Charade, Stanley Donen’s stylishly elegant, charming comedy-romance-thriller, teams stars Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn for the first and only time in their careers. (What a shame; they enjoy a terrific chemistry).
Grade: B+ (**** out of *****)
But above all, Charade has withstood the test of time due to the two lead stars. Despite a 25-year age gap between the stars, their chemistry is undeniable.
Oscar Nominations:
Song: “Charade,” Music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Context:
The winner of the Best Song Oscar was “Call Me Irresponsible,” by James Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, from “Papa’s Delicate Condition.”
Cast
Cary Grant as Peter Joshua
Audrey Hepburn as Regina “Reggie” Lampert
Walter Matthau as Carson Dyle (alias Hamilton Bartholomew)
James Coburn as Tex Panthollow
George Kennedy as Herman Scobie
Dominique Minot as Sylvie Gaudel
Ned Glass as Leopold W. Gideon
Jacques Marin as Insp. Edouard Grandpierre
Paul Bonifas as Mr. Felix, the stamp dealer
Thomas Chelimsky as Jean-Louis Gaudel
Credits:
Universal Pictures
Produced, directed by Stanley Donen
Screenplay by Peter Stone, based on The Unsuspecting Wife 1961 short story by Peter Stone and Marc Behm
Music by Henry Mancini
Cinematography Charles Lang
Edited by Jim Clark
Production company: Stanley Donen Productions
Release date: December 5, 1963
Running time: 113 minutes
Budget: $3 million
Box office: $13.4 million