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 Regina knows where the money they say Charles stole, is. 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, suspensful, and stylish. Fall in love with Paris and a wonderful cast in this well-loved Stanley Donen film.

---

Plot Keywords:

investigation | assumed identity | deception | rare postage stamp | bound hand and foot | 

---

Taglines:

Is Anyone Really Who They Seem To Be?

---

Genres:

Comedy | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German Italian

Release Date:

5 December 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charade

Filming Locations:

24 Rue Censier, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$13,474,588

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Stanley Donen Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is in the public domain, due to the failure to put the then-required copyright notice in the released print. The attempt at a copyright notice in the film failed to include the text "Copyright", "Copr.", or "©", as was needed by pre-1989 U.S. law, only the year and supposed copyright holder were listed.

---

Goofs

When Peter Alexander Adam Brian chases Regina down into the Metro, they arrive at track level and they emerge at the St. Jacques stop. When they leave, they exit beneath a sign that says Sortie. One can see that only the signs have been changed. The pipes and stains on the wall are the same.

---

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?

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Remington Steele: A Steele at Any Price (1983)

---

Soundtracks

Charade
Lyric: Johnny Mercer,
Music: Henry Mancini

User Reviews

Parisian adventure

Stanley Donen, the director of "Charade", was a man better known for his contribution to the musical genre. In a way, he was a natural for directing this marvelous movie of adventure and romance based in Paris, a city well known to the director. In fact, it didn't come as a surprise this is one of his best movies Mr. Donen ever directed.

In fact, "Charade" has all the right elements to work as it does. First it's a thriller adventure as the beautiful Reggie is being menaced by some unsavory characters and she has no clue why are they doing that to her. Her dead husband ties her in to all the bad guys that want to get hold of a treasure she possesses, but has no idea about what could it be. When Peter enters the picture, Reggie feels protected, but then there is a doubt planted in her that makes her think twice about his intentions. In the meanwhile, Reggie has to put up with those bad guys shadowing her.

"Charade" is so appealing because of the immense talented Audrey Hepburn, who was perfect for the role of Reggie. This young woman who works as a translator is one of the best things Ms. Hepburn did on the screen. The actress was a good comedienne as well as an elegant figure that graced whatever she played. Dressed by Givenchy, Audrey Hepburn is a beautiful excuse to look at.

Cary Grant is seen as the man who ultimately conquers Reggie. In spite of the age difference, Mr. Grant was always a welcome addition to any film. The easy chemistry between the two stars is one of the strong points of the film. Cary Grant is perfectly suave in the film. The supporting cast was excellent. Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy, Ned Glass, among others, were perfect.

"Charade" offers a melodious musical score and gives the film a dimension and adds to the action. The great cinematography by Charles Lang takes in the beauty of Paris at its best. This is one of those films in which Paris seems to add to the general enjoyment one feels in watching it.

"Charade" is an excellent film no matter how many times one watches it thanks to the inspired direction of Stanley Donen and the gorgeous Audrey Hepburn who is irresistible in it.