Charade
Directed by Stanley Donen
- comedy
- mystery
- romance
The story
After Regina Lampert falls for the dashing Peter Joshua on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, she discovers upon her return to Paris that her husband has been murdered. Soon, she and Peter are giving chase to three of her late husband's World War II cronies, Tex, Scobie and Gideon, who are after a quarter of a million dollars the quartet stole while behind enemy lines.
What it’s like
Sleek black-and-white-era glamour rendered in Technicolor: bright Paris streets, sunlit apartment interiors, and the saturated pastels of Givenchy-style wardrobes, all staged with a Hitchcockian sense of elegance. Stanley Donen moves the camera with playful fluidity, cutting between Paris boulevards, a snowy Alpine lodge, and cramped train compartments, while the score by Henry Mancini trades in bright, bouncy strings and a whistled, lilting main theme. Stylish, witty, and light on its feet, it has the sheen of a golden-age studio picture, with the sophisticated flirtation of a cocktail-hour mystery. Its intensity is mild: a few killings happen offscreen, and the menace is played for suspense and laughs rather than gore or dread. The rhythm is quick and sparkling, with banter doing much of the work, and the emotional register stays playful, with a central romance between a wary young widow and an older, charming man whose true intentions keep shifting. It suits a comfort rewatch, a rainy evening with a glass of wine, or a relaxed night in. It is for people who want romance, mystery, and crisp dialogue without anything harsh.
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