Charade Movie Streaming
Cary Grant. Audrey Hepburn. A hidden megafortune. Three sinful pursuers. A slick, chic thriller with a Hitchcockian edge.
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With that kind of formula, it’s not surprising that “Charade” deserves every shred of praise it receives — and over the years, this classic has received a lot. Director Stanlet Donen had his finest moment when he created this comic, witty, tightly-plotted microscopic thriller, where you’re left with questions upright up to the final scene.
While on vacation at a ski lodge, Regina Lampert (Hepburn) decides to salvage a divorce. But when she returns home, she finds that her husband has been tossed off a pronounce — and even stranger, she finds that he was mixed up in a gold robbery many years ago. To collect her mind off her problems, Reggie goes out on the town with Peter Joshua (Grant), a guy she met at the resort.
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But during her outing, she’s cornered by three unfamiliar, creepy men — and the worst section is, she finds that Joshua may be in on their residence. Unsure whom to trust, Reggie starts digging to gather out where the gold is — and then her pursuers are murdered one by one. Will she be the next target?
It’s a exciting, taut limited thriller, reminiscent of the more commercial thrillers by Hitchcock, though spot in a chic 1960s Paris setting, and with a Unusual Wave edge. Stanlet Donen did mostly comedies in his career, which makes the tight space and wry wit of this movie stand out even more.
The movie keen along at a fairly trusty crawl, with one or two slow spots, but mostly impartial following the zigzag region threads. There are some really harrowing moments, like Regina being attacked by the Hook-man. By the tense finale, a lot of the exclusive puny clues suddenly tumble into area, especially the assassinate of the three thugs. It’s a quick-witted share of scripting, even if the storyline is a bit unreal.
Fortunately it’s not all spy-thrills and revenge. Donen could change from action to dismay to comedy in a moment, and he keeps the quieter moments titillating with comic dialogue and some sophisticated slapstick, like Grant showering fully-clad. The witty dialogue is chunky of fine one-liners. “You won’t be able to lie on your help for awhile,” Reggie quips, “but then you can lie from any state.”
Though Grant wasn’t wholly comfortable playing opposite Hepburn, the two actors have kinetic chemistry. Whether they’re goofing off, or chasing a kiss in a nightclub, they feel entirely trusty and romantic. Better yet, nobody knows who Grant really is or what he’s doing, so there’s an added element of pain to their relationship.
Unfortunately the print here is… well, rather dreadful, obviously taken from elderly prints. For those who can’t afford the best — meaning the ultra-expensive Criterion — better check out the double-bill of “Charade” and its remake “Truth about Charlie,” since that print has been lovingly restored.
This tightly-plotted, fast-moving thriller deserves to be as well-loved as it is, and cinephiles should be ashamed of themselves if they haven’t yet seen it. A must-have.
There are a lot of different releases of this movie on DVD, some of terrible quality. If you can afford it, the Criterion Collection release (effect obvious it’s the anamorphic one, not the earlier letterboxed version) is the best, in that it has a pleasing widescreen transfer and a commentary by the director.
But if you’re a normal human, the one to collect happens to be almost the cheapest one to come by aged (as I write this), and isn’t too expensive unusual either. It’s the version on side B of The Truth About Charlie. That version comes from Universal, the studio that produced Charade, and is a neat anamorphic widescreen transfer with fairly suitable color and sharpness. It’s got a few specks at the beginning but is marvelous after the credits. No extras, except for that other movie on side A. (I haven’t seen The Truth about Charlie, but it’s apparently a mediocre update of Charade.)
I’ve also looked at the Madacy release, and it’s fair OK, a nonanamorphic widescreen transfer, grainier than the Universal Studios transfer that comes with The Truth About Charlie. It comes with a fun extended trailer. Also included is a unpleasant transfer of another movie that happens to be named Charade, but otherwise has nothing to do with this one. (That other Charade has James Mason in it, but I haven’t watched it through yet to know if it’s any worthy.) I’ve heard the Madacy release is as pleasurable as any of the “off-brand” ones.
All of the the versions have mono sound.
The film itself is delicious, cleverly constructed and scripted, with some gorgeous actors hamming it up in supporting roles to go with Grant and Hepburn. Advantageous for for both suspense and romantic comedy. Even better the second time. But there are plenty of other reviews with plenty to say about the film (click the Criterion or Madacy link to sight over 200) .
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