Charade - A movie that keeps you guessing.

Released in 1963, Charade is a quick-paced, fun, romantic thriller directed by Stanley Donen. The film balances these different genres quite nicely, with the audience getting a healthy dose of comic relief down time in between the riveting scenes.

I want to preface this post with the following: Since there are so many wonderful things to say about Charade, I'd like to break my posts down into special segments. This initial post will focus on the set up of the plot.

The movie opens with birds chirping and an otherwise silent scan across a peaceful countryside setting on a early foggy morning. Slowly the camera pans to railroad tracks and the siren of an approaching train is heard. As the train moves over the tracks, a body falls from the other side of the train. The train sounds its siren once more, and the camera moves to reveal the face of the dead man, bloody and with eyes open...a seemingly fresh murder victim. Cue the up tempo Henry Mancini score and Maurice Binder title graphics.

Take a look:

The title credits transition to a beautiful ski resort scene where the audience is introduced to Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn), a woman on vacation with her friend Silvi and "nephew" Jean Louis. She relates to her friend that she suspects her husband, Charles Lampert, of involvement in some, for lack of a better word, sketchy activities and is contemplating divorce. Not soon after, a handsome stranger named Peter Joshua (Cary Grant) introduces himself to Regina with an almost impeccable choice of timing.

Regina, a French to English translator, returns to Paris to find her's and Charles' apartment torn apart, stripped of all its furnishings, and seemingly ransacked. An inspector from the French police shows up and takes Mrs. Lampert in for questioning, which confirms Regina's suspicions of Charles. It is explained to Regina that, while she was away, her husband auctioned off all of their belongings for an estimated quarter of a million dollars and that somehow he came across that sum of money by dishonest means. So you're probably thinking why not just hunt down the money by looking for Mr. Lampert?

It turns out that Mr. Lampert is the man who was thrown off the train at the beginning of the movie. All that was found with him on the train (presumably he was taking advice from The Steve Miller Band's "Take the Money and Run"), was his travel bag, in which there were a few francs, a ticket of passage, one letter, a key to their apartment, a comb, a fountain pen, a toothbrush and a tin of toothpowder. There was also a passport, plus three other ones...all in Charles' name.

Regina with the inspector

Strangely enough, Regina begins to learn more about her husband after his death. She holds a funeral for Charles, with only herself, her good friend Silvi, and the inspector in attendance. Intermittently, very unseemly characters arrive. Silhouette lighting is used very effectively in this scene, as initially the knowledge of Charles' friends and relations is cloaked in secrecy. The first to enter and approach the casket is a short older man with skittish behavior, Gideon, whose allergies cause the corpse to experience some heavy sprinkling. Next to enter to parlor, is a tall tough-looking man, Tex, who pulls out a mirror and checks for any signs of the body breathing. Later, the door at the entrance is thrown open, and a perturbed stocky man with a trench coat, Scobie (aka Herman), paces towards the casket and sticks the dead body with a needle. Already stunned by the bizarre occurrences, Regina is startled when the last character approaches her directly. The man communicates his condolences with a heavy accent and hands Regina a letter from the US Embassy.

At the US Embassy, Regina meets Mr. Bartholomew (Walter Mathau), a diplomat and CIA administrator. He explains to Regina that Mr. Charles Lampert was really Mr. Charles Vaas, and that the $250,000.00 was stolen from the US government. More details are divulged to Regina later in the film. With his initial explanation, Mr. Bartholomew shows Regina a picture of Charles with 3 other men, during their service in WWII. She recognizes them as Gideon, Tex, and Scobie, from the funeral. After explaining that the government must get the money back, and that she must be on the look out for the other men as they will be hot on the money trail as well, Mr. Bartholomew recruits Regina to work as an agent.

Quite unexpectedly, in the midst of her troubles, Regina gets a welcome visit from Peter Joshua, who says he heard the news of her husband's death and decided to look her up. He becomes a friend and love interest of Regina's, helping her get a temporary new place to stay, in a hotel room right next door to his, conveniently. She tells him about her work as an agent, and that she has no idea where the money is, but that she must find it. After returning to the hotel one evening, following a fun turned horrifying experience for Regina (see the scene below for the fun part), she bids Peter good night and enters her room to be confronted by a visibly angry Scobie, who threatens her to hand over the money, rushes at her, raises his arm, and tries to strike her with his mechanical claw (that's right, no, he doesn't have a normal hand). When he misses, Regina calls for Peter, who has it out with Scobie. Eventually, Peter follows after Scobie, who escaped out the window. Then we get our first "switch" or shocking turn of events...Gideon, Tex, and Scobie are all in one room together. Peter enters nonchalantly and reveals himself as their coconspirator.

