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“I don’t know.” (multiple times)
“If you’re trying to frighten me…. You’re doing a very good job.”
~ Audrey’s character
“It doesn’t sound like the sort of thing a young woman can handle by herself.”
~ Cary’s character
These inspiring, uplifting sound bites come from the 1963 adventure comedy/romantic adventure “Charade”, with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. In a lot of ways, it is kinda a stupid 1963 movie, you know. Think of John singing, “Money: that’s what I want”, with a little help from Paul and George. But, like an early Beatles song, it has redeeming elements if you don’t take the brainiac elements too seriously. A lot of adventure stories don’t take themselves too seriously, of which this is obviously one, you know. Audrey is cool all around; Cary has a nice, relaxing voice. Suave. Anyway, adventures can be fun, I guess…. Sometimes even when they’re a little stupid, right. I mean, it was interesting. I could watch it; I was curious as to what would happen…. It was just also stupid, you know….
Anyway, I guess it’s different in that it’s mildly unlike the other two Stanley Donen movies I’ve watched so far, which were straight romances. (On the Town & Singing in the Rain). This reminded me more of “Father Goose”….
…. Despite being racist in passing (and implicitly, generally), eventually it kinda dumps most of the “Father Goose”-esque throwaway entertainment style and becomes a reasonably competent action adventure. I’d say it’s almost clever; it’s almost smart.
…. It’s fun; it’s not like the Christmas movie they play in the monastery, you know.
…. It’s well-acted, and the ending is surprisingly good.
So yeah. Aside from the fact that it’s kinda that old-60s-probably-before-the-Rolling-Stones-were-a-big-deal (one of the actors reminded me of Mick Jagger, but I don’t know if that was planned)—just kinda ‘straight’, you know. It’s not like ‘The Wilby Conspiracy’, right, but in a way it might be as good.
And just basically, in that Hollywood/once-born/un-initiated way, it’s not such a bad movie. It’s almost pretty good…. And yes, my name is probably Kevin, and I come from the Mists of…. The Mists of…. Was it the Mists of the Atlantic?
I come from the mist.
But that doesn’t interest you….
But, yes: it can always surprise me, just how once-born I can be. And not just because of this.
