Charade (1963)

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

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writers:

Peter Stone (screenplay), Peter Stone (story)

Stars:

Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Cary Grant	...	Peter Joshua
Audrey Hepburn	...	Regina Lampert
Walter Matthau	...	Hamilton Bartholomew
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
Thomas Chelimsky	...	Jean-Louis Gaudet

Storyline

When Regina Lampert's husband, Charles, is found alongside a train, murdered. In no time she's left broke, homeless, and with the French police, the American government, and 3 rather insistent men all thinking she knows where the money they say Charles stole is located. Gorgeous Audrey Hepburn and debonair Cary Grant sparkle in the film, which has been called 'the best Hitchcock film he never made'. It's fun, suspenseful, and stylish. Fall in love with Paris and a wonderful cast in this deservedly well-loved Stanley Donen film.

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Plot Keywords:

investigation | assumed identity | reference to william shakespeare | deception | murder | 

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Taglines:

The one you love will love this romantic adventure

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Genres:

Comedy | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where Audrey Hepburn is smoking a cigarette alone in her empty apartment, and Cary Grant enters, the backs of his ears had to be covered with masking tape, since the backlighting made them appear red.

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Goofs

Charles' body, thrown from a fast-moving train, could not possibly have fallen straight away from the camera in the opening scene.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jean-Louis Gaudet: Oh, la!
Reggie Lampert: Don't tell me, you didn't know it was loaded. Sylvie! Oh. Can't he do something constructive, like start an avalanche or something?

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Alternate Versions

When first released, Hepburn's line "at any moment we could be assassinated" was dubbed over to become "at any moment we could be eliminated" due to the Kennedy assassination. Subsequent releases have "assassinated" restored to its place in the film.

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Connections

Version of Kokhono Megh (1968)

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Soundtracks

Charade
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Music by Henry Mancini

User Reviews

They Don't Make 'Em Like this Anymore

Perfection! Truly funny with the two greatest stars to light up the screen and a terrific cast of supporting players. I watch this whenever I'm down in the dumps or need cheering up. (It's on tonight on TMC; don't miss it.) And those one liners! I can't imagine any stars today who could deliver such lines as "You know what's wrong with you? Absolutely nothing." There are a zillion such lines. And I don't think Audrey Hepburn ever co-starred with anyone who she didn't click with. Sean Connery, Humphrey Bogart, Peter O'Toole, Albert Finney.

You can have sexual chemistry on the screen without showing it. Today, they would have these Reggie and Brian (et al.) in bed together.

A wonderful movie!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German Italian Spanish

Release Date:

5 December 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charade

Filming Locations:

Seine River, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$173,057

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stanley Donen Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1