The Quine / Holden connection sent us back here after a goodly long time. It's from that period when American comedies went quite wacky. This is a quirky number, to be sure, a bit of a mess, really, but a very entertaining one.
In his autobiography Tony Curtis claims he appeared in the film as a favour to Quine. Holden was drinking too much and had to attend rehab so Curtis was brought in to fill screen time. Well he's only in it for about five minutes so that seems unlikely. Holden seems fine, at least early on in long takes - maybe his performance is a bit more edited towards the end?
George Axelrod's inventive script is about the writing of a screenplay, thus the film we're seeing is constantly being invented as it goes along. Ends up almost surrealistically with the finished film being held to ransom, whilst producer Noel Coward claims not to know writer Holden at all.
That Holden had been romantically linked with Audrey Hepburn back in the Sabrina days adds another element. She's great - loved the way she acts whilst typing. Did she greet cinematographer Charlie Lang with a kiss - and 'Will you make me as beautiful as you did in Sabrina?' To which he might have replied 'I didn't do that - it was you.' (Though released first, Charade began filming directly afterwards.)
You could drive through the Eiffel Tower in those days.
Guest starring Marlene Dietrich and Frank Sinatra (in voice). Story by Julien Duvivier and Henri Jeanson. Edited by Archie Marshek (many films from silent days on). Music by Nelson Riddle. Paramount.
Just bought 'Golden Boy - The Untold Story of William Holden'. Must stop buying books. (As though to obey my suggestion, the book never arrived and I was refunded.)
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