Toward the end of Grant’s acting career, he had stopped playing the romantic interest, concerned how his age reflected in the on-screen relationships, particularly with younger women. After this point, he only played a romantic interest one last time, and it was opposite Audrey Hepburn in Charade. Even then, he felt so uncomfortable with it that director Stanley Donen had the script changed to allow for it to be a conversation point between their characters and to have Hepburn’s character be the pursuer. And clearly it worked for them as well as for audiences then and now. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our Cary Grant series with Donen’s 1963 film Charade.
We talk about why this film has such charm and works so well as ‘the best Hitchcock film Hitchcock never made.’ We look at the genres it mixes and answer the question – does it have too many twists and turns? We talk about Grant and Hepburn and what they bring to the table, as well as Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy and Ned Glass. We chat about Henry Mancini’s fantastic score and magical song he wrote with Johnny Mercer. And we explore the world of philately, particularly as it centers on the three stamps featured in this film.
It’s a glorious ride of a film that’s a thrill to watch over and over. We have a great time talking about it on the show this week, so check it out then tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins.
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Film Sundries
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- Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon • YouTube
- Script Transcript
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original poster artwork
- Flickchart
- Letterboxd
