Charade: Criterion Collection (Blu-Ray)

Would someone please remove the orange from under Judge Clark Douglas' chin?

It's a guessing game of mirth and mystery!

"Of course, you won't be able to lie on your back for a while but then you can lie from any position, can't you?"

The lovely Regina Lambert (Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's) has just returned to Paris after a pleasant ski vacation in Switzerland. She needed the relaxation, as she's about to divorce her husband. Alas, she soon makes a series of startling discoveries. First, her apartment has been ransacked. Second, her husband has been murdered. Third, her husband recently participated in the theft of $250,000. Fourth, he was in possession of the money until recently, but now it's gone missing. Worst of all, Mr. Lambert's sinister partners in crime Tex Panthollow (James Coburn, The Great Escape), Leopold W. Gideon (Ned Glass, Save the Tiger and Herman Scobie (George Kennedy, Cool Hand Luke) are now in pursuit of the missing cash and will stop at nothing to get it.

Though flustered and frustrated, Regina still finds time for romance (it is Paris, after all), striking up a relationship with the charming Peter Joshua (Cary Grant, North by Northwest), who quickly volunteers to help Regina locate the missing cash and fend off the bad guys. Alas, he hasn't told her what he's planning to do with the money once he's helped her locate it. So begins a tale of mystery, romance, adventure and betrayal—Charade!

It's a reliable formula that's been popular for decades: two movie stars are unexpectedly thrust into the midst of an action-packed adventure, trading quips and falling in love with each other along the way. Hitchcock did this in films like The 39 Steps and To Catch a Thief, while more recently we've seen it in such films as the Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz vehicle Knight & Day and the forthcoming Johnny Depp/Angelina Jolie lark The Tourist. However, it has been persuasively argued that the king of all such films is Charade, which offers the impossibly delightful pairing of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Yes, the film is lightweight, silly, playful fluff—but it's about as good as lightweight, silly, playful fluff gets.

The film was directed by Stanley Donen, whose pleasant, easygoing personality is reflected in the films he made. His achievements include such charmers as Singin' in the Rain, Funny Face, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Bedazzled. Delightful as these films are (and it's hard to dispute the idea that Singin' in the Rain is his masterpiece), Charade will always hold a special place in my heart as my favorite Donen flick. No, it isn't a perfect film or even a terribly ambitious one, but it does what it does so well and with such smile-inducing wit that I've found myself returning to it again and again.

The film is a blatantly commercial affair, but this is a prime example of Old Hollywood crowd-pleasing at its finest. Made in 1963, the film feels like one of the last great hits of the old establishment; part of the last batch of innocent, carefree treats that dominated the movies before the walls were torn down and a new generation of ambitious, edgy filmmakers conducted their revolution. Donen's direction is crisp and breezy, Peter Stone's screenplay is loaded with delightful exchanges ("How about making me vice president in charge of cheering you up?"), Henry Mancini's frothy score energetically invites the viewer to revel in the proceedings and Charles Lang's cinematography captures Paris at its loveliest.

However, the whole thing would be disposable were it not for the skills of the two stars at its core. Has there ever been an actress as naturally appealing as Audrey Hepburn, or an actor as effortlessly charming as Cary Grant? Critics tend to pay high compliments to movie stars on occasion by likening them to Hepburn or Grant, but no one could ever replace the unique presence of either star. Of course, great movie stars sometimes simply fail to generate great chemistry, but thankfully that wasn't a problem for the stars of Charade. Hepburn and Grant seem delighted at the opportunity to play off each other; each actor enhances the other tremendously. They were the quintessential movie stars of their generation, and though both have greater films on their resume than Charade, there is perhaps no better film to demonstrate why they were so beloved.

Grant and Hepburn are backed up by a terrific supporting cast, with James Coburn and George Kennedy seeming to have a particularly good time chewing on the scenery. It's worth noting that while violence and death play a significant role in the proceedings, such scenes are generally handled in such a playful manner that they do nothing to dampen the mood. It's as if the film is saying, "Hey, it's only a movie." Walter Matthau is effective as the no-nonsense CIA man, whose presence brings the level of required gravitas to a handful of scenes that aren't quite so cheerful.