The Orange Game

Regina is not far behind however, as she gets phone tip from Scobie telling her that Peter's real name is Dyle and that he is after the money too. This sets up a fun scene where Regina gets to try out her spy skills and track down Peter. Confirming that he is in fact Dyle, Regina tells him that she is on to him...He explains it away, by saying that he is Alex Dyle and brother of Carson Dyle, a man who was in the war with the other four men, but was left for dead because he wouldn't go along with their scheme to steal the money.

In conference with Mr. Bartholomew, Regina learns more of the story behind the $250,000.00 which still hasn't been located. All three of the men were part of military espionage unit with her husband to deliver money (in gold) to French underground. Instead they reported that the German's seized the money, meanwhile having buried it. There was no proof to arrest the men. And Carson Dyle was left for dead...but Carson Dyle had no brother.

Again conveniently, Mr. Bartholomew instructs Regina to find out who Peter Joshua/Alex Dyle is. Regina is now left is a confusing situation, wanting to believe Alex, but not able to trust him because of his lies. Peter Joshua/Alex Dyle sums it up when he tells Regina: "I don't understand you at all - one minute your chasing me around the shower room the next your accusing me of murder." The set up is all very cozy for a nice romantic relationship to flourish, meanwhile threats fly, lies abound, more name changes result, and the thing on everyone's minds...the money...is no where to be found.

Women make the best agents

Eventually, a long journey leads them to the gardens near the Champs Elysees on a Thursday at 5:00 in the afternoon. From there a showdown ensues, accompanied by the fast paced Charade theme that opened the film. After an entire film full of twists and turns, it would be anything, but fitting, if there wasn't at least one last "switch" at the end...In fact, there are a few...The element of suspense is held right up to the end and I can confidently say that the ending will not disappoint.

RIP James Gandolfini

James Gandolfini (1961-2013)

Goodbye to a great talent, gone too soon.

A nice interview to remember him by:



 

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001254/

Two very nice Variety articles on Gandolfini:

 http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/james-gandolfini-dead-of-sudden-stroke-at-51-1200499141/

http://variety.com/2013/voices/opinion/james-gandolfini-an-appreciation-1200499153/

 

 



A Film Favorite for Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! If you're spending the day at home with family and thinking of sitting down to watch a nice movie together, New Line Cinema's Secondhand Lions (2003) is one film I highly suggest.



Secondhand Lions is a film about a shy boy named Walter (Haley Joel Osment), who grows up over a summer spent with two of his old, rough-around-the-edges, carefree uncles (Robert Duvall, Michael Caine). The story opens with Walter's mother dumping him off with his uncles Hub and Garth, who have never seen Walter before, and are NOT interested in looking after him. The uncles are bachelors who don't have kids of their own, aren't looking for any more responsibility, and just want to be left alone. Walter isn't keen on the idea of staying with his uncles either, but has no other choice, and is left to adapt to his new environment.



 

At first, Walter is aloof, and the uncles are indifferent to Walter's company. During the summer however, the boy and his uncles begin to bond. Walter starts to engage Uncle Hub and Garth by asking them to tell him stories about their adventures when they were young. As he learns more about his two uncles, Walter begins to appreciate the time he spends with them, and the uncles start to enjoy their nephew's company.

Secondhand Lions is a very heartwarming story, as it follows the development of the relationship between Walter and his uncles. Although they are family, they initially saw each other as completely alien. The boy was too much of a weakling for his tough-as-nails uncles, and the uncles were too rugged for their scared-of-his-own-shadow nephew. Over the summer, the three become more responsible for one another, and as such, their love of family grows. The uncles begin to understand that Walter's previous home life has been unstable and teach him about what he can make of his life through their stories. The lessons Walter learns from uncles Hub and Garth about life and love help him develop into a more confident boy, while the admiration Walter shows for his uncles, helps them remember the importance of love.

