Charade

Rating:
Summary: Frustrating Copy of Fine Film
Review: To start off, I think Charade is a fine film. I bought this dvd and was so frustrated with it that I gave it away. Every time I hit play I got the trailer. I could not get the movie to play except by going to the scenes and starting at scene 1. If I wanted to see the start, I had to reverse to the beginning. It was very frustrating. While Charade is a great Cary Grant movie. This version of it is not. The Criterion version is the one to have. If you have ever bought any of their dvds, you will understand that they strive to have the best copy of a film available. And they only restore great films which this is one.

Rating:
Summary: still tops!
Review: There is another remake of this movie that has come out and there is just no comparison to the original. Once you've seen this one with Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Malthau, etc. you are hooked. The cast of characters sizzle in their interactions with each other. I can watch this movie over and over. Some movies just can't get any better. So many of the other reviewers have already given a pretty good idea of what the movie is all about so I won't go into the details except to say that it is full of mystery, intrigue, romance, and murder that keeps you guessing until the end. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Charade
Review: Director: Stanley Donen

Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy, Ned Glass, Jacques Marin, Paul Bonifas, Dominique Minot, andThomas Chelimsky

Running Time: 113 minutes

Released in 1963

Reggie, played by Audrey Hepburn, finds everything in her home has been stolen and her husband murdered after she returns home to Paris after a ski vacation in the French Alps. Peter Joshua, played by Cary Grant, offers to help her solve the mystery of her husband's death. Working together they find that her husband has hid some money and a gang of his ex-cronies, who also killed him, want it and believe Reggie knows where it is. As the movie progresses and one by one the gang is killed, Reggie starts to believe that Peter might be one of the gang that is trying to murder her. Reggie also finds that she that perhaps the only one to trust is CIA agent Hamilton Bartholomew, played by Walter Matthau. Through out the film Reggie is trying to seduce Peter, but Peter feels he is too old for Reggie and wards off her attempts, while remaining close. The director Stanley Donen, who is famous for "Hitchcock imitations", fills this thriller with just enough fun chemistry between Hepburn and Grant to keep your attention from start to finish.

Rating:
Summary: Must have..
Review: This is a must have for any Hepburn fan. A star studded cast and the witty dialogue make this a great movie. The Criterion series are a bit on the pricey side but well worth it. I know someone who got a non Criterion version of this movie and it was quality was terrible.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie - TERRIBLE dvd version!
Review: As noted by other viewers, this movie is a lot of fun - sure to be on any Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn fan's list. I am not writing about the film but about this particular DVD version by d3kfilms-- it is unwatchable, BOOTLEG quality, in my opinion. I had the misfortune of trying to rent this movie on DVD at my local video store, and this is the version they had in stock. It hadn't occured to me that a reputable video store would be stocking poor quality, unofficial versions of films, so I didn't at all expect what I saw when I watched this DVD. The image and sound quality are EXTREMELY bad-- picture is grainy and muddy-looking, with MAJOR scratches and jarring skips in the film. It was as if someone went to a revival theatre showing an extremely worn-out print of "Charade" and recorded the movie as it was playing on screen with their video camera, then burned what they recorded onto a DVD! That is how terrible the quality is, and this classic film deserves so much better. In fact, any film deserves better-- so watch out for DVDs that have this company's name (d3kfilms) on them or that do not have the original, legit studio's name on them. I noticed that amazon.com sells other versions of this movie on DVD-- try those before wasting your money on this one. I'd even recommend buying an official VHS version of the movie over this one. I was so shocked by what I saw that I got a refund of my money from the video store and then felt compelled to go online and warn people about it-- and I've never done either thing before.

Rating:
Summary: This movie has everything
Review: I've watched this movie about a thousand times, and it's still never enough! There's witty banter between two irresistable stars, intrigue, romance, and a few twists and turns. Add this to the delightful scenery of Paris, and what more can you ask for! Definatley a movie to own!

Rating:
Summary: Grant and Hepburn . . . not Katharine, Audrey?!
Review: When I first saw this movie I couldn't get over how damed old cary grant looked compared to audrey. He's funny, she's classic and the givenchy clothes are an excellent plus to any 60s fashion afficionado. The plot is cute and it's a lot better than the remake, the truth about charlie. The second time I saw this I was struck by how hitchcockian the plot was. It was teriffic and I would definitely suggest buying it.

Rating:
Summary: The Criterion Edition is Wonderful
Review: The quality of the Criterion Edition can't be beat -very good picture and sound. However, what makes it a delight for me is the secondary audio track in which the director and screenwriter (Donen and Stone) give a running commentary for the entire film. They are funny (a bit like the Bickersons!) and fascinating. This is the one to buy.

Rating:
Summary: Stylish, lively and fun
Review: Criterion is always expensive---it's up to you whether worth the extra bucks. As for the movie--what can you say about a true classic? It's a clever though not brilliant tale of a woman who discovers her husband led many secret lives--and so does her purported White Knight. What works best here is the charismatic cast. Despite the difference in ages, Cary Grant proves why he is Cary Grant---and Mark Wahlberg isn't. Audrey Hepburn, in this supposedly staid period, sizzles with sexuality, crawling over Grant's lap. The dialog is witty, the plot not bad. Matthau is a bit over the top. If you want to see how a clever, engaging movie can be ruined, check out the remake with Wahlberg called The Truth About Charlie. The plot is destroyed. There are no choices of the heart to make at the end. The Hepburn gamine charm is gone, the magnetic Grant replaced by wooden Wahlberg. Stick with the classic.

Rating:
Summary: Good Old-Fashioned Suspense
Review: Audrey Hepburn has returned to Paris from a ski resort to learn that her husband has been murdered. Apparently he was one of five American soldiers during World War II who conspired to steal $250,000 in gold. His buddies have been seeking their shares of the treasure and have now come to the conclusion that Hepburn has been told the location of it.

James Coburn, Ned Glass and George Kennedy are the three ex-soldiers who are menacing Hepburn. Walter Matthau and Cary Grant are both telling her that they want to help her. Hepburn cannot decide which one is on her side. The viewer does not learn the truth either until the final climactic scene.

The acting is superb and the tension rises continuously. There is little waste in this movie.

CHARADE received an Oscar nomination in 1963 for Best Song ("Charade"). Stanley Donen directed several other good films during his career including SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS.