Day Two Hundred and Thirty-four - Charade, "For crying out loud... Audrey, you slay me with my own desire."

Where the rest of the world is enamored with Breakfast at Tiffany's, I think I prefer this Audrey most of all. She's sophisticated, witty... of course, very lovely... and has the best lines that run contrary to what you would expect in conversations concerning stolen gold, murder, and espionage.

And there's Cary Grant, too! Double trouble!

Set in Paris of the 60's, Audrey is the jilted widow of a man who seems to have been both a spy and a thief. Of course, she didn't know that when she married him, and was about to divorce the cad when she managed to escape the marriage the old fashioned way... he died.

Or rather, he was murdered, by persons unknown.

Having just returned from a ski holiday with a friend, she finds her husband has been killed, her apartment shuttered and divested of all property, and a fortune she never knew she had twisting in the wind somewhere. She's not the only one curious as to what's going on, though, as not only does the Paris police have questions, but also the CIA (Walter Matthau) and quite a few ruffians (in the form of James Coburn, George Kennedy, and Ned Glass).

If that's not enough, she's assisted and/or possibly hindered by a man of many names and trades, but who happens to be played by the always debonair Cary Grant. Within the confines of the film, the two of them alternately swoon and snap at each other for the duration as Grant's Peter (or Alexander or Adam or...) seems to be working for all parties, most especially himself.

I love this film for every scene but one.

From the moment we meet Audrey's Regina Lampert, we fall in love... which is standard procedure for anything she does... and watching her go from scared widow to giddy adventurer and back again is a delight. Of course she is a delight to watch, but she's not just an empty dress as her wit and good humor are almost always about her, even as her violent suitors begin to drop like so many flies.

And Grant? Well, Grant can carry just about any film as we've seen before. Sure, the one scene that I just cannot stand is his comical clothes-on shower scene as he tries to deflect Audrey's attempts at seduction... I mean, honestly, who wouldn't need a cold shower after any of her attentions? I could almost forgive him if it wasn't so ridiculous and terribly unfunny. He almost loses me again when he gives her a goofy face during the falling action (ugh!), but I survived... in part thanks to Audrey's reaction when she catches up in the conversation.

While the supporting cast isn't numerous, the names they got were great. Sure, James Coburn is a little hammy as Tex, but I really enjoyed Walter Matthau as Bartholomew, the CIA contact who keeps popping back up to warn Reggie. He does a great job of keeping her (and her romance with Peter... or Alexander... or Adam) off balance.

It's also fun to have George Kennedy in a much more malicious role than I'm used to seeing him in (like in is work in The Naked Gun series). While his fight with Grant on the Paris rooftops is silly, it's still a great scene between them.

The mystery itself needed a few more references so it didn't come as such a shock when the whereabouts of the fortune were revealed... especially since they emphasized the dental appointment a little too much, but it flows pretty naturally once it does start rolling. It just seems a bit too convenient a wrap up... especially considering other, better heist movies like To Catch A Thief.

Charade is also notable for its almost Hitchcockian shots, such as the shadowed dialogue scene just after Reggie returns from being interrogated the first time... and the morgue scene with the POV shot from the corpse's perspective.

When it comes down to it, though, Charade is a dazzingly film. Not quite up to the levels of perfection it probably could have been, but Audrey is in fine form and Grant only just below his normal levels of charm. I can't really blame him for that, though, as it seemed more an issue of writing than anything else. There are a few plot holes unfilled and character threads left dangling, but nothing too egregious.

Definitely worth the watch, I think... especially if you're a fan of classic suspense films.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Eighty-four - Sabrina, "Audrey is beautiful as always, but I just don't feel any chemistry with Bogey."

As much as I like the idea of Audrey breaking down convention and chasing after the man she loves in spite of class difference, I just really can't get behind any of these relationships.