Here's a clip of Uncle Hub giving Walter a piece of his What Every Boy Needs To Know About Being A Man speech:

Tim McCanlies wrote and directed this film. It was released in 2003, and I consider it one of the more modern American classics. Fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other father figures are so important when growing up and learning about life and how to find one's place in the world. The best father figures encourage our dreams and support us with advice and wisdom they've gained from their own life experiences. Secondhand Lions highlights this special bond and the impact a father (or in this case two elderly uncles) can have on a kid. It's a great movie to watch with the family today, to reflect on the fun times you've had with one another, and honor the father who has made an impression on your life.

Everyone needs a person who cares for and loves them, who is anxious for them to succeed, who provides guidance, and who is there throughout the good times and the bad. Don't forget to thank the father/grandpa/uncle/family friend/relative/role model who was that person for you! Happy Father's Day 2013!

Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, and Michael Caine

Hitchcock Direction Perfection

I've seen Hitchcock's North By Northwest (1959) at least four or five times, but never from the absolute beginning. Whenever I'm fortunate enough to catch it on TCM, it's already a good 30 minutes into the film (if you've seen it, somewhere around the part where Cary Grant's character makes his visit to the United Nations in New York). So a few weeks ago, when I found it on dvd, I decided I'd better buy the film for my own collection. I was finally able to watch the whole film, start to finish, without interruption, and what a difference it made.

While I had high respect for the artistry of the film beforehand, the opening added so much to my understanding of the plot and the overall reception of the film. The title sequence alone, with the stirring Bernard Herrmann score and unique graphics, effectively heightened my anticipation for the actual plot to begin. [Side note: If you caught Google's recent search engine homage to artist Saul Bass, you might notice the opening of the video was a recreation of Bass' North By Northwest opening title sequence.] There's also another quick surprise during the title sequence: Hitchcock's trademark cameo appearance (he appears in almost all of his films creating what I call the "Where's Hitch?" effect, substitute Hitch for Waldo). See if you can spot the master of suspense making his way around New York in this clip....Okay, it won't be too hard.

Here's the opening of the film:

Cary Grant very convincingly plays Mr. Roger Thornhill, an advertising executive whose life spins into chaos when out of nowhere he is kidnapped, poisoned, and framed for murder by a group of criminals. While on the run, he is then curiously befriended by a beautiful and mysterious woman Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint), and thereafter continues to have his life repeatedly threatened, unable to rely on the protection of law enforcement. A nice choice of casting resulted in the chief villain, Phillip Vandamm, being played by James Mason, and Leo G. Carroll (a common actor in Hitchcock films like Suspicion, Spellbound, Rebecca, etc.) playing the chief government spy known as "the professor".



Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, Alfred Hitchcock, and James Mason

 

The beginning of the film is crucial to providing context for the relationships that form between the players, and it sets up a fuzzy picture that becomes clearer as the story progresses. Phillip Vandamm (Mason), and his conspirators pursue Thornhill, believing him to be a man named Kaplan. Their attempts to kill Thornhill, despite his insistence that he is not Kaplan, indicates that they have not been in contact with Kaplan before. Early on, it becomes evident that Mr. Kaplan is not on good terms with Vandamm, and may be threatening his illegal activities. Thornhill, eager to absolve himself, sets out find Mr. Kaplan as he runs from the law (for the framed murder) and Vandamm's men. Meanwhile, the government spies are aware of who Vandamm is, and recognize the dangerous position Thornhill is in. However, Vandamm is being monitored by the government via an insider, and any government interference to help Thornhill (in effect, now a decoy) could threaten their access to information.

Typical of Hitchcock, the details and connections in the plot are carefully woven together and slowly unveiled following the epic, iconic, climactic corn field, crop duster scene all the way until the last few scenes of the film. Having seen the movie the whole way through now, I would recommend that if you haven't seen the film before, you wait till you have a chance to watch it from beginning to end. It will make the experience that much better, because while each scene is a piece of art in and of itself, the masterpiece of Hitchcock's creation won't be fully realized unless you've put all the pieces of the puzzle together yourself and experienced the suspense mounting along the way.

Enjoy this video from the TCM Classic Film Festival, with Eva Marie Saint and Martin Landau, two of the actors from North by Northwest, discussing their experiences working on the film with expert film historian Robert Osborne.

A quick before and after: