Charade, d'Henry Mancini

Henry Mancini. Charade. Madrid: BMG, 1998 (CD)

In his score for "Charade," Henry Mancini happily has an opportunity to capture the sounds, the very feel, of what is considered by many the most romantic city in the world - Paris. The film "Charade" was shot on location in Paris where producer-director Stanley Donen put top stars Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn (this is the second time Mancini's scored a Hepburn film; the memorable "Breakfast at Tiffany's" for which his score rated an Oscar, being the first) through their paces against a background of the Seine, the parks, the very people of Paris. As Donen and his stars unravel this "Charade," which is an intriguing combination of romance, humor, suspense and even violence, composer Mancini has a creative man's "field day" as the deftly balances these seemingly conflicting elements with a score that underlies, defines and enhances the film's visual action as well as fascinates and delights the listener. You can close your eyes and almost "see" many of the varied sequences of "Charade" as Henry Mancini guides your "vision" with his perceptive and enchanting music. There's the romantic dinner scene aboard the Seine river boat, the "Bateau Moche," which is beautifully underscored by Bateau Moche and the song Charade. Here, once again, Mancini's Oscar partner, Johnny Mercer, has provided poetic lyrics to a Mancini melody. In Charade you feel the mood-setting appeal of their winners, Moon River and Days of Wine and Roses. Then there's a compelling, driving, completely different version of the same theme - Charade (Main Title). The musical background for the picture's sparkling opening sequence, filmed in the beautiful French mountain resort of Mégeve, includes two Mancini sparklers, Latin Snowfall and Mégeve. The Paris scene are represented by a variety of tunes as winsome, frolicsome and unique as Paris itself. The children in the park are playfully scored by Punch and Judy, Charade (Carousel) and The Happy Carousel. In a smooky, swinging night club there's the insistent beat of Mambo Parisienne and Orange Tamouré.Bistro is typical of the Les Halles section. Cary Grant's hillarious "clothes-on" shower scene was the inspiration for The Drip-Dry Waltz. In the unusual "wake" scene, a classical string quartet plays a piece with the unlikely title, Bye Bye Charlie. This "Charade" music, scored and conducted by Henry Mancini, is another vastly entertainin, stylish sampling of the seemingly limitless Mancini talent.

Lorene Schrag

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