NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective disc.

ADDITION: Criterion 4K UHD (June 2026): Criterion have transferred Stanley Donen's Charade to 4K UHD. We compared the 2010 Criterion Blu-ray to three different DVD version, HERE. This package actually contains the 2010 Blu-ray as evidenced by the file dates:

The Criterion 4K UHD edition of Charade features a stunning new 4K digital restoration from the original camera negative, presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Colors export vibrancy, film-accurate fidelity - particularly the rich reds, Givenchy couture textures, and autumnal Parisian palette - while fine detail in faces, fabrics, and architectural backgrounds is sharply enhanced without sacrificing natural film grain. Contrast and black levels are excellent, bringing luminous depth to Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant’s close-ups and clarity to the bustling Paris locations. The overall look is a semi-tone darker. It's all a clear notch above the 1080P with more stability, better contrast and superior color balance. Charade is a visual feast that epitomizes 1960s Hollywood elegance fused with European sophistication. Its "look" is defined by glamour. The 2180P totally suits the film’s blend of suspense, wit, and romance. It is a hands down, appreciated, upgrade over the previous Blu-ray release.

Like 4K UHD transfers of The Long Wait, I, the Jury, and many others below, Criterion's 2160P transfer of Charade does not have HDR applied (no HDR10, HDR10+, nor Dolby Vision.) We have seen many other 4K UHD transfers without HDR; Mondo Macabro's Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf, Cult Film's Django 4K UHD, Umbrella's 4K UHD transfer of Peter Weir's The Last Wave, Radiance's Palindromes, and Criterion's 4K UHD transfers of Shoeshine, The Burmese Harp, Fires on the Plain, Killer of Sheep, Chungking Express, Winchester '73, The Mother and the Whore, I Am Cuba, The Others, Rules of the Game, Branded to Kill, In the Mood For Love, Night of the Living Dead, and further examples, Masters of Cinema's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Kino's 4K UHDs of Bob le Flambeur, Last Year at Marienbad, Nostalghia, The Apartment, For a Few Dollars More, A Fistful of Dollars, In the Heat of the Night, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as well as Koch Media's Neon Demon + one of the 4K UHD transfers of Dario Argento's Suspiria.

NOTE: We have added 70 more large resolution 4K UHD captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their 4K UHD, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. The uncompressed monaural track is clean, clear, and faithful to the original. Henry Mancini’s (Step Down to Terror, Days of Wine and Roses, Oklahoma Crude, Wait Until Dark, Operation Petticoat, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, Experiment in Terror,) iconic jazzy score comes through with warmth and presence, its playful and suspenseful cues filling the single channel effectively. Dialogue is crisp and intelligible throughout, with minimal hiss or damage. The track handles dynamic shifts well - from intimate banter to sudden sound effects and the sultry title song - maintaining the film’s light-footed charm. Criterion offer optional English subtitles (SDH) on their Region FREE 4K UHD. and second disc, region 'A'-locked, Blu-ray.

Criterion's 4K UHD package carries over the core supplements from Criterion’s earlier 2010 Blu-ray release. The standout is the engaging 1999 audio commentary featuring director Stanley Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone (Arabesque, The Secret War of Harry Frigg, Mirage, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,) full of witty anecdotes about the production, casting challenges, and Paris shooting. Also included are the 2010 Blu-ray with the original theatrical trailer and a printed essay by film historian Bruce Eder. While the commentary remains insightful and fun, the package feels relatively sparse for a Criterion title, lacking new video essays, interviews, or deeper archival material.

