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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
directed
by Stanley Donen
U.S.A. 1963
In this comedic thriller, a trio of crooks relentlessly pursue a young American,
played by Audrey Hepburn in gorgeous Givenchy, through Paris in an attempt to
recover the fortune her dead husband stole from them. The only person she can
trust is Cary Grant’s suave, mysterious stranger. Director Stanley Donen goes
deliciously dark for Charade, a glittering emblem of sixties style and macabre
wit.
*** Donen's typically slick comedy thriller, ingeniously scripted by Peter Stone, is a mammoth audience teaser, with a small cast of characters, bursting with multiple identities, caught up in a complicated hunt for a fortune in gold coins seemingly secreted by Hepburn's murdered husband. Grant imparts his ineffable charm, Kennedy (with metal hand) provides comic brutality, while Hepburn is elegantly fraught. There are also smart Parisian settings and smart Mancini music. The result has a chic rating of at least 180; and while hardly as sturdy or provoking an entertainment as North by Northwest, say, it remains an entertainment. |
Posters
Theatrical Release Date: December 5, 1963
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Sanctuary Region 0 - PAL vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Universal - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray
NOTE: A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW CRITERION DVDs IS HEREThanks to Enrique B Chamorro for the PAL screen caps!
NOTE: 'Charade' is on the flip side of "The Truth About Charlie" - Universal DVD (2003)
(Sanctuary Region 0 - PAL vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - Left vs. Universal Region 1 - NTSC - Right)
DVD Box Covers |
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Coming to Blu-ray, in the UK, by Criterion in February 2021: | ||
Distribution |
Sanctuary Digital Entertainment Region 0 - PAL |
Criterion Region 1 - NTSC |
Universal
Region 1 - NTSC |
Criterion Collection - Spine # 57 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:53:12 | 1:53:12 | 1:53:16 | 1:53:36.392 |
Video |
1.85 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.91 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
1.85 Original Aspect Ratio |
1.85:1
Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced |
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 36,935,507,881 bytesFeature: 35,667,339,264 bytesVideo Bitrate: 35.28 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes |
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Bitrate:
Sanctuary |
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Bitrate:
Criterion
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Bitrate:
Universal |
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Bitrate:
Criterion Blu-ray |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) |
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) |
LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz /
1152 kbps / 24-bit LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit |
Subtitles | English, and none | English, French and none | Spanish, French and none (Close captioned for the hearing impaired.) | English, and none |
Features |
Release Information:
Aspect
Ratio: • Commentary by film historian Ken Barnes with audio clips from Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer. • Production Background text screens (9) • Cast & Crew Profiles text screens • Original Theatrical Trailer • Trailers for "Funny Face" and "Notorious" • 1 min 23 sec excerpt from Audrey Hepburn's debut screen appearance in "Laughter in Paradise" 1951 • 2 min 38 sec excerpt from Cary Grant's debut screen appearance in "Singapore Sue" 1931 • "The JFK Factor" is a 1 min 26 sec comparisons of the film at the 1 hr 10 min mark when the producers first released the film with the words "eliminated" / "eliminate" (in color) in the place of "assassinated" / "assassinate" (in black and white). The film was going to be release around Christmas 1963, but with President Kennedy being assassinated 11/22/63, they had the words dubbed by Hepburn and Grant. This issue is covered in Stanley Donen's commentary and Ken Barnes commentary. NOTE: The UK edition still has the words "eliminated" while the Criterion edition has "assassinated" restored.
DVD
Release Date: March 5th, 2001 Chapters 20 |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect
Ratio: Chapters 22 |
Release Information: Studio: Universal Studios Aspect Ratio:
DVD
Release Date: April 1, 2003 Chapters 18 |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 36,935,507,881 bytesFeature: 35,667,339,264 bytesVideo Bitrate: 35.28 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 22 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray - September 2010: Three times lucky? The short story is that colors and grain and the biggest beneficiaries of the new 1080P transfer from Criterion. The vibrancy of the visuals is very notable but the textured grain is downright 'delicious'. Charade finally looks 'film-like' and I expect this will be the closest the colors come to being authentic as we are likely to see on consumer digital video. Black levels are pitch - also making for superior detail - adding another consideration.Audio is representing the film in a lossless linear PCM mono track at a modest 1152 kbps. It sounds consistent and clean being pushed from the front of your surround system. The Mancini score sounds magnificent. The Blu-ray contains optional English subtitles and my Momitsu confirms that the disc is region 'A'-locked. No new supplements - still, we get the 1999-recoreded commentary by director Stanley Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone and the included, 3:15, trailer (in rough shape) in in HD. As common with the addiction of BD - this was the most I have enjoyed Charade. The explosive colors and notable grain provide and extremely impressive presentation. a DVD viewing, by any of the editions, is easily second-rate from seeing Donen's film in the glory of High-definition. Absolutely recommended! ****
NOTE: A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW CRITERION IS HERE ON THE DVDs: As far as the UK edition goes, it is brighter, but not as sharp as the Criterion and has easily identifiable edge-enhancement. It has extensive extras though. Another example of how the better source material beats out poorer even though it is anamorphic in regards to the Universal. Criterion wins with better contrast and sharper (look at the mountains in the distance in the first capture). Even though the Criterion and the Sanctuary are 'Out Of Print', you can find them on eBay, and for fans they may want to get both versions for all the extras. Both the Universal and Sanctuary are slightly horizontally cropped. NOTE: Beware the many public
domain print DVDs of this film out there in Region 1!... most are total
crap!
-
Gary
W. Tooze
***
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DVD Menus
(Sanctuary
Region 0 - PAL LEFT vs. Criterion
- Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Universal Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)
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Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Screen Captures
1) Sanctuary Region 0 - PAL - TOP 2) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND3) Universal Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD 4) Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Sanctuary Region 0 - PAL - TOP 2) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND3) Universal Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD 4) Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Sanctuary Region 0 - PAL - TOP 2) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND3) Universal Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD 4) Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Sanctuary Region 0 - PAL - TOP 2) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND3) Universal Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD 4) Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
More Blu-ray Captures
Report Card:
Image: |
Blu-ray |
Sound: |
Blu-ray |
Extras: | Sanctuary |
DVD Box Covers |
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Coming to Blu-ray, in the UK, by Criterion in February 2021: |
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Distribution |
Sanctuary Digital Entertainment Region 0 - PAL |
Criterion Region 1 - NTSC |
Universal
Region 1 - NTSC |
Criterion Collection - Spine # 57 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |