Charade
Universal Studios (1963)
Comedy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
In Collection
#608
7*
Seen ItYes
(6/13/2011)
018111205993
IMDB   8.0
113 mins USA/English
DVD  Region 1   NR
Cary Grant Peter Joshua
Audrey Hepburn Regina 'Reggie' Lampert
Walter Matthau H. Bartholemew
James Coburn Tex Panthollow
George Kennedy Herman Scobie
Dominique Minot Sylvie Gaudel
Ned Glass Leopold W. Gideon
Jacques Marin Insp. Edouard Grandpierre
Paul Bonifas Mr. Felix
Thomas Chelimsky Jean-Louis Gaudel
Grégoire Aslan Insp. Edouard Grandpierre
Director Stanley Donen
No Known Director
Producer Stanley Donen
James H. Ware
Writer Peter Stone
Marc Behm

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn star in this stylish comedy/thriller directed by Stanley Donen , very much in a Hitchcock vein. Grant plays Peter Joshua, who meets Reggie Lampert ( Hepburn ) in Paris and later offers to help her when she discovers that her husband has been murdered. After the funeral, Reggie is summoned to the embassy and warned by agent/friend Bartholemew ( Walter Matthau ) that her late husband helped steal $250,000 during the war and the rest of the gang is after the money as well. When three of the men who attended her husband's funeral begin to harass her, Reggie goes to Joshua for help, at which time Joshua confesses that his name is actually Alexander Dyle, the brother of a fourth accomplice in the gold theft. The three men from the funeral are revealed to be the three other accomplices in the crime, and though she knows next to nothing of the heist, Reggie is caught in a ring of suspense as she is followed by the shadowy trio, all after the money. Apparently, the only person she can trust is Joshua/Dyle — until Bartholomew tells Reggie that the fourth accomplice had no brother, and Joshua/Dyle reveals that he is, in fact, a crook named Adam Canfield. Now Reggie doesn't know where to turn. The musical score by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini was nominated for an Academy Award. — Paul Brenner
Edition Details
Chapters 19
Release Date 6/5/2001
Packaging Keep Case
Screen Ratio 1.85:1
Subtitles English
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo
Layers Single Side, Dual Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes 1
Personal Details
Purchase Date 2/28/2003
Owner Thomas Eisenmann
Store Best Buy
Purchase Price $6.99
Condition Excellent
Reviewed Widescreen Review
Bit Rate 192 KB
Anamophic No
Links IMDB

Features
Color

Widescreen Review
Story Synopsis:
Charade is a charming mystery thriller with an unforgettable Henry Mancini score. The endearing Audrey Hepburn is living in Paris and trying to evade the crooks who are trying to recover the fortune stolen from them by her late husband. The only person she can turn to for help is a suave stranger (Grant). A special treat is Walter Matthau’s performance as a sympathetic embassy employee. A classic!

DVD Picture:
The dual-layered 1.85:1 DVD is not anamorphic. The picture exhibits pleasing quality, and exhibits sharp and detailed images, with good background detail and definition. Though dated, colors are rich, with accurate fleshtones and deep blacks. Contrast and shadow delineation are also nicely rendered. The DVD is solid, with only minor pixelizaiton, but artifacts are apparent throughout. Overall, the picture is quite pleasing, especially for its age.

Soundtrack:
The DVD soundtrack is Dolby Digital 1.0 mono. The undistinguished audio is of dated fidelity with some distortion throughout. However, background noise is not noticeable enough to be distracting, and dialogue is adequately well integrated with the visuals.