MovieChat Forums > Charade (1963) Discussion > A Supremely Sophisticated Suspen-ser

A Supremely Sophisticated Suspen-ser

posted 10 years ago by plwblj
5 replies | jump to latest

Where to begin to heap accolades on a classic of its genre ?

To witness a stellar cast is mouth-watering and then there is the music,direction,the script,etc.Whew !

Cary had no idea how perfect he was in the part...assuming 25 years plus was tooo much.

Audrey is-well,unbelievably "right" in her role.And what a cast of baddies in Coburn,Glass and Kennedy !

Moreover,Matthau is in a class all by himself.

Time has been good to this flic just as chic as it were in'63.

Bless 'ya Donen,Mancini,Cary,Walter,Audrey and all the lovely rest ~

[–] Hermies_Purrbuckets 10 years ago

Seriously? I just caught this film for the first time, and was embarrassed at how sophomoric it was. It's like a Hitchcock movie directed by a blind and deaf person.

[–] ksf-2 10 years ago

LOVE Regina's apartment at the very beginning.
HUGE rooms.

very clever script.

[–] joekiddlouischama 10 years ago

The cast is spectacular, and the film offers some great moments. I don't know how "sophisticated" it is, though. The basic narrative is a banal, almost meaningless "whodunit," and Charade offers nothing in the way of thematic depth. What is more intriguing is the film's latent hints of an almost postmodern commentary on romantic comedy.

As a sheer thriller or suspense movie, the film is pretty flat in my opinion, just a bunch of limp convolutions. Stanley Donen's direction is visually compelling, if perhaps too self-conscious at times. Mancini's score is commendable, with that subtle jazz guitar backed up by strings.

[–] plwblj 8 years ago

Yes..among other amenities in the film;

[–] a_l_i_e_n 8 years ago

It's a cool suspense film with a good sense of humour and a top notch cast. One of the best from that decade.