The Truth About Charlie
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Truth About Charlie is a 2002 American-French film. It is a remake of Charade (1963) and an homage to François Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player (1960) complete with the French film's star, Charles Aznavour, making two appearances singing his song "Quand tu m'aimes" (first in French, later in English). The film was produced, directed and co-written by Jonathan Demme, and stars Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton in the roles once played by Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade.
This version closely mirrors the plotline of the original film. It is once again set in Paris and features several famous French actors. Director Agnès Varda made a cameo appearance. Actress/Chanteuse Anna Karina sings a Serge Gainsbourg song in one scene. Peter Stone, screenwriter of Charade, receives a story credit as "Peter Joshua," which was one of the identities Grant's character used in the first film. Stone disliked the remake and refused to be credited under his real name. The name of Wahlberg's character in the remake is "Joshua Peters." The film received a poor reception from critics and was a flop at the box office, bringing only $7 million worldwide. The original Charade accidentally slipped into the public domain. Universal had never bothered to release it officially on DVD, until it was included as a bonus feature on the B-side of the Charlie DVD. They previously licensed it to The Criterion Collection, while numerous unofficial DVDs had been released worldwide.
Plot
British newlywed Regina Lambert lives in Paris with her husband, Charlie. She returns home following a short vacation, determined to divorce Charlie, only to discover their apartment has been stripped bare and that her husband has been murdered. Regina is soon reunited with a mysterious stranger she met on her holiday. He helps her piece together the truth about the deceased Charlie and deal with three menacing people who are now following her.
Cast
- Mark Wahlberg as Lewis Bartholomew (alias Joshua Peters)
- Stephen Dillane as Charlie
- Thandie Newton as Regina Lambert
- Sakina Jaffrey as Sylvia
- Christine Boisson as Commandant Dominique
- Simon Abkarian as Lieutenant Dessalines
- Joong-Hoon Park as Il-Sang Lee
- Lisa Gay Hamilton as Lola Jansco
- Ted Levine as Emil Zadapec
- Magali Noël as Mysterious Woman in Black
- Tim Robbins as Carson J. Dyle
- Agnès Varda as The Widow Hyppolite
- Charles Aznavour as Charles Aznavour
- Olivier Broche as Aznavour Fan
- Manno Charlemagne as Chez Josephine Maitre D'
- Anna Karina as Karina
- Philippe Katerine as Karina Fan
- Philippe Duquesne as Café Cook
- Kenneth Utt as The Late Monsieur Hyppolite
- Sotigui Kouyaté as Dealer Prophète
- Paula Moore as Ms. Hoskins
- Françoise Bertin as Woman on Train
- Jason Ainley as Smash Loser
- David Barco as Smash Champion
- Alban Lenoir as Skinhead
