Charade

Director - Stanley Donen
Writer - Peter Stone

Cast Character

Carey Grant ... Peter Joshua/Dyle
Audrey Hepburn ... Regina Lampert
Walter Matthau ... Hamilton Bartholemew
James Coburn ... Tex Panthollow
George Kennedy ... Herman Scobie
Dominique Minot ... Sylvie Gaudet

Romance and suspense in Paris, as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Who can she trust? - IMDB.com

Charade begins in the dark landscape with a man murdered and thrown out of a train, he is Charles Lampert - Regina's husband. We learn later he is embroiled in a conspiracy to obtain $250,000 he and three other men who were with him in the military planned to split once they were released. The next scene is in the French Alps with a bratty kid who squirts Regina Lampert, played by Audrey Hepburn, in the face. He is her nephew. She tells her friend Sylvie she is getting a divorce and cannot get go on any more. Sylvie tells her not to get a divorce because her husband is rich. Love, Sylvie foolishly suggests should not be an aspect in marriage despite Regina telling her they don't love one another. She tells Sylvie her husband Charles is hiding something frightening from her, she can feel his lies.

Peter Joshua, Played by Cary Grant, retrieves Sylvie's child and introduces himself. The kid squirts Peter with his squirt gun. Peter asks her if there is a Mr. Lampert and she says they are getting a divorce. She asks him the same and he charmingly says they are getting a divorce as well. He asks her if there is only one Charles Lampert in the telephone book to which she wittily replies, "I hope so." She says goodbye to the child and finds her apartment is barren and empty - she has either been robbed or had her things stolen by her late husband. Inspector Edouard Grandpierre asks her to come with him ad reveals her husband is dead in the mortuary. She identifies the body.

Her husband was trying to leave the country but didn't make it as seen in the train incident. Her husband, Charles, sold all the things they owned in the house in a public auction. Now there is $250,000 missing from him and the only thing they find is one bag with personal items - his wallet, notebook, and a letter. She signs the list and the inspector shows that he has several passports. He is most likely in some intelligence bureau. Peter visits her and talks to her with a shadow covering his face. He is mysterious and most likely hiding a secret. Peter offers to find her a hotel. She attends his husbands funeral to which no on attends. One man comes in to look at the body and sneezes uncontrollably. Sylvie remarks, "He must have been allergic to him." - hinting at his possible less than pleasant demeanor. Another man puts a small flower on his body and mysteriously tells Regina, "Ms. Lampert mam, Charlie had no call of doing it that way." Man number three comes in all business and sticks a pin in hid body and throws it at him. A bald man gives her a letter from the American Embassy. Her husband was a very disliked individual. Hamilton Bartholemew, played by Walter Matthau, asks her if she knows what the CIA is. She finds her husband was wanted by the U.S. government.

He hands her photos of his husband and other men - all of whom were at the funeral. He tells her she is lead to what they want. They are after the money from the auction. Hamilton tells her that money belongs to him and the agency. He tells her to be careful and try to retrieve the money. Peter meets up with her at a children's show. She confesses that Charles was mixed up in something terrible. Peter tells her to make him Vice President in cheering him up. They go to a nightclub show and play a game to pass an orange from one person's neck and body to another. This builds a natural attraction between she and Peter. A man playing the game threatens her in the phone booth. Peter comes to her and finds her shaken up. Peter tries to know what is wrong with her but the only thing she can ask is, "Do you know what is wrong with you? Nothing."

She encounters a man in her room with a hook fist which Peter comes to the rescue. Peter climbs the terraces and comes into the room with the three men before and it is revealed he is in on their scheme. He tells them she can trust him. Peter is after the money as well. His buddies tell him not to forget about them. The music is pitch perfect to the new revelation. He asks her if she knows where the money is. She tells them men are chasing her. Charles, her dead husband, probably didn't have it on the train. The henchmen calls her and asks if Dyle is there? He tells her not to trust him fearing that Dyle will make off with the money once he gets it.

