor. At least a dozen Grant films, from “Gunga Din” to “Walk Don’t Run,” were among my Dad’s favorites. Dad always said that Grant was one of the few actors (perhaps the only actor) to have almost completely avoided making a bad movie. Early in his career, when his contract with Paramount expired, Grant took the unusual step of going freelance, thereafter personally selecting the projects he would embrace. An unerring taste for quality material appropriate for his carefully crafted on-screen persona served him well throughout his career.

So it may be a little surprising that Grant is not even in the scene my Dad most fondly remembered from “Charade.”

There is much morbid wit in this unusual funeral scene. Dad’s sense of humor often went to the macabre, as evidenced by his fondness for “Arsenic and Old Lace” and “The Trouble With Harry.” Audrey Hepburn’s husband has been murdered under mysterious circumstances. He turns out to be nothing that he seemed, with a shady background and shadier acquaintances whose motivations for attending his funeral have little to do with offering condolences.



Peter Stone’s twisting, turning script is full of sparkling dialogue, memorable characters, clever reveals and unforeseen reversals. It’s a clue to the complexity of the plot that Grant is credited with no less than five character names. Stone would go on to win the Oscar for “Father Goose,” but his later attempts at this genre (“Mirage,” “Arabesque,” and even “Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe”) feel forced or humorless in comparison to “Charade.”

Stanley Donan, having already directed “On The Town” and “Singin’ in The Rain,” navigates the twists in plot, style and tone, leaping from moments of screwball romantic comedy to surprising violence. While the transitions may not be seamless, the ride is a delight, buoyed by stunning locations, classic Technicolor cinematography, and an infectious Henry Mancini score.



Donan, a product of the glory days of MGM in the 1950’s, is a perfect fit for a thriller script that owes more to the romantic American films of the 50’s than to the more cynical, brutal, sexual thrillers of the 60’s ushered in by “Dr. No” a year earlier.

Due to an unfortunate on-screen omission of the proper copyright notice, “Charade” fell into the public domain. For years, poorly produced pan-and-scan, VHS EP versions were all that were available. It was a revelation when Criterion released their fully restored version of the film, finally revealing the crisp beauty of the cinematography to a new generation. An engaging, informative and witty commentary track from Donan and Stone, who amicably bicker like an old married couple, reveals more relevant production history and is more entertaining than any other commentary track I have heard.

Charade: The Criterion Collection (Widescreen Edition)



© 2009 Edward Bowen