Criterion Donen

I was really excited to see a Blu-ray version of Stanley Donen's Charade ('63) included in their recent September line-up announced yesterday, which will serve as a high-def update to the excellent '04 DVD that saved the film from public domain ugliness.

Of course everyone knows that Charade is a Hitchcock knock-off of the highest order, but it's also one of the best - if not the best - attempts at capturing the sexually playful international thriller formula that was defined by Hitch in films like The 39 Steps ('35), To Catch a Thief ('55) and North by Northwest ('59).