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

Regina Lampert, a Paris based American, has decided to divorce her Swiss husband, Charles Lampert, because of the secrets and lies that have pervaded their marriage, she coming to the conclusion that she no longer loves him and really knows nothing about him. Before she can make that request to Charles, he is found dead, seemingly pushed off a Paris to Bordeaux train. While Regina was on holiday in Megève, Charles sold all their possessions making $250,000 in the process, and seemed to be on his way to the coast to leave the country for South America probably for good. The money, however, was not among his possessions on the train, those possessions which are returned to Regina. Regina further learns from Hamilton Bartholomew of the CIA that they were after him, Charles Lampert only the primary alias he has been using of late. During WWII, Charles, a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), absconded with $250,000 worth of their gold bars that were destined for the French ...

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

Oh, la!

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Genres:

Comedy | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German Italian

Release Date:

5 December 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charada

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

The young man in the Embassy elevator telling the story about the poker game was Screenwriter Peter Stone, with the dubbed voice of Director Stanley Donen.

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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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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Robin Hood/Letters to Juliet/Just Wright (2010)

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Soundtracks

Charade
Lyric: Johnny Mercer,
Music: Henry Mancini

User Reviews

a perfect piece of classy and classic entertainment

I'll be brief. This romantic comedy thriller hybrid is an absolute treat. Starring the classiest of actors in both Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn and directed with continental style and flare by the incomparable Stanley Donen, this film is not to be missed. The photography (especially noticable in the new DVD version), Henry Macini's score, the taught and crisp script, the perfect supporting cast all add up to make a perfect piece of entertainment. I agree with many of the other IMDB writers- it is criminal that this film is not respected more. It is a blueprint of what makes a movie fun. A perfect 10 out of 10.