Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) is on holiday in the Alps and she is contemplating divorce from her husband, Charles. She has grown weary of his secretive ways and has come to the realisation that she is no longer in love with him. During her trip, she encounters Peter Joshua (Cary Grant) and takes an instant liking to him, although it is initially unclear how mutual Peter's feelings are.
On Regina's return to Paris, she discovers that her husband has been murdered. Not only that, a group of shady war veterans, who first appear at her husband's funeral, soon turn their attentions to Regina. They claim that she has inherited a large fortune which belongs to them and use a range of intimidation tactics, including the threat of violence and worse, if they do not get their money back. However, despite undergoing a desperate search, Regina is unable to find any trace of this money in any of her late husband's accounts.
Regina also finds herself contacted by a Secret Service Agent (Walter Matthau), who is just as certain that her husband possessed the money as the intimidating war veterans seem to be. Regina is told that it is imperative the money is found as it belongs to the American government. Amidst all of this, Peter Joshua reappears and at first seems to be the one person who is more interested in Regina than her phantom fortune. But, as events evolve, Peter Joshua's real intentions, and even his real name, begin to come under much greater scrutiny.
As one can see, the plot of Charade is exceptionally intricate and part of the intrigue of the film is in being drawn into what appears to be an impossible conundrum. The film has been described as being the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never directed, and there are moving parts galore, including shifting identities and changing allegiances, as well as an almighty MacGuffin which drives the whole plot along. As a result, most audience members will be left largely confounded by the evolution of the film's events. But, rest assured, all of the mysteries will be resolved and some of the resolutions will even make sense...
Yet the above is only one layer of what the film has to offer. Charade also has wonderfully memorable performances by the two leads, both of whom have so much natural charisma, charm and screen chemistry that the film almost explodes through the effervescence of their pairing. Hepburn and Grant simply belong on the screen together. In fact, their interactions are so perfect that the 25-year age gap simply melts into the background. Their cat and mouse relationship shows each character to be the absolute equal to the other in terms of instinct, energy and resourcefulness. Hepburn and Grant are also wonderfully assisted by a crackling screenplay from Peter Stone. For instance, during a romantic boat ride along the River Seine, Peter says to a romantically charged Regina: "When you come on, you come on!" To which Regina replies: "Well, come on!"
And here we have yet another layer to Charade. Despite ostensibly being a heavily plotted thriller, at times it also sparkles with the wit and madcap charm of a screwball comedy. Note the juxtaposition between the opening scene of the film, in which we see a dead man being thrown off a train, and the very next scene which features the following dialogue between Regina and her female friend: Friend: "But, I don't understand; why do you want a divorce?" Regina: "Because I don't love him and he obviously doesn't love me." Friend: "That's no reason to get a divorce, with a rich husband and this year's clothes, you won't find it difficult to make some new friends." Regina: "Look, I admit I came to Paris to escape American provincial, but that doesn't mean that I'm ready for French traditional..." The patter is so outrageously light-hearted and deliciously mischievous that you wonder what on earth any of this could have to do with a plot involving a murder. Yet, therein lies the genius of this film: it is the first ever screwball thriller. It's both irreverent, hilarious and wonderfully over-the-top while being suspenseful, gripping and, at times, uncomfortably intense.
One particular scene demonstrates the above rather well. It places Regina and Peter in a restaurant in which a game has commenced involving the passing of an orange down a line of customers. The goal is to pass the orange along without using one's hands. Cary Grant performs some utterly exceptional physical comedy during the scene, complete with magnificently-timed body-contorting reactions and impossibly funny facial expressions and the entire mood of the piece is one of mirth and high-level entertainment. This is then followed by Regina being called to a phone booth in which she is threatened by an extremely sinister looking James Coburn. He physically backs Regina into the booth creating a menacing sense of claustrophobia before proceeding to flick lighted matches at her person knowing she has no means of escape. Hepburn's desperate, wide-eyed, terror-stricken reaction is genuinely difficult to watch.
How the film manages to constantly balance such extreme contrasts can only truly be explained by, firstly, its excellently controlled and highly unique pacing. It works in a similar way as a trip to a fun fair might do in which there are regular shifts in energy, tempo and mood: from the roller coaster to the Big Wheel; from the whirling Waltzers to a more sedate ride on a Carousel. Part of the joy of the event as a whole comes in the very variety of sensations and experiences that such contrasts provide. Such is the case with this film. Yet, alongside this, what remains throughout is the sense of intricate and enthralling spectacle. This provides an overall unity to the piece which avoids what could easily have been a collection of disparate scenes in the hands of a less skilled director than Stanley Donen.
The other reason the film works has to come back to the sheer excellence of both Hepburn and Grant. Their performances are so engrossing that they are able to sell their audience pretty much any plot theme of their choosing, ranging from romance, to comedy, to cold-blooded murder. The joy the audience may take in being manipulated by the film's constantly contorting plot is replicated in the way Peter charmingly manipulates Regina with numerous cock and bull stories throughout the film's run time, and also in the way Regina toys with Peter in order to break through his thinly constructed armour while he futilely attempts to resist her charms.
The very title "Charade" is a glaring clue to the audience that this film is an experience which is utterly eccentric and unabashedly silly, and, yet, it is actually a work of pure brilliance. It is a near magnum opus for both Hepburn and Donen. And, perhaps even more importantly, it is one-hundred-and-fifty-three minutes of highly immersive, completely original, tension-charged fun.
