Charade

Charade (1963) starring Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, James Coburn, George Kennedy, Walter Matthau, directed by Stanley Donen

Synopsis of Charade

In the stylish thriller Charade. Regina (Audrey Hepburn) finds herself pursued through the streets of Paris by several men in search of the fortune that her murdered husband stole from them. As her world becomes entangled with suspense, murder and plots twists, she finds herself leaning on a suave, charming stranger (Cary Grant) whose motives are unclear.

Cast of characters in Charade

• Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn, Sabrina).  The lovely young widow, whom everyone thinks is the key to finding a stolen fortune.  She is repeatedly rescued, and falls in love with, a handsome stranger:
• Peter Joshua (Cary Grant, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House).  The handsome stranger, who likewise falls in love with Regina.  And keeps changing his story, and his alias.  The underlying conflict of the story is: can she trust him? Will he betray her?
• Hamilton Bartholomew (Walter Matthau, Cactus Flower).  The CIA official, who keeps helping Regina.  And in the process, keeps tabs on her …
• Tex Panthollow (James Coburn, Vivacious Lady).  One of the trio of criminals, trying to recover “their” money from Regina.
• Herman Scobie (George Kennedy, Airport).  Another of the trio, the “muscle” of the group.  Who loses an unfortunate fight with Peter.
• Leopold W. Gideon (Ned Glass, The Love Bug).  The last of the trio.

Editorial review of Charade courtesy of Amazon.com

Audrey Hepburn plays a Parisienne whose husband is murdered and who finds she is being followed by four men seeking the fortune her late spouse had hidden away. Cary Grant is the stranger who comes to her aid, but his real motives aren’t entirely clear–could he even be the killer? The 1963 film is directed by Stanley Donen, but it has been called “Hitchcockian” for good reason: the possible duplicities between lovers, the unspoken agendas between a man and woman sharing secrets. Charade is nowhere as significant as a Hitchcock film, but suspense-wise it holds its own; and Donen’s glossy production lends itself to the welcome experience of stargazing. One wants Cary Grant to be Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn to be no one but Audrey Hepburn in a Hollywood product such as this, and they certainly don’t let us down. –Tom Keogh