An espionage thriller that thrusts an adorable Audrey Hepburn into the wrong-person/wrong-place predicament that Grant faced in “North by Northwest,” “Charade” is a lighter-than-air thriller that wafts along on the swooning chemistry of its stars. Grant can’t conceal his age, but the mileage is never apparent. He’s lithe, sparkling, and dead sexy. The key to that last quality is his curiosity. In her seminal essay, “The Man from Dream City,” Pauline Kael hit on the exact mechanics of Grant’s romantic persona:

 “Grant is interested in the qualities of a particular woman — her sappy expression, her non-sequiturs, the way her voice bobbles. She isn’t going to be pushed to the wall as soon as she’s alone with him. With Grant, the social, urban man, there are infinite possibilities for mutual entertainment. They might dance the night away or stroll or go to a carnival — and nothing sexual would happen unless she wanted it to.”

Kael believed Grant was never more appealing than when he was preyed upon. She rightfully highlights Ingrid Bergman’s ravishment of Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Notorious,” where he can barely finish a phone conversation without having to attend to his lover’s needs. Hepburn brings a different, far more innocent energy to “Charade.” She’s a naif, in over her head, but more than capable of catching up. And Grant, a presumably expert provider of pleasure, will be right there waiting for her when she closes the distance.