Set in the post-war boom where Bogey and William Holden are the brothers Linus and David (respectively) who are heirs to a great corporate legacy, Audrey plays the chauffeur's daughter, Sabrina, who is madly in love with the playboy David but eventually falls for Linus' stoicism.

It's hard to get behind these characters and their shipping due to the simple fact that David is an utter cad and Linus just can't sell that he has a soul. Oh, sure, Bogey is every bit the gung-ho capitalist who cares nothing for money and is all about productivity for progress' sake, but from the moment he actually tries to falsely woo Hepburn's Sabrina, I just can't believe a single moment of it.

Whether it's his confession of suicidal thoughts or his choice during the climax to tell Sabrina the unvarnished truth, Linus is as thoroughly fake a character as I've ever seen Bogart play.

Maybe it's just the lack of chemistry, as even Audrey's charm wasn't enough to convince me, or maybe its the generation gap, but I was completely unable to suspend my disbelief. Honestly, the only true moment that I felt between them was when Sabrina almost attempted suicide herself in the garage. At least, back then before her life-altering trip to Paris, they weren't trying to scam each other... but that's because their lives didn't depend on getting something from the other.

It's also hard to enjoy the despicable, mercenary attitude of the family. Sure, it's to be expected, but the way the first half of the film tries to make the Larabees come across as progressive and magnanimous, filled to the brim with noblesse oblige, mostly due to Linus' speech on the greater good of capitalism, it feels a bit disingenuous for them to try and shuffle Sabrina off (or just fire her father as the family Patriarch desires).

I do love Audrey (as most people do) for her beauty, wit, and charm... and similarly I'm a huge fan of Bogey both for African Queen and Casablanca, but Sabrina, for all its status as a classic, has no magic aside from the plastic allure of its leads and their reputation. The film, itself, isn't worth the effort.

Quick shout-out to John Williams who plays Sabrina's father. While I much prefer him as the insurance investigator in To Catch A Thief, his spots (while minor) were nice.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Fifty-nine - Roman Holiday, "Audrey, you were and ever shall be divine."

The two Hepburn girls always rank very high in my book when it comes to classic cinema. American Kate had this piercing, cynical wit that she pulled from for just about every role and British Audrey... well, Audrey was innocence, beauty, and desire all wrapped up in one.

And it shows right here (and in pretty much all of her films) with Roman Holiday.

Co-starring with Gregory Peck (I still need to track down his Hornblower film for a decent price), Roman Holiday has Audrey playing Princess Anne from a never-named European monarchy who is sick to death of all her pressing responsibilities as a figurehead for her country.

With Rome being the last stop in a long goodwill tour across post-war Europe, Anne is in hysterics due to all the stress she's been under and is sedated by her Royal Physician. The mickey doesn't take effect for a while, though, and it gives her enough time to escape the embassy and walk the streets of Rome, only to finally succumb to the drug's effects.

That's where Gregory Peck comes in.

A newsman, sensing a... well, sensational story brewing, Peck's Joe Bradley takes her in and shows her the wonders of bohemian Rome. There's tours by scooter (probably the most iconic image from the film), dancing by the river, and a stolen kiss while the two of them are drenched, having escaped from agents searching for her.

I really love this film because it sticks to its guns and doesn't give you the schmaltzy happy ending that most films would. As their relationship grows closer over the course of the day, you can see the haunted looks that cross their countenances... they know their fling is doomed and that nothing can ever come from it, but that doesn't stop their hearts from wanting.

Their goodbye at the embassy gates, her as the plain Anya and him still masquerading as a chemical salesman, emphasizes this... and it all comes back when they meet again, cold and distant on the surface as Princess and Reporter who have supposedly never met before, but you can see the warmth and love in their eyes.

And the regret.

That last, lingering shot as Bradley slowly paces out of the ostentatious meeting hall, everyone else having long since left, is a quiet moment of finality and acceptance. Their love can never be, but they are both better off for having that brief Roman Holiday.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~