Stanley Donen's Charade is a masterful hybrid of romantic comedy, screwball farce, and suspense thriller that has earned its reputation as "the best Hitchcock movie Hitchcock never made." At its core, Charade explores deception, trust, and identity. Everyone wears masks: Reggie’s husband lived multiple lives; the villains and allies constantly reinvent themselves; even Reggie must discern truth amid flirtation and danger. The title itself signals a game of pretense. The film probes what relationships mean without honesty - Reggie’s loveless marriage contrasts with her whirlwind romance - and comments lightly on post-WWII greed and Cold War-era paranoia through the OSS/CIA backdrop. It balances dark elements (murder, threats) with levity, treating corpses and violence with macabre humor reminiscent of Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry. Themes of reinvention and fluid identity feel surprisingly modern. Cinematography by Charles Lang (Wait Until Dark, How to Steal a Million, Inside Daisy Clover, Father Goose, How the West Was Won, Summer and Smoke, One-Eyed Jacks, The Magnificent Seven, Strangers When We Meet, Last Train from Gun Hill, Some Like It Hot, Separate Tables, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, The Rainmaker, Queen Bee, Female on the Beach, The Man from Laramie, Sabrina, The Big Heat, Sudden Fear, The Atomic City, Red Mountain, Ace in the Hole, Rope of Sand, A Foreign Affair, Desert Fury, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Uninvited, So Proudly We Hail!, No Time for Love, The Shepherd of the Hills, The Ghost Breakers, The Cat and the Canary, Spawn of the North, You and Me, Desire, Peter Ibbetson, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, She Done Him Wrong,) is crisp and elegant in Technicolor, while Maurice Binder’s animated titles and Henry Mancini’s jazzy score (with the memorable title song) add playful sophistication. The film’s greatest strength is the luminous pairing of, 59-year old, Cary Grant (Father Goose, Operation Petticoat, North by Northwest, Houseboat, Indiscreet, An Affair to Remember, To Catch a Thief, The Bishop's Wife, Notorious, Arsenic and Old Lace, Suspicion, The Philadelphia Story, His Girl Friday, Only Angels Have Wings, Bringing Up Baby, I'm No Angel, The Eagle and the Hawk, She Done Him Wrong, Blonde Venus, Merrily We Go to Hell) and 33-year old Audrey Hepburn (Wait Until Dark, Two for the Road, How to Steal a Million, My Fair Lady, The Children's Hour, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Unforgiven, The Nun's Story, Love in the Afternoon, War and Peace, Sabrina, Roman Holiday, The Lavender Hill Mob.) Grant’s suave, reluctant romantic - self-conscious about the age gap, with added dialogue acknowledging it - delivers effortless charm and comic timing. Hepburn shines as the vulnerable yet resilient, food-nervous heroine who pursues love amid chaos; her elegance and comic reactions anchor the film. Their chemistry is electric, with improvised banter and iconic moments (e.g., the chin-dimples line). Supporting players in Charade shine brightly: Walter Matthau (Hopscotch, The Bad News Bears, The Front Page, Earthquake, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Charley Varrick, A New Leaf, Candy, Mirage, Fail Safe, Lonely Are the Brave, Strangers When We Meet, A Face in the Crowd, Bigger Than Life, The Indian Fighter, The Kentuckian,) brings sly, sardonic charm as the ambiguous CIA agent Carson Dyle; James Coburn (Looker, Cross of Iron, Hard Times, The Internecine Project, Harry in Your Pocket, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, The Carey Treatment, Duck, You Sucker, Candy, The President's Analyst, Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, Our Man Flint, The Loved One, Major Dundee, The Americanization of Emily, Kings of the Sun, The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven,) delivers cool, laconic menace as the laid-back Texan killer Tex Panthollow; and George Kennedy (Creepshow 2, Death Ship, Death on the Nile, The Eiger Sanction Earthquake, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Deliver Us from Evil, Airport, The Boston Strangler, Cool Hand Luke, The Dirty Dozen, Hurry Sundown, The Flight of the Phoenix, The Sons of Katie Elder, Shenandoah, Mirage, Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Strait-Jacket, Lonely Are the Brave,) is memorably intimidating as the hulking, hook-handed Herman Scobie - together they form a colorful, entertaining trio of villains who perfectly balance humor and threat. Charade is pure cinematic champagne: witty, suspenseful, romantic, and impeccably crafted. It showcases Hollywood elegance at its peak, where style, stars, and cleverness triumph over perfect logic, making it a timeless gem of 1960s cinema. Criterion’s 4K UHD of Charade excels where it matters most: delivering a gorgeous visual upgrade that makes this stylish classic look better than ever on modern displays. The core presentation and solid commentary make it a worthy purchase for fans upgrading from older editions, though the extras are somewhat underwhelming by Criterion’s usual standards. Overall, it’s a warm recommendation for anyone who loves this sparkling romantic thriller - essential for the picture quality alone.

Gary Tooze