Charade

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Audrey Hepburn plays a Parisienne whose husband is murdered and who finds she is being followed by four men seeking the fortune her late spouse had hidden away. Cary Grant is the stranger who comes to her aid, but his real motives aren't entirely clear--could he even be the killer? The 1963 film is directed by Stanley Donen, but it has been called "Hitchcockian" for good reason: the possible duplicities between lovers, the unspoken agendas between a man and woman sharing secrets. Charade is nowhere as significant as a Hitchcock film, but suspense-wise it holds its own; and Donen's glossy production lends itself to the welcome experience of stargazing. One wants Cary Grant to be Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn to be no one but Audrey Hepburn in a Hollywood product such as this, and they certainly don't let us down. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Top ten movie.......2007-09-08

Fantastic movie and wanted to add it to my collection but was sent a bad copy- disk doesn't work. Returning it for a new one.

Do you know what's wrong with you? NOTHING!.......2007-09-06

The same can be said for this movie. With Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant to grace your screen, what could possibly go wrong? I think this is one of Audrey's most underrated film! This is a classic! And classics need to be left alone. (have you watched The Truth About Charlie, the remake? if you haven't, don't bother trying)

I highly recommend this movie!

great film with a hiccup.......2007-08-31

This is a great classic film, and I would give it a higher rating if if weren't for the bad recording to disc. The picture transfer is great but in two separate places it stops for a second, then jumps a few seconds. If thinking about getting this think again. I have had two copies and both skipped, both were returned to the retailer.

A GREAT CLASSIC .......2007-06-27

Charade is a great classic for any age group. Picture quality was excellent. Whenever you have Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, George Kelly, James Coburn and Walter Matthau in the same movie how can you go wrong. I rate this movie 10 stars.

Charade.......2007-06-27

This Hitchcock homage provides a last glimpse of Cary as leading man. At sixty, the actor still brings off his trademark persona superbly. Hepburn is also in top form as the put-upon damsel in distress. Deftly combining mystery, romance, and humor, director Donen creates a chic, sophisticated mood via gorgeous Paris locations and a smooth Mancini score. The villains are mean enough to be taken seriously, but exhibit enough idiosyncrasies to seem human (Coburn has particular fun as Tex). As top-drawer entertainment, "Charade" is the real thing.

Average customer rating:

Top ten movie
Do you know what's wrong with you? NOTHING!
great film with a hiccup
A GREAT CLASSIC
Charade

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn: Charade
Starring: Grégoire Aslan , Paul Bonifas , Thomas Chelimsky , James Coburn , and Colin Drake
Manufacturer: Delta
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ASIN: B00008G8OV
Release Date: 2002-12-17

Amazon.com essential video

Description

Hepburn meets Grant on a skiing trip in the Alps. When she returns home to Paris, she finds her apartment ransacked, her husband dead and crooks searching for a fortune they're convinced she's hiding. As she avoids the sinister group, she becomes fond of Grant who comes to her aid. One by one, each gang member is murdered, making it more difficult for her to distinguish the good guys from the bad ones.

Color
Running Time: 114 min.

Customer Reviews:

Top ten movie.......2007-09-08

Fantastic movie and wanted to add it to my collection but was sent a bad copy- disk doesn't work. Returning it for a new one.

Do you know what's wrong with you? NOTHING!.......2007-09-06

great film with a hiccup.......2007-08-31

A GREAT CLASSIC .......2007-06-27

Charade.......2007-06-27

Average customer rating:

A faux aunt.
A big hit in London 125 years ago...and Charley's Aunt still is as a movie
Rollicking Fun Without Crudeness Or Foul Language
Jack Benny as Charlie's Aunt
Timeless comedy classic returns

Charley's Aunt
Starring: Jack Benny , Kay Francis , James Ellison , Anne Baxter , and Edmund Gwenn
Director: Archie Mayo
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B000O78KYM
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Amazon.com

Nothing says comedy like a man in a dress, and Charley's Aunt is the archetypal man-in-a-dress comedy. In desperate need of a chaperone so they can woo their sweethearts, two college lads named Jack and Charley persuade their friend Fancourt (Jack Benny, one of the all-time great radio and television comics) to masquerade as Charley's aunt from Brazil, who had failed to arrive. Of course, the aunt also shows up (and is also in disguise), but not before Benny has had ample opportunity to run amok in petticoats while being chased by fortune-hunting beaus. Though the story's social milieu is woefully dated--the need for a chaperone is just the beginning--the movie has a number of classic comic bits that remain funny. Charley's Aunt doesn't suit Benny's dry style of humor as perfectly as does his next film, To Be or Not to Be, and Benny's English accent is a bit hit and miss, but he milks his wig and bloomers for all they're worth. Also starring Kay Francis (Trouble in Paradise), Edmund Gwenn (Miracle on 34th Street), Laird Cregar (Heaven Can Wait), and a very young Anne Baxter (All About Eve). Extras include a chipper commentary from film historian Randy Skretvedt (who rattles off dozens of Jack Benny anecdotes) and a goofy promotional short in which Benny, Tyrone Power, and Randolph Scott compare their upcoming roles. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