Charade was released and then re-released by Criterion on DVD in the past, and it's nice to see them add the title to their library of hi-def titles. As you might expect, Charade lands on Blu-ray with a sparkling 1080p/1.85:1 transfer (its original aspect ratio, despite the fact that a Universal DVD release presented it in 2.35:1). The Blu-ray release is a pretty significant improvement from the DVD, which is particularly noteworthy given that Criterion's DVD releases sometimes look nearly as good as their HD counterparts. The image is cleaner, brighter and benefits from considerable depth. Detail is excellent, with a faint layer of natural grain present throughout. Flesh tones are warm and accurate. The mono audio is also clean and clear, with a vibrant soundtrack and blemish-free dialogue. Sound design is surprisingly nuanced at times for a film of this age.

I only have one small complaint with this release, which is that Criterion still hasn't afforded Charade the lavish attention in the supplemental department that most of its other releases receive. All you get is the same old recycled commentary with Donen and Stone (a charming listen, to be sure), a trailer and the usual Criterion booklet. This flick is ripe for a meaty retrospective documentary. Ah, well.

If you haven't seen Charade, you're in for a treat. If you're a longtime fan of the film such as myself, you'll be delighted to discover that it looks better than ever. It's worth an upgrade, to be sure.

Did we give Charade: Criterion Collection (Blu-Ray) a fair trial? yes / no

What's "fair"? Whether positive or negative, our reviews should be unbiased, informative, and critique the material on its own merits.

• Commentary
• Trailer
• Booklet

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TCM Greatest Gangster Films Collection: Prohibition Era

Judge Roman Martel was seeing exiting a speakeasy with his best gal in one arm and a Tommy gun in the other.

Four films from the 1930s delving into the criminal world of the '20s and featuring some of the biggest stars of the era? Sounds like a swell time!

Gather around ya mugs and molls. We got da goods here. You want Tommy guns? I got 'em. You want dames? I got 'em. You want speakeasies? I got 'em. You want fast talkin', gun totin', cigar chompin' men in hats? Well, I got them too. What you think this is? We got class in this joint!

(cough cough)

Okay, so maybe watching these films back-to-back wasn't a great idea, but I gotta admit all four of these Warner Bros. pics present a bit of history in the making. Whether it's the first star performance by a young James Cagney, or the last hurrah for a genre, Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, Smart Money, and The Roaring Twenties represent important moments in the evolution of crime cinema.

These films have all been previously explored in depth on DVD Verdict, and I actually agree with most of my colleagues opinions, so I'll stick to providing a brief plot summary and my impressions.

Watching these in chronological order meant Little Caesar was the first flick in the line. We follow Rico (Edward G. Robinson), a little gangster with big dreams, from his start as a small time robber to becoming the leader of his own gang. Rico is arrogant and ambitious, never satisfied until he reaches the top. But like a Chicago version of Macbeth, Rico's aspirations lead to his downfall.

Robinson is the real reason to watch the movie. He is electrifying as Rico and compels you to keep watching, even when the rest of the film feels like an extended cliché. I hate to sound so negative, because what you see here is the start of all the mobster clichés we are familiar with. It takes a real force of will to separate your viewing experience from all the same old, same old on the screen. Robinson helps with his performance, but even that has been parodied and mimicked countless times. Fans of Robinson will find lots to enjoy, but modern audiences will find the movie a bit slow, even with its short 78 minute running time.

Next up is The Public Enemy from 1931, starring a very young James Cagney as Tom Powers. The film follows Tom from street-wise urchin to right hand man of a Chicago bootlegging operation. Tom is a nasty piece of work; brutal and greedy, he does what he must to get what he wants. And to be honest, it looks like he enjoys killing and roughing folks up. The movie is infamous for Cagney's use of a grapefruit on his moll, but it also features an early performance by the lovely Jean Harlow. The film plays out much like Little Caesar, with Tom rising high and falling hard.

