In 2016, as your DVD aligns its digits to the opening of "Charade," the 1963 film gives off a sense that the world is in the midst of an identity crisis. Stuck between the social restrictions of the past and the tsunami of changes that are coming, Hollywood seems unsure of how to define "cool" in its presentation of this romantic comedy thriller. Lucky for them, Cary Grant transcends such considerations, and while he didn’t necessarily provide a bridge to the future, the past had to fade away because he was the only one left to – well – carry it.
His co-star Audrey Hepburn, who's secretive husband has suddenly been murdered, is happy to oblige. This, even as Grant shifts between identities and varying degrees of good and evil. While she and the audience waiver with each revelation and the resulting danger, an iconic toppling is an impossibility.
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