8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A trio of crooks relentlessly pursue a young American woman through Paris in an attempt to recover the fortune her dead husband stole from them. The only person she can trust is a suave, mysterious stranger.
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George KennedyRomance | 100% |
Mystery | 8% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 2.0 Mono
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Alfred Hitchock is undoubtedly one of the most beloved and influential film directors of all time, and so it’s perhaps understandable why so many—so many—other directors have attempted to ape his approach and, at times, his actual style. How many reviews have you read where a critic deems any given piece “Hitchcockian”? Most likely a lot. Directors like Brian De Palma have built large swaths of their career out of these so-called Hitchcockian offerings, while non other than Gus Van Sant basically got out his cinematic Xerox machine in his disastrously misguided (almost) shot by shot re-do of the master’s iconic Psycho. There have certainly been honorable entries in these “ape Hitch” sweepstakes (one thinks of fare like the relatively recent Tell No One, or even of that “French Hitchcock” Clouzot’s masterpiece Diabolique), but more often than not filmmakers who try to mimic Hitchcock only reveal their own incompetence and lack of vision. And one perhaps unexpected reason is that many of these folks miss one of the most salient reasons that Hitchcock’s films were so distinctive: Hitch had a sense of humor. Even in some of his most terrifying films, there are little nuggets of black comedy that are often devastatingly effective. In his ostensibly lighter fare, like North by Northwest, the humor is right there on the surface for all to view (and we’re not just talking about the little boy in the background of the early shooting scene who covers his ears in what was obviously a late take of that particular sequence). North by Northwest in fact is probably the Hitchcock film most like Charade, which for my money (as well as for several other critics) is the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock had nothing to do with. With an ebullient and brilliantly convoluted screenplay by Peter Stone and sharply directed by erstwhile musical helmsman Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain ), Charade has a, well, Hitchcockian sense of humor in virtually every sequence, but it’s also tense and at times downright nerve wracking.
Note: Screenshots 1-20 are from this new Universal release. Screenshots 21-25 are from the previously released Criterion Blu-ray. I have
tried to replicate as closely as possible the frames for these five comparison shots, but they're not 100% duplicated.
Charade is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios with a VC-1 encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. For Universal bashers who
are (in best Universal Studios tradition) already at the ready with their torches and pitchforks, there's actually pretty good news here. This
release has not been scrubbed to within an inch of its life and grain is quite noticeable throughout this offering. That said, after having
compared the Universal release to the Criterion, my personal opinion is that the Criterion offers a slightly more convincing presentation,
especially with regard to color, but I stress that this is a matter of personal taste and also probably incremental degrees. Both of these
transfers have many of the same anomalies, including softness at various times and some minor
color fluctuations that give a "pulsing" aspect a time or two. But I found the flesh tones more accurate on the Criterion release. There's nothing
really to complain about with the Universal release, though, which considering Universal's spotty track record with its catalog releases is
something of a minor miracle.
Charade is presented with a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix delivered via DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. This obviously narrow rendering still supports the film's snappy dialogue and equally snappy Henry Mancini score quite easily. There's a surprising amount of punch to some of the foley effects as well (those who grate at fingernails on blackboards may have the same reaction as Scobie rips down the side of a rooftop by the hook on his missing hand). Fidelity is very good and dynamic range is fairly wide.
Charade has so many priceless tidbits of dialogue it's hard to single only one out, but when Reggie stares into Peter's eyes and asks, "You know what's wrong with you? Absolutely nothing", she could well be giving the briefest ever totally accurate review of Charade. This is pure perfection in filmmaking, with a tart and suspenseful script, absolutely top notch direction and a cast to die for. Perhaps surprisingly, this Universal release stands up pretty well when compared to the Criterion, at least in terms of video and audio quality. The supplements are another matter entirely: the Criterion release is a must have for the absolutely hysterically funny commentary with Peter Stone and Stanley Donen, who spend the entire time (mock) arguing with each other. My advice is if you don't mind spending a little dough, seek out the Criterion release. If you haven't ever seen Charade, or don't have a bucketful of moolah to throw at the film, the Universal is certainly a good enough runner up.
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