Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
After Regina Lampert falls for the dashing Peter Joshua on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, she discovers upon her return to Paris that her husband has been murdered. Soon, she and Peter are giving chase to three of her late husband's World War II cronies, Tex, Scobie and Gideon, who are after a quarter of a million dollars the quartet stole while behind enemy lines.
Charade is a supremely entertaining blend of Hitchcockian suspense and screwball romantic comedy, elevated by a witty Stanley Donen direction and a crackling script. The plot is cleverly constructed with genuine twists and a satisfying whodunit structure. Grant and Hepburn deliver charismatic, chemistry-laden performances that anchor the film. Paris locations are well-used but not particularly visually distinguished beyond competent studio-era cinematography. The ending delivers a genuinely clever and satisfying resolution to the alias-layered mystery. While the genre blend was distinctive for its time, it does sit within recognizable Hitchcock-homage territory, keeping Novelty from the top tier.