A faux aunt. .......2007-08-30

THIS IS A MOVIE I HAVE WANTED FOR YEARS BUT IT HAS, FOR SOME REASON, BEEN WITHHELD FROM THE VIEWING PUBLIC. THIS IS ONE OF JACK BENNY'S BEST COMEDY EFFORTS. THE DVD TRANSFER IS GOOD AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

A big hit in London 125 years ago...and Charley's Aunt still is as a movie.......2007-07-30

This perennial chestnut by Brandon Thomas has been wowing audiences ever since it opened in London in 1882. Charley's Aunt has had numerous stage revivals and more screen versions than most people can remember. When Jack Benny took it on in 1941, nearly 60 years after the London opening, the movie turned into one of his biggest hits. Now, nearly 65 years since the movie opened, it remains one of the funniest, most good-natured and most antic farce comedies around.

Benny plays Babbs Babberley -- Lord Fancourt Babberley -- an aging student at Oxford in the year 1890. His two friends, Jack Chesney (James Ellison) and Charley Wyckham (Richard Hayden), are keen to marry, respectively, Kitty Verdun (Arleen Whelan) and Amy Spettigue (Anne Baxter). The girls are beautiful and sweet, and as shallow as tea saucers. But old skinflint Stephen Spettigue (Edmund Gwen), Kitty's ward and Amy's uncle, will have none of it. He will lose his income from Kitty's fortune when she marries. Then there is Jack's father, Sir Francis Chesney (Laird Cregar), who has inherited a title which has more debts attached than income. When the girls come to call on the two boys in their rooms at Oxford, it is essential that they have a chaperone. For reasons too complicated to explain, the chaperone, who was to be Charley's aunt, Donna Lucia (Kay Francis) from Brazil, has been delayed (but will shortly show up incognito). The boys blackmail their good friend Babbs to dress up as Donna Lucia and be the required chaperone. Ah, but then old Spettigue learns of Donna Lucia's wealth and decides to do some wooing of his own. Even Sir Francis, reluctantly conceding that an advantageous marriage would help the Chesney exchequer, decides to pursue Donna Lucia. And poor Babbs, now got up in a Victorian gown with corset, wig and fan, must fend them all off...over tea, in the garden, at dinner, by a garden pool, while trying to secretly smoke a cigar, while furtively trying to shave.

Will Jack win Kitty? Will Charley win Amy? Will old Spettigue receive a comeuppance? Most importantly, perhaps, will Babbs wind up marrying Sir Francis or the real Donna Lucia?

Benny plays Babbs with gusto and great timing, and spends most of his time in a dress. It's definitely a Jack Benny movie, but the play itself is so inherently ridiculous and funny, and so good-natured about every bit of stuffy Victorian manners and proper Victorian behavior, that it still works now as great light entertainment...just as the movie worked originally in 1941 and the play has worked for 125 years. I saw a regional production of Charley's Aunt some years ago; it really is a fast and funny farce, and depends heavily on the skill of the actor playing Charley's aunt. The movie, like the play, is funny and silly, and it does no harm.

In addition to Jack Benny, two actors stand out for me. Edmund Gwen as Spettigue provides a classic lesson in how to play farce; utterly serious with the kind of timing that comes from experience. For those who know of Gwen primarily as an avuncular and kindly old Santa Claus, his Spettigue should be a welcome relief. And then there is Laird Cregar, an immensely gifted actor. Cregar was only 25 when he played Jack Chesney's father. The actor who played his son was 31. Cregar was a big man -- 6'3" and 300 pounds -- who disliked the idea of being type-cast as a bad-guy; he longed to be a lead actor. He went on an unsupervised crash diet, quickly shed 100 pounds and shortly after, at 28, died of a heart attack. He made his first movie in 1940 and was dead four years later. He could be so vivid and accomplished on screen that critics still speculate on what he might have accomplished. The movies he was in may not all have been first-rate, but he tended to focus attention whenever he appeared. Two movies which were as good as his talent, in my opinion, are Heaven Can Wait (1943)Heaven Can Wait (Criterion Collection) and I Wake Up Screaming (1941)I Wake Up Screaming (Fox Film Noir). The Lodger (1944) also stands up well, as I remember it. And although Blood and Sand (1940) is something of a melodramatic stew-pot, Cregar stands out.

And perhaps one of these days the Frank Loesser estate, which I understand owns the rights, will release the 1952 movie Where's Charley?. The problem seems to be that the film, just as the stage production, is generally recognized as Ray Bolger's Where's Charley?, not Frank Loesser's Where's Charley?. Where's Charley was Frank Loesser's first Broadway show, produced in 1948. It featured career-defining performances for Ray Bolger as Charley Wyckham (who plays his own aunt) and Allyn Ann McLerie as Amy. There are some fine Loesser songs, including Once in Love with Amy and My Darling, My Darling. The movie may have its faults but it should be made available.

