Charade

Rating:
Summary: This is the Worst DVD I've Ever Seen
Review: The film from which this DVD was made looks like a 17th generation 30 year old worn out bootleg exhibition print! The numerous emulsion scratches are extremely distracting; some are so deep they are through the emulsion, into the base stock and show up white! There are color shifts all through the film, sometimes even within a single scene. There are jarring print splices that are incompetently mis-registered! If you single step through you can actually see the cement bubbles!

Don't buy this version, don't rent this version, don't even watch this version. If you care anything about the art of cinema or the craft of film, this DVD will make you sick.

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME MOVIE
Review: I LOVED this movie!! Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, and a suspenseful Hitchcock-type script that will keep you guessing... what more could you ask for???

Rating:
Summary: Everything You Could Want
Review: Audrey Hepburn. Cary Grant. This alone should be good enough to make you want to view this movie but there is so much more to be had. The non-stop wit of Grant mixes perfectly with the charm and beauty of Hepburn. The story follows a widow (Hepburn) and a mysterious man as they search for her husbands murderer. The problem is that somewhere in her dead husbands life is a million dollars and there are three men would kill to get it. For the men there is a mystery-suspense that rivals any good Hitchcock. For the women is a playful love story. The twists and turns of this movie make it one of the hidden gems of the classical film world.

Rating:
Summary: "A gem, in every sense of the word..."
Review: "Charade", is often called the best Hitchcock piture, that Hitchcock never made. It really isn't hard to see why either. It has all the classic elements of a good Hitchcock caper, and while it might not be as significant as a Hitchcock film, "Charade" still holds it's own.

The film relies primarily on the charm of its leads to carry the film. Two upper-class, sophisticated people who must rely on their own wits to help them succeed. Two such people are Cary Grant, charming as ever, and Audrey Hepburn. Despite their age difference, they really sizzle on screen, with undeniable chemistry. Grant's usual sophisticated stranger persona, and Hepburn's almost adorable little personality, but is still beautiful, classy, and strong as she is perplexed by her strange situation. You'll just love them together, doing what they do best.

Stanley Donen's extremely stylish execution and production is something to marvel at. The gorgeous locales, nail-biting suspense, and sophisticated wit... it's really very 'Hitchcockian'. The scirpt is marvelous, and Henry Mancini's excellent score is wonderful. Donen never meant to make a film with such an obvious Hitchcock vein, but the film stands, for me atleast, as one of the most infinitely enjoyable pictures ever made.

A gem, in every sense of the word, as this film is unfaulted. Call it a Hitchcock wanabe, but it's still an excellent film. And in my eyes, as significant as any Hitchcock film ever made.

Rating:
Summary: cocktail chic
Review: this dvd is cocktail chic at its best. the music - compare to that 60's mambo afro-cuban jazz period; the colour - well, it is superb (a credit to a talented director and d.p.); the sound - flawless despite some looping that was required by the MPAA at the time; and the donen/stone banter on the commentary is bright, witty and followable - this is a legendary collaboration - from the 1963 release to the special edition dvd - there is nothing lacking here at all in terms of its value to film historians and buffs alike. and if you need to find the genesis of actors such as walter matthau, george kennedy and james coburn - here's your chance to see talent in the making. audrey is sprite and believable (even if not a feminist's heroine), and the man himself (cary grant) really does seem uncomfortable with the 'chase' reversal between the two genders. not a 'battle of the sexes' cliche, not truly hitchcockian - but a fine representation of what donen was and is really good at - meshing the comical with the whimsical and beyond. get your martini shaker and olives out for this one - not to mention the ritz crackers.

Rating:
Summary: This Ones Got It All
Review: There's so much to like about this charming movie it's difficult to begin. First off there's the plot...but it's way too complicated to even start. Next there are the lead characters...however one is never quite who he seems to be, you'll see what I mean. Then there's the cinamatography...Wow!!!...Great location shots of some of the sexyist hot spots in Europe. Of course the musical score is by you know who, (HM)...So you know it's first rate.

And if all this were not enough there's Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. These two could light up the screen on a dull grey and dreary day in Hoboken, New Jersey, (it's actually a pretty nice town). So pull up a chair and get ready for one of the sixties very best romatic, suspense, comedies. This one's got it all.

