It’s true what they say, January is sad. Every year without fail she lives up to her famed reputation and no matter what happens she can not shake her “first man on the bill” status. It’s a tough gig, no-one wants to go first. As SK has promised I am trying my best to fly the flag for London outings, resisting the inherent desire to wait for February LOVE to set in, but I have to start off slow. So, where better than with an old favourite and a lady who has already had a few nods from us, since if anything is going to make us smile it is the inimitable charm of Audrey Hepburn. We previously ear marked the BFI month of AH adoration and now I report back from the front row. Breakfast at Tiffanys is an obvious, albeit well deserved, old favourite, however, the gamine actress is just as capable in Charade, a definite threat to the crown. We all love HG (a different one this time- of the Holly variety!) but as Regina Lampbert, Hepburn brings a little more zing to proceedings. Aided and abetted by the delectable Cary Grant, a man whose voice is enough to beat those January blues into submission and who matches AH in terms of charm and elegance pound for pound. As his character, Peter Joshua, delivered the line:
“How about making me vice president in charge of cheering you up?”
I decided he was my January man- signed, sealed and delivered. In Charade, the director, Stanley Donen merges thriller with romantic-comedy, providing a film filled with giggles, colour and eccentric oddities. There are funny set-pieces (like the funeral scene, and Audrey’s priceless exaggerated reactions) and suspenseful sequences, all beautifully punctuated by Henry Mancini’s masterful score. The one-liners are crisp and cute; at their first encounter Regina declares:
“I already know an awful lot of people and until one of them dies I couldn’t possibly meet anyone else”
To which Peter retorts:
“Well, if anyone goes on the critical list, let me know”.
A mantra that perhaps is as pertinent as it is funny in this age of social networking! It plays again tonight (8.40pm) and there are still tickets left; failing that, the whole thing can be devoured (start to finish) with the help of YouTube (and a few unfortunate adverts) and a very comfortable sofa. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnLz_bxZM_E&feature=fvsr
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