The black-and-white DVD transfer of Charley's Aunt is just fine. There is a commentary track I didn't listen to and a promotional short for the movie featuring Benny, Tyrone Power and Randolph Scott.

Rollicking Fun Without Crudeness Or Foul Language.......2007-07-29

Jack Benny had a checkered movie career and he himself felt most of his films were tripe, but three stand the test of time for hilarity. Buck Benny Rides Again (wherein it helps if you know his radio persona and his supporting cast), The Horn Blows At Midnight, and Charlie's Aunt. I would add a fourth - To Be Or Not To Be - which Mr. Benny himself thought his best work, but he didn't regard it as an out and out comedy. If you're looking for laughs for the whole family you can't go wrong with Charlie's Aunt. Jack steps out of his character and into a british fop impersonating a grand lady and plays the role terrifically. This was forty years before Tootsie, or Mrs. Doubtfire, and while Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams were at the top of their game, they relied heavily on prosthetics and modern fx, while Benny relied simply on that "look". The walk alone is worth the price of admission. The movie is taken from a stage play that became the standard comedy of it's time for colleges and high school revivals, so it's audience was built in in the Forties. Largely forgotten now because it had the unfortunate timing to come out the year World War II began it is well worth rediscovering. You'll laugh. And you'll laugh again. Then you'll laugh some more. And after all, that's what you're paying for.

Jack Benny as Charlie's Aunt.......2007-07-22

This comedy, a typical example of a filmed "stage" play from the 1930's, is a funny, fast-paced and entertaining. Although Ray Bolger's musical adaptation would become the definative version a decade later - Bolger's portrayal was a triumph on Broadway and film, this is a great chance to see Jack Benny "out-of-character" - there is no hint of the preening, self-absorbed, effeminate, cheapskate that would become his "character" for the remainder of his career. Consistant with the nature and tone of a farce, Benny's performance is manic and energetic - he even engages in some slapstick (which he rarely did once he established his character), and as always, his comic timing is perfect. No one could time a "pause" or "react" like he could. He was the master. This atypical role demonstrates what a fine actor Benny was, and like so many other comedians who developed a trademark comic-persona (W.C. Fields, George Burns, Oliver Hardy, Bob Hope, etc.) showed that he was capable of much more when given a change-of-pace role. Its interesting to note that despite Benny's well-known comic-persona in radio and television, in movies he usually played characters that were very different that image. George Burns won a well-deserved Academy Award for his portrayal of Al Lewis in "The Sunshine Boys," but it took much convincing for him to accept the role after his life-long best friend Jack Benny died. Benny was hired to play opposite Walter Matthau and had even begun rehearsals; it would have been interesting to see how he would have played the part. Even in the twilight of his career, a time when many stars are content to relax and bask in the glow of triumphs past, Benny was poised to re-create his image and delight his legion of fans by tackling new roles and characters.

Timeless comedy classic returns.......2007-07-14

Fox finally comes through with a splendid DVD rendering of this long-hidden gem. I first saw this film on TV in the sixties as a teenager, and it made me as an actor long to do this play, which I subsequently read. While the Benny film somewhat streamlines the script, eliminating a few minor plot points and characters, the essence remains, as well as most of the great gags that are as funny today as they were over 100 years ago. Mysteriously (I gather due to rights issues, as the musical "Where's Charley?" vanished as well) this film disappeared from television for decades; I subsequently saw a stage production starring Nicky Henson at the Young Vic in London in 1977, and it reconfirmed what a hilarious vehicle Brandon Thomas's play could be. I finally achieved my dream of playing the role of Fancourt Babberly in 1992, and it is still the funniest comedy I have ever performed.
So it is with complete delight that I report that "Charley's Aunt" with Jack Benny, beautifully transferred to DVD, is every bit as funny as I remember, with a splendid cast (including "Miracle on 34th Street"'s Edmund Gwenn) supporting Benny in his best farcical role. A special delight is 30's siren Kay Francis, here bringing a sophisticated sensuality as the "real" aunt...this is probably her last great film role.

Average customer rating:

This is one atrocious movie
Hmmmm.....
Truth About this Movie is that......... it Sucks
Worst remake I've ever seen.
What a charade

The Truth About Charlie/Charade
Starring: Simon Abkarian , Françoise Bertin , Christine Boisson , Michel Crémadès , and Stephen Dillane
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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ASIN: B00005JLIF
Release Date: 2003-04-01

Amazon.com

It seems blasphemous to remake Stanley Donen's classic romantic thriller Charade, but The Truth About Charlie achieves its own unique identity. Rather than mimic the inimitable chemistry of the original, director Jonathan Demme takes a vividly contemporary approach, with Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton well cast in roles originated by Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. The plot's essentially the same, kicking into high gear when Newton--the unwitting courier of a priceless treasure--is chased around Paris by her murdered husband's military cohorts, an avuncular embassy official (Tim Robbins), and a suave stranger (Wahlberg) whose true identity remains elusive. In a film filled with twists and turns, Demme fails to find a consistent tone of humor, romance, and danger. But he's crafted a peculiar Parisian valentine, seasoned with Gallic cameos (singer Charles Aznavour, Anna Karina, director Agnès Varda) and vibrantly alive with music, style, and forward momentum. Charade it's not, but that's not necessarily a complaint. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

This is one atrocious movie.......2007-08-19

Where do I even begin? How about bad acting, bad story, bad script and chemistry. This movie has them all. Not recommended.