Rating:
Summary: Charade will keep you guessing...
Review: When I first saw this movie, all I could say was, "Are you sure this isn't a Hitchcock movie?" Charade, with it's twisted plotline, intriguing characters, and mysterious script, is the closest to vintage Hitchcock without actually being made by the Master of the Hanging on the Edge of Your Seat suspense. Cary Grant plays a crook- or the brother of murdered man- or a cold-blooded killer? What's the deal? All we know is, he'd never hurt poor, sweet little Audrey Hepburn, who plays the widow of a murdered big-shot. Or would he? The contradicting music of this movie isn't about to tell. And I won't give the game away-- you'll have to solve this quirky, twisty game of cat and mouse yourself! Just make sure you watch the funeral scene! the best in the whole movie!

Rating:
Summary: Hepburn and Grant Light Up the Screen
Review: As anyone with even a minimum of experience in the real world can attest, life often has a way of taking an unexpected turn that in an instant can turn an uncluttered existence into veritable turmoil, which is exactly what happens in "Charade," a mystery with romantic and comedic overtones, directed by Stanley Donen and starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. An American living in Paris, unaware of her husband's covert activities and associations, Regina "Reggie" Lampert (Hepburn) is informed upon returning home from vacationing at a ski resort that her husband (whom she was about to divorce) has died, having been thrown from a train en route to a destination (unbeknownst to her) that would ultimately have taken him to South America.

Suddenly widowed and without resources, Reggie quickly finds herself surrounded by murder and mystery as the strange secret life of her husband slowly comes to light, and she finds herself the target of some unfinished business that has to do with her husband's clandestine associates. But as luck would have it, this damsel in distress is befriended by a stranger, Peter Joshua (Grant), a man with whom she had a momentary encounter during her vacation at the resort. Together, they attempt to assemble the pieces of the discomfiting puzzle that has become her life, in order to get her back on track. It's a tall order, however, and like the man said at one time or another, "Nobody said life was going to be easy." Along the way Reggie also discovers some things about her knight in shining armor that adds yet another perspective to the conundrum into which she has inexplicably fallen. And she begins to wonder if anything in the world is actually the way it seems.

Working from an excellent screenplay by Peter Stone, and backed by a terrific score and that familiar theme by Henry Mancini, Donen invades Hitchcock territory to weave a web of intrigue and suspense that, while it lacks the nuance and that special touch that Hitchcock always managed to bring to this kind of material, will keep you guessing until the very end. The overall film has a decided "60s Cinema" look and feel that virtually defines it, and while this isn't a bad thing, the presentation as such has a way of keeping the viewer at arm's length and prevents the kind of emotional involvement that would've made this a riveting film. Suffice to say that, comparatively, it lacks the realism that you find in more recent offerings of this genre. What it definitely has in it's favor is the great cast, and especially the stars, Hepburn and Grant.

Audrey Hepburn is lovely as Reggie, bringing a knowing, yet innocent quality to the character. Charismatic as always, and imbued with that natural, refined beauty that is her trademark, she epitomizes the sensibilities of the era with a waif-like consistency and bearing that makes her a joy to watch. She has a radiant screen presence, and seeing her in this place and time makes it easy to understand all of the things that truly made her a movie star as well as an accomplished actor.

Grant, of course, is charming as usual, slipping into his character with facility and creating an instant chemistry with Hepburn that makes this story come alive. His performance is smooth and believable, and his easy, yet commanding presence leaves no doubt that he is in control, even when faced with some formidable opponents and situations. He conveys something of an invincibility in this role that lets you know that no matter how dark things get, all will be well by the end. After all the twists and turns, you feel relatively certain that if they stick together, Reggie and Peter are going to land on their feet. But then again, this is a "Charade," isn't it?

The supporting cast includes James Coburn (Tex), Walter Matthau (Bartholomew), George Kennedy (Herman), Dominique Minot (Sylvie), Ned Glass (Leopold), Jacques Marin (Inspector Grandpierre), Paul Bonifas (Mr. Felix) and Thomas Chelimsky (Jean-Louis). An entertaining film that has a place of it's own in Cinematic History, "Charade" affords the opportunity of seeing two of the giants of the silver screen together, doing what they do best: Making magic. Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant are stars of rare magnitude, and together they make the screen sparkle. And it's no charade. It's the magic of the movies.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: A great story, humor, suspense, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn... what more could you ask for.

Rating:
Summary: Charade is great!
Review: I'd recommend this movie to anyone who likes a mysterious romance, because that's exactly what it is. My dad and I watched it on TV, but it was already past the beginning so we didn't even know what the movie was. We enjoyed it a lot, though. You never quite know what's going on until the end, which is a suprise. The whole movie was just a well-thought out story that kept you watching. I really think that Charade is a great movie for a lot of different kinds of people.