From the Collection: Charade
Stanley Donen’s 1963 romantic mystery Charade got a 4K upgrade from the Criterion Collection.
In this comedic thriller, a trio of crooks relentlessly pursue a young American, played by Audrey Hepburn in gorgeous Givenchy, through Paris in an attempt to recover the fortune her dead husband stole from them. The only person she can trust is Cary Grant’s suave, mysterious stranger. Director Stanley Donen goes deliciously dark for Charade, a glittering emblem of 1960s style and macabre wit.
Here’s What the Disc Includes:
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary from 1999 featuring director Stanley Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Cover by Eric Skillman
- PLUS: An essay by film historian Bruce Eder
Charade has been a blind spot movie for me for years, and I’m glad I was finally able to watch it on pristine Criterion 4K. I loved this movie so much. It’s a perfect blend of romance, suspense, mystery, and action. Many have claimed the movie is “the best Hitchcock movie he never made”, which is very much true in its layered mystery and balance of thrills and humor. It also made me think about more modern films like There’s Something About Mary, which has a similar plot, and Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11, which is similar in its perfect balancing of tones and the overall vibe.
Charade is always intriguing. Donen crafted a stylish and ridiculously entertaining movie with two sensational performances at the center. A dashing Cary Grant and a luminous Audrey Hepburn carry Charade, exuding movie star magnetism while flexing their comedic and dramatic chops seamlessly. Grant has impeccable chemistry with another historic Hepburn in the 1930s, so it should come as no surprise that the two are a perfect match.
There isn’t much on the disc as far as special features go. The movie is the star, and this is a great addition to any collection.
You can find Charade on the Criterion Collection website or wherever you find Criterion DVDs.
More From the Collection
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling
How to Get Ahead in Advertising
Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser
From the Collection is an analysis of non-new-release movies, whether seen on DVD, streaming, or in a theater. It includes a brief history of the film, a review of the film, and content about the experience of seeing the film and/or the contents of the film’s DVD.
You can follow Kevflix on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Letterboxd by searching Kevflix.