Hmmmm............2007-04-12

I couldn't wait to see this movie since it was a remake of one of my favorite movies. What a bust! It was hardly an adaptation and then boring to boot! Don't waste your time in renting or buying this movie.

Truth About this Movie is that......... it Sucks.......2007-04-10

Where do I begin? Well for starters the poor dialog, the complete lack of any plausible plot line, and the absence of acting talent. This is by far the worst movie I have ever seen. It was a complete waste of time if I were able to give it demerits I would have DO NOT RENT, DO NOT PURCHASE, DO NOT EVEN BORROW IT FROM A FRIEND.

Worst remake I've ever seen........2006-06-07

Appalling. It's not like there wasn't a formula for the makers of this pointless remake to follow, the original worked, it could have been updated, if not equalled.

Instead, Demme throws out everything that made the original great - romance, humor, suspense, intelligent pacing, all so he can make a movie that seems to parody mainstream genre films and acts as a self-satisfied exercise in "New Wave" mimicry.

Except the "New Wave" films were just that, new, they were doing something original. Demme's film seems an excuse for him to enjoy working in Paris, it certainly isn't coherent. Plot elements are raised, then forgotten, and what on earth is the crazy mother who murders people doing here, is this a comedy? And the finale, in which the characters seem to lose interest in the mystery, just as the audience has done by this point.

Obviously remaking a film with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, two of the greatest movie stars of all time, was going to be difficult, but why even bother when all you have to offer is Marky Mark and Thandie Newton. With George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, or others of that caliber, it might have been a good idea, the original works because of the star power and their chemistry. This poor enterprise was doomed from the start.

The definition of the pointless remake, makes Gus Van Sant's "Psycho" seem creative and original.

What a charade.......2006-04-16

Why? Why remake a glorious old movie like "Charade," which was perfect anyway?

Well, whatever Jonathan Demme's motive is, he didn't do a very good job. "The Truth about Charlie" is a disaster as a remake, and it's not much better even when taken on its own terms -- it lumbers clumsily through a humorless, standard plot, with a love story is so passionate you could chill drinks on it. The only reason to buy this: the original movie.

Regina (Thandie Newton) is planning to divorce husband Charlie, and makes up her mind on vacation. No sooner has she returned than she finds that she doesn't need to bother -- Charlie's been murdered, and their money has mysteriously vanished. As if that weren't bad enough, some creepy people are following her around, apparently looking for the money.

The problem is, Reggie isn't sure who she can trust -- including a strange man (Mark Wahlberg) who may or may not be an enemy. But she may have to trust him, to solve the question of who Charlie really was, and the question of where the money has gone. If she doesn't find it, she may be next to die...

This edition of Demme's remake is bundled (as bad movies often are) with a better one. On the flip side of the disc is the original "Charade." It has about the same plot as the remake, but with Audrey Hepburn as Regina and Cary Grant as her mystery man. There are a lot of rotten copies floating around, but the color and sound have been beautifully restored in this version.

But how does Demme's remake stand up on its own? Not very well. Paris looks creepy, seedy and dark. The script is a paint-by-numbers thriller, without a scrap of wit or intelligence anywhere. Demme is obviously unsure how to bring this to life, so he ends up with an unsubtle, unsexy, unappealing mess.

It's even worse when you compare it to the original flick. Stanlet Donen directed a tight, sharp little movie that could be terrifying (Hepburn encounters a clawed killer who tries to slash her face off), and suddenly switch to goofy screwball humour, like the hysterical scene where Grant takes a shower in all his clothes, much to Hepburn's delight.

Even worse, Newton and Wahlberg have zero chemistry. Newton smirks, pouts and tries to look sophisticated, while Wahlberg tries to be cool and sexy, and only comes across as smarmy. Hepburn and Grant have everything the other two don't: chemistry, sexiness, and a scene where they chase a kiss around an orange.

The only reason to buy "The Truth about Charlie" is to get the flipside, which is the only affordable, restored version of "Charade." The remake itself is a self-important disaster.

