Review: Charade (1963)

So apparently, this film is often cited as 'the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made'.

It isn't. At all.

Stanley Donen's dry and slow moving directorial style is far too slow for a thriller, and too straight laced for a comedy. This makes the film feel uneven and awkwardly paced, not helped by a screenplay that also veers from straight thriller to silly romantic comedy with spy elements. I feel that, had Hitchcock, a master of balancing the two styles, had been at the helm, it would have been a far tighter, wittier film.

Now, both Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn are good actors, and both have their charms here, but again, the dry, slow pace of the film works against them. Neither are really allowed to take their roles and go to town with them, and are instead hamstrung by the pacing of the film, leading to a general feeling of staleness and lifelessness.

The supporting cast, made up of character actor legends (AND Best Supporting Actor Oscar winners) Walter Matthau (The Odd Couple), James Coburn (Affliction) and George Kennedy (Cool Hand Luke), are all having fun with their roles, but again, the pacing of the film torpedoes their performances, meaning lots of down time and waiting for the next burst of activity.

Mancini's score, however, is classy and chic, and the theme tune is quite catchy. But he always does nice work, so that is to be expected.

So all in all, I found the film rather dull and boring, which is a shame, since it showed promise as either a straight thriller or a fun comedy. But in the end, the downright glacial pacing and uneven tone meant it was neither.

1 out of 5 for me, and I'm probably in the minority for saying so.

Comments

[nightcrawlerfan]

Ah zees.