Usually
I tell people my favorite movie is Back to the Future. And why not?
It's a fantastic movie which does pretty much everything right. But I
have to admit, there is another movie I love maybe more than that film. A
film that was made in 1963 and starred Hollywood legends Cary Grant and
Audrey Hepburn. Of course I am talking about Charade!
This
movie is so cool it fits several genres. Romantic comedy, action,
mystery, and thriller all in one. I guess it's fitting that I am talking
about this now, since this year is the 50th anniversary of the film. I
watched this as a kid and something about it just clicked. Was it the
chemistry between Grant and Hepburn? Was it the plot which has a very
surprising twist,or was it the fantastic cast which included Walter
Matthau, George Kennedy, and James Coburn? I have no idea but I simply
adored this movie and have watched it more times than I care to count. I
tried to get my wife to watch once, but she insisted she hated old
movies. Even though she loved The Wizard of Oz and that was made in
1939! But I digress…..
The
plot is pretty cool. Audrey Hepburn plays a woman named Reggie who is
on holiday when we first meet her. She soon returns home to Paris and
discovers that her apartment has been cleared out, and then she
discovers her husband Charles is dead. All he left her was a duffle bag
containing assorted items. She is called in by a CIA admin named
Hamilton Batholemew played by Walter Matthau who informs her that her
husband stole $250,000 during the war along with four other men. One of
the men named Carson Dyle didn't survive but the other three did. Her
husband double crossed them and took all of the money and now they want
that money back But of course the U.S. also wants it since it is
rightfullt there's. Cary Grant plays a man named Peter Joshua who seems
to want to help Reggie. But Reggie learns that Peter Joshua is not who
he pretends to be. He appears to be in league with the three men and
then reveals he was Dyle's brother, except that Dyle never had a
brother. No one can find the money and the hunt is on. Then the other
three men who were double-crossed suddenly start getting killed off one
by one. Reggie started falling for Peter, nowc alled Alex, but at the
same remains suspicious of his real motives.
And that's about all I can tell you without spoiling the ending, which I will do in a minute.
Besides
the mystery and action one of the big drives in this movie is the
romantic chemistry between Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.Throughout the
film Reggie is falling for him, but then gets suspicious of him when
something comes up which shows he is not as honest as he appears. Audrey
Hepburn does a great job with this, being interested in him one minute
then scared to death of him the next. She is always convincing, and this
movie is a reminder of what amazing actress Audrey Hepburn was. Cary
Grant is, well, Cary Grant. So cool thathe can pull anything off.
Actually not only is Reggie not sure of Alex’s motives but we aren’t
either. We get surprised right along with her as he goes through no less
than four different alias’s in the movie. Only Cary Grant could make a
character we should at the vert least be untrusting of into someone we
really like!
I decided I couldn't
talk about this movie without discussing the twist ending. I figure I
am safe since the movie is 50 years old. But just in case, if you really
want to see the movie and be surprised, stop now because I'm gonna
spoil it.
The
twist ending was awesome. The whole plot is based on the fact that the
stolen money is missing and all they have is what was inside a duffle
bag Reggie’s husband had with him. The bag contains simple items. A can
of baby powder, a letter to his wife, a ticket to Venezuela, passports
in multiple names, a comb, and other random things. There is one awesome
moment when Reggie and Alex go through the bag and lay the items out,
and Alex says that themoney is there somewhere, they are looking right
at it but still have no idea where or what it is. Later at an outdoor
market that they determine Charles had visited, everyone sees a booth
selling rare stamps. Then everyone realizes what happened, Charles
purchased rare stamps and then put them on the letter to his wife! By
the way, this reveal is handled BEAUTIFULLY!!! Then the chase is on to
get the letter first. But then it gets better. Reggie runs from Alex,
believing he is the killer and wants to kill her to. She calls the CIA
agent she talked to in the beginning, and it turns out that Hamilton
Bartholomew is a different person! The CIA agent she has been talking to
through the whole movie is Carson Dyle, the fifth man everyone believed
was dead. Well, anyway the film ends with Dyle cornering Reggie in a
theatre. Alex uses a trap door cause Dyle to fall down to his death. And
Alex? Turns out he was a CIA agent undercover the whole time.
Of
course I am glossing over lots of stuff. Great comedy bits, including
one with Cary Grant showering while fully dressed, and strong character
interactions. Some may say that there is some gruesome violence in this
movie. True, the way the three are killed off is a little gruesome but
when compared to movies that are made today it really isn't that bad.
It's just a well written screenplay and really keeps you guessing until
the end. In fact it’s been called the greatest Alfred Hitchcock movie
that Hitchcock never made.Right from the start we can tell the tone of
the movie, as the very first scenewe see a gun being aimed at Reggie. It
ends up being a simple water gun fired by a child who plays a role in
the movie which I have totally ignored.
This
movie also does a great job with the character of Reggie. Yeah she
screams and is scared but also doesn’t just stand around like the
classic damsel in distress. She is proactive like when she suspects Alex
at one point she actually goes out and follows him to find out what is
going on. That’s pretty good for a movie made in 1963. There is another
scene with a stamp dealer which is a surprise because the guy turns out
to be an honest person. He is the one who identifies the stamps and
their value after he gets ahold of them,and returns them realizing there
was some mistake. Nice to see honest people in movies once in a while!
The
villains are very memorable of course. George Kennedy plays Scobie who
has a metal hand. James Coburn plays Tex who is very charming while also
being downright nasty. And if you don’t believe Walter Matthau
could handle drama check this movie out. Though he does offer a few
laughs with that trademark wit, at the end there is no doubt what an
evil bastard this guy is.And the scene at the end with the reveal that
Cary Grant’s character was a government agent is a great moment. By the
way the film was shot in Paris which looks really beautiful in many
shots.
The reason this movie is
so great isn't the plot, as good as it is, or the action but the
characters. They all really work well together.The story flows and isn't
so complicated you have no idea what is going on but at the same time
it is a solid mystery with some very good twists.It's the kind of smart
and sophisticated caper movie that you just don't see anymore. I have
seen this movie many many times and love it more and more each time. If
you’ve neve rseen it, check it out. And yes there have been remakes over the years, sort of, but they have been disappointments.
There you have it, a movie I just loved and it was made twenty years before I was born!
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