''Charade'' is a 1953

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

American

anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...

directed by Roy Kellino. It consists of a trio of short stories introduced by and starring

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

and his wife Pamela.

Plot

In "Portrait of a Murderer," a cynical young artist (Pamela Mason) absentmindedly sketches her neighbour (James Mason) who, unbeknownst to her, is a murderer. In "Duel at Dawn," in 1880s Austria, two officers (Mason and Scott Forbes) fight a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

for the love of a Baroness (Pamela Mason). In "The Midas Touch," Jonah Watson (James Mason), a successful businessman in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, is dissatisfied with his life, and moves to England to start again. Working as a servant, he falls in love with Lilly (Pamela Mason), a cockney maid, who dreams of bettering herself.

Cast

as The Murderer / Maj. Linden / Jonah Watson * Pamela Mason as The Artist / Pamela / Baroness Tanslan / Lilly * Scott Forbes as Capt. Stamm * Paul Cavanagh as Col. Heisler * Bruce Lester as Capt. van Buren * John Dodsworth as Lt. Meyerdorf * Judy Osborne as Dotty * Sean McClory as Jack Stuydevant * Vince Barnett as Berg

Soundtrack

References

External links

* * * * 1953 films 1950s historical comedy-drama films 1950s mystery comedy-drama films American mystery comedy-drama films American anthology films American black-and-white films Films set in London Films set in Austria Films set in the 1880s American historical comedy-drama films 1953 comedy films 1953 drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-comedy-drama-film-stub