Average customer rating:

good entertainment
A Fun Rainy Day Flick!
Moon Over Parador
Moon Over Parador
Another great funny movie

Moon Over Parador
Starring: Edward Asner , Sonia Braga , Roger Aaron Brown , Dick Cavett , and Charo
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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ASIN: B00023P4QK
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Amazon.com

This underrated film by director Paul Mazursky stars Richard Dreyfuss as an underemployed actor who is offered a great acting role, though outside of New York. Still, beggars can't be choosers and he accepts--only to discover that the part involves impersonating the dictator of Parador, a troubled Central American country on the verge of revolution. The dictator has died, but his chief adviser (Raul Julia) doesn't want that news to come out; he'd rather continue the charade that the big guy is still in charge. And to his surprise, the actor discovers that he enjoys the acting challenge, until he figures out that Julia is positioning himself to take over as the country's true strongman. Naturally, Dreyfuss also discovers that, aside from enjoying the perks of power (including the late dictator's toothsome mistress, Sonia Braga), he actually has the power to do some good--to Julia's chagrin. Dreyfuss captures the actor's insecurity, while Julia is hilarious as the wild-eyed adviser to whom torture is second nature. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

good entertainment.......2007-08-06

this movie is very funny and entertaining. Richard Dreyfus is an excellent actor and does a fine job of impersonation. Definitely worth seeing over and over.

A Fun Rainy Day Flick!.......2007-07-24

Richard Dreyfuss is comedically great as the NY actor who is 'pressed' into service to perform as the licentious, drunk, vertically challenged dictator of a small latin country after said dictator dies from over indulging in booze, particulary his concoction of choice, the 'Puna'. Raul Julia is hilarious as the government man behind the scenes, the greedy and sadisitic real ruler of Parador who runs the country into the ground with his backroom cronies. And Sonia Braga, always beautiful and seductive, as the dictator's girlfriend who is a true woman of the people, as she secretly helps Dreyfuss learn the ropes and change Parador for the better. I suggest this movie for it's laughs and to see three fine actors give fun and believable comedic performances.

Moon Over Parador.......2007-05-18

Very funny movie - lots of big names. Treat yourself you won't be disappointed.

Moon Over Parador.......2007-01-12

This is a wonderful movie, very enjoyable! Richard Dreyfus is delightful as the Dictator and the film score adds to the enjoyment.

Another great funny movie.......2006-11-25

This movie is not a sleeper, It's very funny! A impersonats thr dictator.
Sonja Braga is wonderful to help the actor play the part.

Average customer rating:

two defective discs
CAVEAT EMPTOR!
Great movie, good quality
Great production of a classic movie
She was smokin hot!!!

Charade (1963) [Remastered Edition]

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ASIN: B000FEB924
Release Date: 2006-04-13

Description

It takes exceptional skills to produce a murder mystery that has the audience on the edge for nearly two hours. Those fortunate to view this thrilling Hollywood mystery will agree that director Stanley Donen was blessed with such ability. Charades showcases Donen as an exceptional director with an uncanny ability to bring out the best from his cast.

This is a murder mystery with a difference. Filled with unexpected twists and turns, the narrative has your mind on constant overdrive, trying to figure out how the plot will unfold. More often than not, you are caught on the wrong foot. You start guessing again - only to be outdone by another clever twist in the narrative. Donen's job was made easy by the star-studded cast that includes Hollywood's best - stunningly beautiful Audrey Hepburn, debonair Cary Grant, rugged James Coburn, gifted Jacques Marin and the inimitable Walter Matthau, to name a few.

It's quite interesting to see a young looking James Coburn in a negative role. Audrey Hepburn is at her scintillating best in this mystery about a young widow who suddenly finds herself at the center of a life-threatening drama. Hounded by goons, the police and the CIA, the woman is at a loss to prove that she knows nothing about a quarter of a million dollars that her late husband had stolen from the United States Army during World War II. With the threat of death constantly looming over her, the lady has no choice but to trust an ageing but dapper stranger who walks into her life from nowhere.

Don't miss this high voltage drama that has a fair share of well-placed humor and romance thrown in. Most people are left shaking their heads in amazement at the final twist in this fast-paced narrative. Check it out. You'll love it.

Customer Reviews:

two defective discs.......2007-08-13

The first disc was defective and wouldn't play in any of four machines I have. Returned it for replacement and the second disc had the same problem. Gave up and requested a refund. Disappointing.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!.......2007-08-04

I can't speak for the taste of the other buyers who have written reviews, but as a show business professional and a specialist in the audio-visual side of things, this so-called "remastering" of Charade is a low quality hoax designed only to obtain a copywrite on this version of the DVD. From begining to end there are scratches (vertically of course from scratches on the film being transfered), muddy color and uneven sound that make this version a travesty of the idea of remastering. Oh, it's remastered all right--by amateurs. You don't want to buy this one!

Great movie, good quality.......2007-04-18

This is a classic in the purest definition of the word. The quality of the movie is the best I have seen for this movie. I have purchased several copies of it over the years and this has been the best. I highly recommend this version of the movie.

Great production of a classic movie.......2007-03-14

This movie is a classic and this is the 3rd copy of this movie that I have purchased. It is by far the best quality. I have purchased several other movies from this production house since I got this one and they have all been equal quality.

She was smokin hot!!!.......2007-02-26

I bought this disk from a reseller and it was worth every penny of the 12.99 I paid for it. Audrey Hepburn was smokin hot back in the day. The production quality was great for a vintage film. I will do business with the reseller and production house again.