On Regina's return to Paris, she discovers that her husband has been murdered. Not only that, a group of shady war veterans, who first appear at her husband's funeral, soon turn their attentions to Regina. They claim that she has inherited a large fortune which belongs to them and use a range of intimidation tactics, including the threat of violence and worse, if they do not get their money back. However, despite undergoing a desperate search, Regina is unable to find any trace of this money in any of her late husband's accounts.
Regina also finds herself contacted by a Secret Service Agent (Walter Matthau), who is just as certain that her husband possessed the money as the intimidating war veterans seem to be. Regina is told that it is imperative the money is found as it belongs to the American government. Amidst all of this, Peter Joshua reappears and at first seems to be the one person who is more interested in Regina than her phantom fortune. But, as events evolve, Peter Joshua's real intentions, and even his real name, begin to come under much greater scrutiny.
As one can see, the plot of Charade is exceptionally intricate and part of the intrigue of the film is in being drawn into what appears to be an impossible conundrum. The film has been described as being the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never directed, and there are moving parts galore, including shifting identities and changing allegiances, as well as an almighty MacGuffin which drives the whole plot along. As a result, most audience members will be left largely confounded by the evolution of the film's events. But, rest assured, all of the mysteries will be resolved and some of the resolutions will even make sense...
Yet the above is only one layer of what the film has to offer. Charade also has wonderfully memorable performances by the two leads, both of whom have so much natural charisma, charm and screen chemistry that the film almost explodes through the effervescence of their pairing. Hepburn and Grant simply belong on the screen together. In fact, their interactions are so perfect that the 25-year age gap simply melts into the background. Their cat and mouse relationship shows each character to be the absolute equal to the other in terms of instinct, energy and resourcefulness. Hepburn and Grant are also wonderfully assisted by a crackling screenplay from Peter Stone. For instance, during a romantic boat ride along the River Seine, Peter says to a romantically charged Regina: "When you come on, you come on!" To which Regina replies: "Well, come on!"
And here we have yet another layer to Charade. Despite ostensibly being a heavily plotted thriller, at times it also sparkles with the wit and madcap charm of a screwball comedy. Note the juxtaposition between the opening scene of the film, in which we see a dead man being thrown off a train, and the very next scene which features the following dialogue between Regina and her female friend: Friend: "But, I don't understand; why do you want a divorce?" Regina: "Because I don't love him and he obviously doesn't love me." Friend: "That's no reason to get a divorce, with a rich husband and this year's clothes, you won't find it difficult to make some new friends." Regina: "Look, I admit I came to Paris to escape American provincial, but that doesn't mean that I'm ready for French traditional..." The patter is so outrageously light-hearted and deliciously mischievous that you wonder what on earth any of this could have to do with a plot involving a murder. Yet, therein lies the genius of this film: it is the first ever screwball thriller. It's both irreverent, hilarious and wonderfully over-the-top while being suspenseful, gripping and, at times, uncomfortably intense.
One particular scene demonstrates the above rather well. It places Regina and Peter in a restaurant in which a game has commenced involving the passing of an orange down a line of customers. The goal is to pass the orange along without using one's hands. Cary Grant performs some utterly exceptional physical comedy during the scene, complete with magnificently-timed body-contorting reactions and impossibly funny facial expressions and the entire mood of the piece is one of mirth and high-level entertainment. This is then followed by Regina being called to a phone booth in which she is threatened by an extremely sinister looking James Coburn. He physically backs Regina into the booth creating a menacing sense of claustrophobia before proceeding to flick lighted matches at her person knowing she has no means of escape. Hepburn's desperate, wide-eyed, terror-stricken reaction is genuinely difficult to watch.
How the film manages to constantly balance such extreme contrasts can only truly be explained by, firstly, its excellently controlled and highly unique pacing. It works in a similar way as a trip to a fun fair might do in which there are regular shifts in energy, tempo and mood: from the roller coaster to the Big Wheel; from the whirling Waltzers to a more sedate ride on a Carousel. Part of the joy of the event as a whole comes in the very variety of sensations and experiences that such contrasts provide. Such is the case with this film. Yet, alongside this, what remains throughout is the sense of intricate and enthralling spectacle. This provides an overall unity to the piece which avoids what could easily have been a collection of disparate scenes in the hands of a less skilled director than Stanley Donen.
The other reason the film works has to come back to the sheer excellence of both Hepburn and Grant. Their performances are so engrossing that they are able to sell their audience pretty much any plot theme of their choosing, ranging from romance, to comedy, to cold-blooded murder. The joy the audience may take in being manipulated by the film's constantly contorting plot is replicated in the way Peter charmingly manipulates Regina with numerous cock and bull stories throughout the film's run time, and also in the way Regina toys with Peter in order to break through his thinly constructed armour while he futilely attempts to resist her charms.
The very title "Charade" is a glaring clue to the audience that this film is an experience which is utterly eccentric and unabashedly silly, and, yet, it is actually a work of pure brilliance. It is a near magnum opus for both Hepburn and Donen. And, perhaps even more importantly, it is one-hundred-and-fifty-three minutes of highly immersive, completely original, tension-charged fun.