Charade (1963)
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A woman finds herself entangled in a dangerous hunt for stolen gold after her husband's mysterious death.
The story
While on holiday in the French Alps, Regina "Reggie" Lampert, an American expatriate, meets a charming man named Peter. Upon returning to Paris, she finds her apartment stripped and her husband, Charles, murdered. She is left with his travel bag containing several passports and a letter. She is soon contacted by the CIA regarding a stash of gold stolen during World War II. Reggie is warned that she is in great danger as three men—Herman Scobie, Leopold W. Gideon, and Tex Panthollow—are searching for the treasure. She finds herself caught in a web of deception as she tries to navigate the danger posed by these men and the mystery of her husband's past.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After her husband Charles is murdered, Reggie Lampert is left with his travel bag containing multiple passports and a letter. She is informed by a CIA official that her husband was part of a group that stole $250,000 in gold during WWII. Three men—Herman, Leopold, and Tex—are hunting for the gold. Reggie meets a man named Peter who claims to be searching for the truth. As the plot unfolds, the identities of the men and Peter shift; it is revealed that some are criminals and others are undercover agents. A chase leads to a confrontation at the Palais-Royal where Reggie hides in a theater. Ultimately, it is revealed that the man she trusted as 'Adam' is actually a U.S. Treasury agent, and the man she feared as 'Hamilton' is the one who was actually the agent. The film ends with the revelation of the true identities and a proposal of marriage.
- First release year
- 1963
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Stanley Donen
- Writers
- Peter Stone · screenplay; Peter Stone · story; Marc Behm · story
- Cast and characters
- Cary Grant · Brian Cruikshank (alias Peter Joshua, Alexander Dyle and Adam Canfield); Audrey Hepburn · Regina "Reggie" Lampert; Walter Matthau · Carson Dyle (alias Hamilton Bartholomew); James Coburn · Tex Panthollow; George Kennedy · Herman Scobie; Dominique Minot · Sylvie Gaudel; Ned Glass · Leopold W. Gideon; Jacques Marin · Inspector Edouard Grandpierre
- Genres
- suspense thriller; romance; comedy
- Themes
- identity; deception; romance
- Tone and mood
- romantic; suspenseful; whimsical
- Premise and plot tags
- treasure hunt; spy thriller; mystery
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Unsuspecting Wife (novel: Charade)
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from both contemporary and modern critics, praised for its screenplay, the chemistry between the leads, and its blend of comedy and suspense.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 95% · scale: percentage · review count: 55; Metacritic · score: 83 · scale: 100 · review count: 16
- Awards and nominations
- National Film Registry · Preservation · 2022 · Selected
- Production trivia
- The film was selected for the National Film Registry in 2022.; The script was originally titled 'The Unsuspecting Wife'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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