Average customer rating:

Curmudgeonly Matthau and Three Superb Actresses Keep Neil Simon's Three-Act Comedy Aloft
How Suite it is
Walter Matthau shines in "Plaza Suite"
One-third of a good movie
Third Rate Simon

Plaza Suite
Starring: Walter Matthau , Maureen Stapleton , Barbara Harris , Lee Grant , and Louise Sorel
Director: Arthur Hiller
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000AUHQ4
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Description

In the first act of PLAZA SUITE, Sam Nash (Matthau) and his wife Karen (Stapleton) are celebrating their anniversary by returning to the suite where they honeymooned 24 years ago. Trying to get her inattentive husband's attention and spruce up their failing marriage, Karen attempts to rekindle the romance that the couple once had while Sam has some secretly seductive plans of his own. In the second vignette, former movie producer, Jesse Kiplinger (Matthau), tries to put the moves on his old flame Muriel Tate (Harris) in true Hollywood fashion. And finally, the third sequence finds Matthau playing Roy Hubley, an anxious father who with his wife Norma (Grant) tries desperately to persuade his nervous daughter to leave the bathroom in which she has locked herself on her much-anticipated wedding day.

Customer Reviews:

Curmudgeonly Matthau and Three Superb Actresses Keep Neil Simon's Three-Act Comedy Aloft.......2006-05-25

If you want a mildly entertaining snapshot of what made Walter Matthau such a skilled curmudgeon of an actor, you should take a look at this 1971 three-act Neil Simon comedy directed in a fairly pedestrian manner by Arthur Hiller. Based on Simon's Broadway hit, it feels very stagy with reams of dialogue and for the most part, a recreation of Suite 719 at the Plaza Hotel as the movie's only set. There is a central conceit in casting Matthau as the male lead in all three mini-plays, but fortunately the three characters suitably fit the contours of his talent. It also helps that Hiller cast three superb, relatively unsung actresses opposite him.

In the first and most dramatic piece, Matthau plays Sam Nash, a preoccupied, workaholic husband who sees his youth slipping away as he celebrates his 23rd (or 24th) wedding anniversary at the Plaza. Played by the wonderfully earthy Maureen Stapleton, his somewhat absent-minded wife Karen comes to realize that Sam is having an affair. Stapleton is really center stage here and performs superbly as she gradually realizes her anniversary celebration is unraveling into a much-too-delayed discussion of the true state of their marriage. The second mini-play is a light farce with Matthau playing self-absorbed Hollywood producer Jesse Kiplinger. Sporting an unflattering 1970's blonde wig and affecting a saucy, faux-hip accent, he is hilariously on the make for his former hometown flame, Muriel Tate, now a New Jersey housewife. The underappreciated Barbara Harris has an appropriate showcase for her spacey, improvisational flair as Muriel, especially as she asks about her favorite movie stars at the most inopportune times during his less-than-subtle seduction.

Probably because of its frenetic pace, broad characterizations and physical comedy, the last act is the funniest of the three with Matthau and Lee Grant playing Roy and Norma Hubley, who are desperately trying to talk their hesitant daughter out of a locked bathroom just minutes before her wedding. Their rat-a-tat chemistry is priceless as they encounter every possible mishap with Grant especially hilarious as Norma in simmering panic with her palpitations and torn stockings. As a whole, there is no getting away from the fact that the movie feels like a filmed stage play, but Simon's dialogue is crisp and insightful and the actors so expert that it is worth viewing. Sadly there are no extras with the 2003 DVD.

How Suite it is.......2006-01-18

Plaza Suite was the first of three "Suite" plays by Neil Simon. The premise is that the entire play takes place in on suite of a hotel. In this it was Suite 719 of NYC's Plaza Hotel. Each of the three acts has two main characters. On stage, the same two actors played all three acts. In the film, Walter Matthau plays the male lead but three different women play opposite him, Maureen Stapleton, Barbara Harris and Lee Grant.

Visitors From New York -
It is the Nash's 24th Wedding Anniversary. Karen (Stapleton) wants everything to be perfect. She has reserved the same room as on their wedding night. The only problem is her husband Sam doesn't care. And he's having an affair with his secretary.

Maureen Stapleton has always been a great character actress. She would perfect the harried wife to perfection Her natural warmth and charm always makes her likeable to the audience.

Visitor From Hollywood -
Jesse Kiplinger is a Hollywood producer who is in New York for the opening of his new film. He has a couple of hours to fill and he is looking up an old flame from high school, Muriel (Harris). Muriel is happily married but she is star struck. All she wants to do is say that she was with a famous Hollywood producer, not that she slept with him just spent the afternoon. (Remember this was the 60's). Jesse tries but Muriel resists until he talks about the stars.

Barbara Harris has perfect comic timing, even when she does dramatic roles. She also is not afraid of physical comedy. In this she combines both perfectly and works off of Matthau with ease.

