Charade

Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) is a young American woman on vacation in Paris, whose marriage to her husband Charlie is about to unravel. The situation is solved quite unexpectedly when Charlie is murdered, and almost instantly Regina realizes that something sinister is going on. During WWII her husband had been a member of the OSS who had stolen a shipment of Nazi gold along with several others, and now the surviving gang members (James Coburn, George Kennedy, Ned Glass) are willing to kill Reggie to get it back. Bewildered, frightened, but always with ready with a snappy comeback, Reggie holds her own, but must rely on a seemingly upright CIA Agent (Walter Matthau) and a man whose name, identity, and allegiance seems to change at every turn (Cary Grant) to find the money and avoid a grisly fate at the hands of the criminals.

Charade is a borderline impossible film to classify. The plot description makes it seem like a rather straightforward Hitchcockian thriller: an individual trapped in circumstances they don't understand, protagonists who can't be fully trusted, menacing bad guys, and a rather ingenious Macguffin. But the movie also works as a wonderful romantic comedy, with an extremely witty script and two old-school Hollywood romantic leads. That the film works as both is a testament to its status as a classic. It may not be the smartest or most inventive film of all time, but it's certainly one of the most entertaining.

The film's main attraction is undoubtedly the two leads. Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant were both stars of classic Hollywood, and both were entering the later stages of their careers. Audrey Hepburn is simply one of the greats. She aged incredibly well on film, maintaining the class and lovable straightforwardness from her earlier films, and adding to it a degree of sophistication and wit as she grew older. Audrey's charm is undeniable; even in her lesser works like Breakfast at Tiffany's, it's almost impossible to dislike Audrey. In Charade she is as beautiful as ever, dressed in a gorgeous array of Givenchy dresses, and carries herself with her trademark class and dignity. If anything she's more appealing in this film than in Roman Holiday or Sabrina.

On the other end is Cary Grant, one of Hollywood's greatest leading men, nearing the end of his career. His character is never who he seems; his identity and name change every other scene or so. You WANT to think that he's a good guy, I mean he IS Cary Grant, and he IS flirting with Audrey Hepburn. But when Reggie sees him conspiring with the three villains, when he gives himself a different name in every scene, how can you be sure? The film somehow manages to pull this character off without it being laughable or predictable, and I think Grant is to be credited for this. He and Hepburn have great chemistry and are helped by a witty script with an endless stream of verbal bantering, which together makes their rather large age difference superfluous. Nowadays, these two actors playing these characters would be decried for "typecasting" or "lack of range", but when something works, particularly as well as in a film like this... who cares?

The film makes brilliant use of gorgeous Paris scenery throughout, and features marvelous set pieces, most notably a roof-top fight between Grant and Kennedy's characters and the lengthy chase sequence/shootout at the climax. Peter Stone's fine screenplay deserves credit for somehow managing to amalgamate the comedy and thriller aspects and keep the viewer guessing as to who the bad guy is. Charles Lang's cinematography captures both the beauty of Paris and also adds a touch of darkness appropriate to the story. Stanley Donen's direction is fabulous and he keeps a brisk, even, suspenseful pace throughout. Henry Mancini provides a catchy and extremely memorable score.

The supporting cast is also solid. Walter Matthau does a good job as the CIA Agent who seems to be the one honest character in the film. James Coburn, George Kennedy, and Ned Glass are perfectly cast as the menacing yet goofy bad guys. Coburn and Kennedy would soon go on to bigger things and they show why in this film, while Glass is wonderful as the obnoxious sniveling twerp. Jacques Marin (The Train) also provides an amusing turn as the bewildered French policeman investigating the whole mess.

All in all, Charade is just plain fun. It works on many different levels and anyone looking for a pleasant waste of two hours should definitely check it out. Supercritical writers could pick out the various plot holes and improbabilities, or pick out the plot twists before they develop. But most viewers will undoubtedly be charmed by the two leads, the wonderful script, and the gorgeous Paris scenery, all the while wondering whodunit? And that's all one can really ask from a film like this.