Director: Stanley Donen
Screenplay: Peter Stone, Marc Behm
Starring: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn
Country: USA
Year: 1963
With its charming wry tone and compelling escapades, Charade (1963) is the perfect starring vehicle for Hollywood-juggernauts Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. It expertly combines suspense thriller and romantic comedy into a satisfying tale of hijinks and mystery.
The stars pair off each other perfectly in this comedy crime caper set in Paris which is punctuated with moments of dark humour. The Stanley Donen directed film is being released by Criterion with a new 4K digital restoration, with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack.
Donen had previously directed Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Hepburn in Funny Face (1957). Here he taps into the delightful familiar chemistry of his stars.
Hepburn brings her trademark brand of innocence and naivety to the role of the unsuspecting wife, Regina “Reggie” Lampert, who stumbles into the centre of the convoluted plot after her husband is murdered. Grant plays Peter Joshua, a mysterious stranger who will keep you guessing. The triumph of this movie is not only in the star pairing but the fact that Grant’s character remains so elusive throughout the whole movie. Much of that has to go down to Grant’s physicality and boundless likeability.
The digital restoration is stunning. The photography is sublime, taking us through a series of exotic locations, beginning with the snowy mountain peaks of the French Alps, and then famous locations across Paris. Those who love old fashioned film grain won’t be disappointed with a subtle layer of grain smattering the picture.
Grant and Hepburn dominate the screen, their profiles clear-cut as the action takes place all around them. The three imposing bad guys in the movie leer in sharp focus. The set design and costumes are also greatly enhanced, complementing Hepburn’s outfits, provided by Givenchy, with textures clearly on display – like the wisps of her jet red coat, the green patterned wallpaper and the imposing hallways.
The sound is immersive with a suggestive sinister score. There were moments punctuated with sound that made me jump. Like sudden phone calls and buzzers which felt like they were coming from my own living room.
Film:
Special Features
The special features with this release include an audio commentary, made in 1999, with director Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone. Plus, an essay by Bruce Eder, and there’s bonus footage on the additional Bluray disc, supposedly.
For such a great film, the extra features seem wafer-thin compared to Criterion’s usual great standard. I only received the 4K disc so can only comment on the commentary.
That being said, it’s a fantastic commentary track: There’s good banter and humour from the pair, throughout – their personalities certainly resemble the movie.
They share some great stories about Grant and Hepburn. Specifically, about difficulties about getting them to remain on the project. They almost had to have Warren Beauty and Natalie Wood replace them.
They speak of their desire to shoot in Paris rather than on a Hollywood set. They discuss the changing studio system at the time. The pair also spoke of their desire to have the leading lady be the focus of an action flick for once, and not leading man, she was “the one being chased” for a change.
They reveal what went behind the incredible roof top set design, harnessing scale to make it look real. Plus, how Grant choreographed his own action sequences. What’s most amusing is when they talk about things they thought had been cut from the original release but have been added back onto the movie for its then DVD release.
Overall, a great flick that’s well worth the ultra-high-definition upgrade – but is supremely lacking as a complete package. There is so much to be said about this film, it feels there should at least be a couple of video essays or interviews includes.
Disc/package:
Criterion releases Charade in 4K on 22nd June, 2026.