Charade (1963)

**Style, class, elegance, an intriguing mystery and a pleasant game of lies and half-truths in a film that deserves to be considered a great classic.**
Some say this movie is the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made, and it's true. The iconic director didn't make this film, he wasn't even connected to the production, but his influence and style are very present here. The director, Stanley Donan, may possibly have been fond of the master. Maybe, I don't know. It doesn't matter, the director does a good job and the movie is good.
The center of the film is the murder of a man who leaves a young wife bankrupt when she used to live a luxurious life. In the following days, she discovers that her husband was not who he claimed to be, and that he was probably killed because of his own greed: after all, he had appropriated a huge amount of money stolen years before by himself and three other accomplices who will want their share now. Meanwhile, she is also contacted by the CIA and an agile, sly gentleman, who may also be unreliable. By the way, in this film, it is really difficult to know who is telling the truth.
The film has all the makings of a great classic, and is a regular on a number of television channels dedicated to old and classic films. It is also considered one of the best in the career of most of the actors involved. The production values are also excellent, and there is a good deal of money in the film: many exterior scenes in recognizable filming locations take advantage of the best that the always elegant Paris has to offer us, from its cathedral to the beauty of the Seine River. The cinematography deserves a close look: there is nothing ingenious, but is done with a lot of talent and technical competence. And the soundtrack? Magnificent.
As always happens, Audrey Hepburn gives us another character full of charm and style, with an aristocratic bearing that the costumes, by Givenchy (her personal friend), emphasize even more. She was, then, experiencing the greatest moment of her artistic career, and reaping the fruits of success. Beside her, the unmistakable figure of Carey Grant gives us a friendly face, full of seriousness and credibility attested by his austere appearance, the gray hair and the decent look of the actor and his character, who is not as serious as he might seem. They make an excellent harmonization of opposites: she is young, and he is mature, he is intelligent, and she is more emotional, he is sentimentally more rational and thoughtful, she is impulsive and lets things happen, she wants to believe and trust him, he does not give her a single reasonable guarantee of trust. We also have a solid supporting cast that includes Walter Matthau, James Coburn, Jacques Marin and George Kennedy.

This is a corker of a romantic thriller with both Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn at the top of their game. When her husband is found murdered by the railway line, "Reggie" soon discovers that he wasn't quite the man she had though - Walter Matthau ("Bartholomew") convinces her that he was on the run from the US Government with an huge stash of gold. Enter James Coburn; George Kennedy and Ned Glass who begin to cajole, intimidate and downright threaten her determined to obtain the stash. Grant - her knight in shining armour steps in to protect her from these avaricious hoodlums and the shenanigans begin. Stanley Donen really does get the best from everyone in this gripping, witty and stylishly sexy drama. The writing is subtle and nuanced - we have a thriller in which there is virtually no actual menace, but it still twists and turns and nobody is ever whom they seem/say, The characterisations are engaging, the ending is clever, fun and well worth enjoying again 60 years later.