The Public Enemy also shares a lot with Little Caesar in the fact that it originated so many of the gangster moments and characters you can't help but feel that you've seen this all before. Cagney is the reason to watch. He is amazing and for this only being his fourth film, it's quite an accomplishment. The movie itself just doesn't have the power it used to and I'm afraid many may find it slow going.

That same year, Robinson and Cagney came together for the first and only time in Smart Money. This is a strange addition to the set, because it never really deals with prohibition or gangsters. It's all about Nick the Barber (Robinson) a big gambler in a small town. He heads to the big city to make his fortune at a high stakes poker game. When he gets cleaned out and later finds out he was duped, Nick lays out a clever plot to find the con men and get his money back.

The first half of Smart Money is pretty entertaining, with Robinson's Nick a jovial and genuine guy. Sure he's a shady gambler, but you like him. His quest to get back at the mugs who ripped him off is fun, at first, but then the script switches gears and turns Nick into the kingpin of his own gambling racket. This part is less interesting and seems almost tacked on, ultimately leaving you uncertain whether or not to root for Nick. Cagney's presence is a supporting role and he's good, but this is Robinson's show and he does what he can with the odd tale. Unfortunately, the final product leaves you unsatisfied.

We jump forward to 1939 and The Roaring Twenties, a star-studded film featuring James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Priscilla Lane, and Gladys George. Setting itself up like a newsreel covering the 1920s, charting the rise and fall of Eddie Bartlett (Cagney), we watch as he returns from WWI only to find no work. When things get desperate, he gets pulled into the bootlegging business; doing his best to keep violence to a minimum and still make a good profit. Of course he gets involved with a dame, and Bogart plays the tricky partner who can't be trusted. It all ends in broken dreams and a hail of bullets.

The Roaring Twenties is the best film in the set; top-notch entertainment on all fronts. The script is solid, providing all the characters room to live and breathe. Eddie is a good guy who becomes a criminal to survive and then is absorbed into the excess, just like everyone else. His heart of gold is what gets him in trouble, and we see that cold-hearted jerks like Bogart are the ones really cut out to be successful gangsters. The entire cast is solid and the newsreel style does a lot to pull you into the story. If there is anything to complain about its the nightclub songs that end up slowing the pace down a bit. But the movie strives to have everything: action, melodrama, music, and nostalgia. It's a good blend and makes for one entertaining film.

A few general caveats about the four films here. Keep in mind, these were made in the 1930s when politically correct wasn't even a term. There are some racial stereotypes that some may find offensive. There are also some issues with sound in the earliest of the films. Recording sound in movies was still pretty new and they hadn't worked out all the kinks. I found a few moments where dialogue was hard to catch because of the source recording.

The films are presented on two flipper discs with a movie on each side. The pictures have been cleaned up a bit and for movies this old they look great. Sound is clear, aside from the source issues I mentioned earlier.

Wadda want? You want extras bub? You got 'em! All four flicks come with the option to play as part of a "Night at the Movies." This means you get a whole set of short films before the feature starts. The usual pattern is a trailer for a movie that came out the same year, a newsreel, a short subject or two, a cartoon, and then the feature. This creates an instant time machine that I really enjoyed and recommend. All four films also come with commentaries by film historians. These are pretty good with lots of information and, while there may be some gaps here and there, I prefer this to lots of babble about nothing in particular. Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, and The Roaring Twenties all come with featurettes about the making of the films and their place in cinema history. These are pretty informative and worth watching after you see the film. I found them pointing out a lot of elements I missed in my initial viewing and affected my final appraisal of the film.

Just be advised that these aren't new to DVD. Warner Bros. has previously released all four films individually and as elements of other box sets. So really this just gives you another set of options. If these movies appeal to you, and you don't already have them, by all means pick up the setp. You get four movies for a little less than the price of two—a good deal!

You think I'm gonna throw the book at these mugs and molls? You're outta your mind…Not Guilty! Now let's get a drink.

Did we give TCM Greatest Gangster Films Collection: Prohibition Era a fair trial? yes / no

What's "fair"? Whether positive or negative, our reviews should be unbiased, informative, and critique the material on its own merits.

View the original article here