Charade

"Ein Mann, der im Bett ertrunken ist? - Unmöglich!" Ein Film, dessen Titel für sich spricht. Charade spielt die ganze Zeit mit dem Zuschauer, der fast bis zum Schluss nicht weiß, wer der Bösewicht und wer das Opfer ist. Zwar ist die Handlung des Krimis nicht besonders vorhersehbar, aber dafür bietet der Film eine gute Portion Spannung und ist nicht langweilig. Audrey Hepburn als Frau in Not, die die Wahrheit herausfinden will, war wieder einmal erstaunlich. Der chamäleonartige und kräftige Cary Grant bildete zu ihr den perfekten Gegenpol. Ich hatte nur den Eindruck, dass in diesem Fall die Chemie zwischen den beiden nicht ganz stimmte. Neben der detektivischen und romantischen Handlung bietetCharade eine Reihe von humorvollen Szenen und Momenten - siehe die Agentenspione und die Leichen im Pyjama -, die den Film zu einer zeitlosen Angelegenheit machen, die auch ein zeitgenössisches Publikum spielerisch ansprechen kann. (14.03.2020)

A typical Hitchcock without being a Hitchcock. With its name, subject and cast alone, Charade promises a certain playfulness and quality. And it manages to outdo these expectations in the introduction. An amazing mixture of genres. But they are meticulously balanced and so do not “clash" with each other. It is suspenseful, something happening all the time, it has both surprising and predictable twists in the story, sparks of chemistry fly on all sides between the central duo and, what’s more, Charade is bound to make you laugh with its wonderfully written dialogs and pleasant detachment. Audrey Hepburn’s performance and charm would be superfluous to mention, Cary Grant is charismatic as usual and even the rest of the cast is great. Which means that the viewer is so mollycoddled that he/she has not qualms in forgiving the movie for those couple of slightly dead moments in the second half. (03.01.2008)

Charade is film in which things are not what they seem to be (a dangerous-looking pistol may be water gun) and which itself is never what it appears to be for long. The protagonists of this romantic comedy about the battle of the sexes find themselves in the world of a spy thriller and, in addition to suggestive, caustic remarks, they exchange top-secret information, due to which people die and annoying children are kidnapped. Cary Grant comfortably occupies the role of a sharp dresser who knows his away around in the world of crime and essentially just reprises his collaboration with Hitchcock (references to North by Northwest, To Catch a Thief and their other films). Meanwhile, Audrey Hepburn, as if on a treadmill, changes dresses from Givenchy and attempts, at least a little, to step out of the pigeonhole in which she is placed as a naïve and fragile beauty who needs a man to save her life or explain to her that the CIA is not actually an airline. Previously, however, women only rarely infiltrated the “guy” adventure genre in a different kind of lead roles. The scenes featuring both stars work particularly due to the charisma and grace of each of them and, inexplicably, not because of any coherence, let alone the convincingness of their romantic relationship (which is not convincing at all; on the contrary, it gives the impression of being rather forced). Conversely, their mismatched acting styles and large, almost thirty-year age difference well serve the (tonal) variability of the film, which refuses to stay in one place and constantly and ingeniously leads us away from the concept and leaves us in a state of doubt with respect to the characters and their true intentions. Based on the needs of the narrative and depending on whether we are supposed to be amused or in suspense, at times we fumble around just like the main protagonist and at other times we are a step ahead. Particularly in this toying with the audience, this is a Hitchcock film. However, Donen approaches espionage intrigues in a more frivolous manner and plays more with colours. It’s a shame that he didn’t make more comedic thrillers, as his balancing on the tightrope between the two genres is admirably proficient, clever and entertaining. 85% (17.01.2020)

Charade brought me a mix of pleasant and unpleasant feelings. I didn't like the logic holes, and I felt like the director couldn't find a way to resolve some scenes and let them go too far. Reggie was adorable, but she fell in love too easily and too often, which greatly spoiled the overall impression. But despite being so negative about it, I enjoyed the movie despite its flaws. I liked the humor in it, and I enjoyed watching all those youngsters in action. To my surprise, I realized that I must have seen the movie before; I didn't remember it, but some scenes were extremely familiar. / "I love you, Adam." "Yes, you told me." "No. The last time I said, 'I love you, Alex'." "Oh." / Lesson learned: If a woman doesn't want too many children, she should choose a partner with one or two first names maximum. 4*- (25.03.2023)

It's a fairly entertaining film, but it stands out mainly for being really convoluted. The character's name here hardly matters because it's very likely that in reality, they're called something else. But Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn are a great match and their shared humor is enjoyable. (07.04.2017)