Visitors From Brooklyn -
Roy and Norma (Grant) Hubley's daughter is getting married today. That is if they can get her out of bathroom. This is pure Simon farce.

Lee Grant has proven she can do anything but all out farce is her forte. No one does a woman on the verge better.

Walter Matthau was a high profile character actor. That is until he and Jack Lemmon met up with Neil Simon. The Odd Couple permanently moved Walter to leading actor status. Therefore, when the next Simon project was ready for filming, that Matthau was the first choice. Walter had three very different characters to play here and he does each to perfection.

This is master class in comedy, not only acting but directing and writing.

DVD EXTRAS: None

Walter Matthau shines in "Plaza Suite".......2005-10-27

Walter Matthau has a field day playing three roles in this trio of one-act plays that all take place in Suite 719 of the Plaza Hotel. In the first story, he plays a bored businessman with a mid-life crisis and a desperate wife (Maureen Stapleton. Witty dialogue with a serious tone. In the second act, Matthau plays a self-centered movie producer who calls his star-struck old flame (Barbara Harris) in hopes of some afternoon delight. Silly and funny commentary on the power of celebrity. In the last story, Matthau is the father of a bride who is currently locked in the bathroom, refusing to get married. He and his hysterical wife (Lee Grant) try to coax her out, but she's having second thoughts. Snappy sarcasm played for big laughs.

Adapted from the Broadway smash by Neil Simon, the movie still looks and sounds like a staged play. The actors all shout like they're reaching for the balcony and there's never a moment's pause between lines. The actors even come out for a curtain call at the end. It's dated and stilted, but made thoroughly enjoyable by the stars, especially Matthau, who looks like he's having a great time. A funny movie.

Kona

One-third of a good movie.......2005-09-07

While Walter Matthau and his talented co-stars do an admirable job, the first two vignettes have little to offer. Even 35 years ago, I think the stories of adultery and seduction were unoriginal. The last story, however, is a non-stop laugh session. I mean, face it, Walter Matthau's best moments are those when he's at the boiling point. And in this case, with his daughter locked in the Plaza's bathroom on the day of her wedding, the penny-pinching Matthau erupts over and again. Lee Grant, as his hysterical wife, is a perfect companion. This episode is well worth suffering through the first two.

Third Rate Simon.......2004-02-21

I am a big fan of Neil Simon (also Woody Allen and Mel Brooks). But I didn't like this movie when it came out, and I didn't like it yesterday. Walter Matthau is not so protean as these reviews would have it. He can be very funny, but he needs a good script to do it. The women shone. The first story was brutally painful. The whole skit and all but 2 or 3 jokes belonged to Maureen Stapleton. The second sketch was simply nothing. Two things made me laugh (I was supposed to laugh, wasn't I?). When Matthau to freshen Barbara Harris' vodka stinger pours straight vodka right out of the bottle into her glass, and when she asks him (he's a movie producer) whether Frank Sinatra is as generous as people say he is, and he answers that at one of his dinners Sinatra served large portions. The third story had a lot of good guffaws in it, but it alas was a one joke show, and after the snappy ending, I was left feeling let down. Finally, I thought the curtain calls at the end of the flick were pretentious, the movie wasn't that good.

Charade (Anamorphic Widescreen) - Criterion Collection

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Top ten movie
Do you know what's wrong with you? NOTHING!
great film with a hiccup
A GREAT CLASSIC
Charade

Charade (Anamorphic Widescreen) - Criterion Collection
Starring: Grégoire Aslan , Paul Bonifas , Thomas Chelimsky , James Coburn , and Colin Drake
Manufacturer: Criterion Collection
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001J3SVI
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Amazon.com essential video

Description

A trio of crooks relentlessly pursues a young American (Audrey Hepburn) through Paris for the fortune her dead husband stole from them. The only person she can trust is a suave, mysterious stranger (Cary Grant). A deliciously dark comedic thriller, Stanley Donen's Charade dazzles with style and macabre wit to spare. Unavailable for nearly three years, The Criterion Collection is proud to re-release this '60s spy classic in a gorgeous new
anamorphic transfer.

Customer Reviews:

Top ten movie.......2007-09-08

Fantastic movie and wanted to add it to my collection but was sent a bad copy- disk doesn't work. Returning it for a new one.

Do you know what's wrong with you? NOTHING!.......2007-09-06

great film with a hiccup.......2007-08-31

A GREAT CLASSIC .......2007-06-27

Charade.......2007-06-27

Average customer rating:

Intimate Strangers
Knocking on the wrong door
A New Word Is Coined: "Transfixiation"
Unvarnished love
Someone Knocking on the Wrong Door; Unique Love Story Highly Nuanced

Intimate Strangers
Starring: Sandrine Bonnaire , Fabrice Luchini , Michel Duchaussoy , Anne Brochet , and Gilbert Melki
Director: Patrice Leconte
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00068S3QY
Release Date: 2004-12-28

Customer Reviews:

Intimate Strangers.......2007-07-20

An ingenious French treat with psychological underpinnings, director Leconte's "Intimate Strangers" is a meditation on the randomness of life and fate. Though the conceit may sound a bit contrived, Leconte brings it off thanks to a subtly intelligent script and dead-on performances by Luchini as William and Bonnaire as the entrancing Anna. Also look for Michel Duchaussoy, who provides professional wisdom (and comic relief) as the real doctor. In the company of these "Strangers," you'll be deeply affected.

