Charade: Insanity

To tell the truth for your entire life is an incredibly dull feat. If I were to be on my death bed, recalling the many vignettes of my time on earth, and find that I had never lied, I would tell the poor fellows at my beck and call that I was going to make it after all. This is because telling the truth, in all its gallant glory, is no fun without lying. Charade is a piece of cinema that takes hold of this reality, and utilizes it to great effect, while not being afraid to open itself up and present a tone that tickled my fancy even sixty years later.

A daring decision from Stanley Donan to cast Carey Grant and Audrey Hepburn as leads, two beloved figures in Hollywood at the time, because although the film’s marketability was heightened, its longevity was not (in theory). I find this to be the case with the majority of Hollywood classics from the same time period, as by using more and more revered names, especially in the golden age of the ‘movie star’, the creative direction of the film wanes. Contrary to this presumption, Charade is entirely its own film, Carey Grant is the suave frontman that he always is (although quite old) and Audrey Hepburn is as sly and hilarious as ever, yet it’s the unique setting, distinct supporting cast, and winding story, that truly makes this film what it is.

So what is it? A film about money? Violence? Love? No, none of it (although all are present). I believe what Charade is really about, is the nauture of the fib. As the plot progresses, characters change names, reveal mind-bending secrets, and switch allegiances on a dime. This makes for a riveting, lightning-quick cinematic thrill, that sprinkles in a plentiful quantity of humor along the way. What I really love about this film, is the hollowness emmitted from films made in the same period (in the period of hollywood, with these same general actors, not in the whole world) and the lack thereof within Charade. This is a film packed to the brim with passion and identity, and is something that could serve as so many different genres it could spur one of its own.