One of the earliest Criterion films, spine #57, Stanley Donen’s Charade (1963), is finally is getting a 4K upgrade and has never looked better. While we will go in depth on how this new 4K restoration looks, special features, and the film itself, the first question that has to be addressed is whether it’s a necessary buy the second it hits shelves or it’s one to wait on until the annual Criterion sale. The short answer to this is simple: if you don’t own it already, then yes; if you own a variation of Charade already, the sale may be the best bet.
L-R: Cary Grant as Peter Joshua and Audrey Hepburn as Regina Lampert in CHARADE. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Charade focuses on Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) as she is on vacation in the French Alps where she meets Peter Joshua (Cary Grant). There isn’t much to their off-chance encounter off the bat, but the film is quick to establish that these two characters are going to connect and meet each other again down the road. However, when Regina returns home to Paris, she discovers she is a widow as her husband was murdered. Fearing for her own life at this time, she goes to the U.S. embassy where she discovers that her husband was an accomplice in a large heist, the people who murdered him are now trying to get the money he stole, and her life is hanging in the balance. It is a cat-and-mouse game filled with romance and intrigue and mystery, with a third character, Hamilton Bartholomew (Walter Matthau), also entering the fray, adding to the chaos and intrigue.
First and foremost, what makes Charade such a fantastic film is not only the time period in which the movie takes place (after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, but that was more uncanny timing than intentional), but also that it was the first time Cary Grant (Notorious) and Audrey Hepburn (Sabrina) shared the screen. Their chemistry is eccentric and adds to the romantic tease that brings Charade to life.
Walter Matthau as Hamilton Bartholomew in CHARADE. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
However, considering the movie is now 63 years old, and having seen the Blu-ray ages ago, the way this new 4K restoration Criterion provides looks is nothing short of remarkable. It is a digital restoration, like their Blu-ray, and is not restored from a print (if there is even one in existence at this point in time), and it is superb. While nothing is glazed over with HDR or anything of the sort, thankfully the film is given a second life in this format. It truly is bright, vibrant, and clean. While, granted, no one could know how a newly struck print of this would look or one that was well maintained, but considering how brilliant this film is and how flawless this transfer looks, you’d be hard pressed to find a better visual presentation of Charade. It is presented on a 50 GB disk, but that should not be a determent as there is no real room for improvement on this transfer — it looks and sounds sublime; it’s truly one of Criterion’s better digital restorations as they continue to prove why they may be one of the best companies to ever do it.
In terms of special features, this is where it gets tricky and the consumer may be a little soured. There is the one legacy feature that came over from the previously released Blu-ray and the trailer. That is it, there are no new features, there is not even a new essay or new art. It feels a little like a shortcut considering how much Criterion movies are at full MRSP, but considering the quality of the movie, if you do not own it in any capacity, you would be hard pressed not to at least experience Charade the best way possible.
L-R: Audrey Hepburn as Regina Lampert and Cary Grant as Peter Joshua in CHARADE. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Overall, the quality of the movie itself is reflected in this gorgeous new transfer, but the special features are only legacy. If you’re here for a good time and want to own the first-time-on-screen pairing of Grant and Hepburn, there is no better edition out there as of this current writing, but if it’s not going to be something you play instantly due to the lack of new features, the fact that this will not go out of print before the next sale has me recommending to wait until the inevitable sale at either Barnes and Noble or Criterion to add this certified classic to your ever-growing collection.
Charade 4K UHD Special Features:
- *NEW* 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary from 1999 featuring director Stanley Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by film historian Bruce Eder
- Cover by Eric Skillman
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray Combo, Blu-ray, and DVD June 2nd, 2026.
For more information, head to the official The Criterion Collection Charade webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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