Knocking on the wrong door.......2007-02-13

I bought this movie because I was intrigued by the storyline and I wanted to watch Anne Brochet. I was slightly disappointed by the movie, but Brochet did a very fine job(I only wish that she had a bigger part here). I think the biggest drawback of the movie is that the conversations (or the lack of it) between the two main characters did not live up to its astoundingly clever opening plot. I can accept their first two meetings being cut short because of the circumstances of their meeting, but the subsequent ones continued to be terse and abrupt. There's just not enough material to support the improbable premise. The director scramble to prop up the main storyline with subplots and characters (William's secretary, his last girlfriend, the real shrink). While they're all quite interesting and fit well into the plot, but I thought it was really the last straw when Ana's husband showed up at William's office. Overall, Sadrine and Fabrice did a good job in the title roles (especially the latter), but the storyline and the relationship between Ana and William could have been developed better.

A New Word Is Coined: "Transfixiation".......2006-11-29

Although it's a stereotype, French films are sometimes criticized for being comprised of meandering conversations and lots of cigarette smoking. In the case of "Confidences trop intimes," this cliché comes alive. The results are not without entertainment value, but be warned that this is an emotionally stifling film much of the way. (And physically stifled as well; it almost entirely takes place in our protagonist's flat.)

The only way that INTIMATE STRANGERS makes sense is as an off-kilter homage to both Hitchcock and noir films. The inappropriately obtrusive soundtrack makes it abundantly clear to the viewer that this is seemingly a thriller, but rest assured that director Patrice Leconte has other ideas. This is a directionless story of platonic bonding, apparently, though the odd flirtatious enchantments that the radiant Sandrine Bonnaire throws William's way seem to be sort of cruel after a while.

EXTRA CREDIT: To Fabrice Luchini, who manages to make it through practically this entire movie with only slight variations on his expression of utter surprise. Between the stifling circumstances and Fabrice's transfixed stare, the movie is "transfixiation" epitomized.

Unvarnished love.......2006-10-22

To love somebody does not always require challenging the customs, or behaiving heroic, or running amok, or burning with passion. The film narrates such an unvarnished love. It kept me smiling for hours.

Someone Knocking on the Wrong Door; Unique Love Story Highly Nuanced.......2006-09-28

Patrice Leconte's `Intimate Stranger' starts like a Hitchcock-like mystery, but soon you will realize that the film's real mystery is not about diamond theft or murder plot. It is about the nature of loving and being loved, seen through an ordinary financial advisor William (Fabrice Luchini).

When Anna (Sandrine Bonnaire) enters the office of a tax layer William by mistake, thinking that he is the therapist she was supposed to meet that day, William, utterly bemused at first, fails to reveal who he really is. Uptight William knows he should have told the truth, but Anna and her confessional story are too seductive for him to stop, or perhaps for any males.

It doesn't take much time for Anna to discover her mistake, but even so, she regularly comes to the office of William, who is intrigued by her. But why does she keep coming and talking about her life before a stranger? And what is the real story behind the sexually charged words of Anna, whose real life and personality are going to be tantalizingly suggested through the eye of William.

[HIGHLY NUANCED] It is certain that `Intimate Stranger' contains such elements as following and love affair; one of the characters may use threatening words, or you may be surprised at several twists of the story, but the film best works as romance, or a bit unusual kind of love story about a man and a woman. It is also impressive as off-beat comedy especially when we notice the rich details of the characters including the real psychiatrist Dr. Monnier (expertly done by Michel Duchaussoy), who gives precious tips to William, but not without some prices.

`Intimate Stranger' also offers insightful views on the role of psychiatrist with the portraits of William and Anna - for example, "What does it mean to listen to a stranger's confession by profession?" -- but `Intimate Stranger' is most impressive when it shows the power game between William and Anna. You don't see passionate love scenes, not even hugging or kissing, but you can see the passion in the words and faces of Anna and William. It is downplayed, but it is there.

This is not the best of Patrice Leconte, who did a similar thing in a less talky and more effective way in more sensual `The Girl on the Bridge,' but `Intimate Stranger' is still a very good showcase for the director's ability to present the intricate and intriguing relations between the characters.

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Charade
Starring: Audrey Hepburn; Cary Grant
Director: Stanley Donen
Manufacturer: Passion Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00025K32S
Release Date: 2002-06-17

Product Description

Having returned to her home in Paris from the French Alps, Reggie Lambert( Audrey Hepburn) finds her husband murdered and her house ransacked. At his funeral she notices some uninvited underworld mobsters (George Kennedy and James Colburn) who are there just to make sure that the deceased is indeed dead.

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