Regina tells him if she doesn't get the money Tex will kill her. Peter tries to comfort her and tells her not to worry - that he has taken a room next to hers. Now she knows she is pinned helpless. She calls Hamilton and she tells him there must have been another person in the photograph who is Peter. She tells Hamilton she will leave but he says he can meet her in 15 minutes. She looks through Peter's keyhole and sees he has a gun.

After meeting Hamilton he tells her Dyle is dead and in 1944 5 members of the OSS were ordered to deliver $250,000 in gold to the French underground. The five members were her husband Charles, the three men who came to her funeral and lastly Peter - Dyle. Instead of delivering the gold they stole it. Unfortunately for the others the real Dial died and Charles stole all the money before splitting it with the other three. She tells him she will leave Paris tonight. Hamilton wants information on Dyle. So now she is in charge of following him.

Regina calls Dyle after finding his true name. He reveals the real Carson Dyle was his brother. He says he is on her side. When she goes to try to find him, he is gone. Herman catches up to him and walks him up to the stairs. They fight on the rooftop. Dyle dodges Herman which he flies off the roof to hang tightly on the ledge.

When Regina sees him again they get down to business. They get a phone call and they have kidnapped her nephew. They search eachother's rooms to see thinking one of them has it hidden. Regina finds the suitcase but hides it in time. They find Herman dead in his bath.

The inspector threatens everyone that in his country they use the chopping blade as execution. He tells them he hopes they don't have to find out what death feels like. He tells her not to cry wolf as she does to get him out of the bathroom. He entertains her as he takes a shower in his clothes. Hamilton calls and tells Regina to be careful as Carson Dyle has no brother.

They go to a drink on a boat ride and she tells him she might be next dead. He tells her when he was younger he could have chosen to sell umbrellas or become a thief. He chooses the more lucrative career.

Gideon gets a phone call and agrees to meet a man which kills him. Tex calls Dyle and tells him he wants his money. Dyle accuses Regina of having the money now that only three people are alive that want it. Dyle looks at her receipt and finds she is missing Charles's agenda book that could lead to the $250,000. They remember he had an appointment Thursday at 5pm and look for any sort of clue. Tex is there as well looking about. Tex looks at the stamps and makes a connection. Dyle makes the same connection as he sees valuable stamps being bought and sold around him. He runs frantically back to the hotel.

Sylvie tells Regina that her nephew is trading in stamps at the fair. Regina freaks out realizing that the stamps are the prize. He tells Regina a man gave him a prize for the stamps. They find Felix who has the stamps now. He gives the stamps back to Regina. Later Regina finds Tex dead in his room with the word Dyle written on the ground. Regina calls Hamilton and tells him what just happened. She tells him Dyle killed everyone. He agrees to meet her. When Dyle sees her he chases after her. He chases her to the subway station. He makes it on the subway car in time looking for her. He exits looking for her. She hides in the phone booth and calls the American Embassy. She runs out trying to find an exit.

Dyle spots her and she runs out to the plaza. Dyle sees Hamilton and says Hamilton is Carson Dyle. They accuse each-other of lying. She can't decide who is telling the truth. While Hamilton explains what he went through in the military prison camp to Regina, Dyle maneuvers himself through the columns looking for a shot. They shoot at each-other missing through the columns.

The chase moves them to a theater auditorium. Hamilton spots Regina in one of the orchestra composer boxes. Dyle looks at the controls of the floor boxes and tries to guess where he is stepping and what latch will open the floor board to Hamilton's correct spot. He guesses correctly and Hamilton falls dead and Dyle guesses right.

Regina decides to return the stolen stamps to the Treasury department. She goes to Mr. Crookshaw's office and walks in to see the man who was formally known as Mr. Dyle. She demands to know what his real name is. He tells her he will prove his real name to her on their marriage license.