Charade Sarah Baker Perfumes 2019

Stillness still permeates the twilight, but is soon interrupted by the rapidly approaching "Dadamm-dadamm" of the Paris evening train to Bordeaux, when suddenly a man in pajamas is thrown from the train, tumbles down a slope, and lies motionless.

Scene change.

In the French Alps, Parisian translator Regina "Reggie" Lampert decides to get a divorce. Upon returning to Paris, she finds their shared apartment empty and her husband Charles in the morgue. He had auctioned off all their furniture for $250,000 before his death, but the police only hand her a small suitcase belonging to her husband, which contains several passports, a notebook, and a stamped but unsealed letter to Reggie. There is no trace of the fortune. Charles had obviously fled from something, but he didn't get far. From this point on, various men enter her life. Her fleeting yet smart holiday acquaintance Peter Joshua, who surprisingly changes his identity multiple times, the liverwurst-eating CIA agent Hamilton Bartholomew from the American embassy, and a constantly threatening trio, former war comrades of her husband; they are all united by their interest in the missing fortune, which is said to stem from a gold theft during World War II.

Charade stands as a term for a riddle that one can approach in partial steps. The truly unsuspecting Reggie must confront this riddle; fleeing would end fatally for her. But nothing is as it seems, and absurd twists and turns shape the further story, with thriller elements being broken up by comedy as the plot progresses. By the way, it is almost a cliché to call Charade the best Alfred Hitchcock film. In fact, it was not directed by him, although in direct comparison to Hitchcock's masterpieces, it certainly stands on equal footing, yet at its core, it does not nearly illuminate the dark side of humanity enough. The film simply aims to entertain the audience. And it succeeds particularly through the - almost magically - infused comedic-romantic dynamic between the grand Hollywood icons Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, which not only made the film special but also turned it into a true classic of the 1960s.
When perfumers turn to cinema, one inevitably thinks of the Thailand-born Prince Lomros, who drew inspiration from films for many of his Strangers fragrances. However, behind Charade is the Swiss free spirit Andreas Wilhelm, commissioned by brand owner Sarah Baker, whose synthetic hammers for the brands Perfume.Sucks or Favourit & Co unfortunately left me unimpressed. This raises immediate bad premonitions.

Charade opens with a wonderful tuberose, but not the kind of brutal hammer tuberose that Miguel Matos seems to use consistently, but rather very sensibly. The sweetness of ylang-ylang quickly joins in, making the top note subtly, at least for me, almost apricot-like fruity. Honey drops slowly climb down the flower stalks.

The white flowers recede after about half an hour, and it becomes increasingly balsamic, intensifying until, within the first hours, green, slightly bitter elements emerge from the depths, much like the first intimidation attempts by the three war comrades against poor Reggie to discover the hiding place of the missing money. Smooth leather also joins in, yet a slight sweetness still lingers in the background until a growing dryness begins; I suspect the use of cedarwood, even though it is not listed in the fragrance pyramid. It is sometimes difficult to determine exactly when which components make their appearance, like little puzzles, so artfully has Andreas Wilhelm woven his scent.

After a good 5 hours, patchouli and sandalwood become slightly perceptible, the moss has long been present and skillfully plays its emerald green cultivated charm alongside vetiver, much like a perfectly cast Cary Grant in his role as Peter Joshua alias Alexander Dyle alias Adam Canfield alias Brian Cruikshank, especially when the latter is particularly! After a good eleven to twelve hours, however, the credits slowly begin to roll.

By using tuberose in combination with leather and a mossy-earthy chypre accord, Andreas Wilhelm employs some old-school components that make Charade seem retro at first glance and transport us to the wonderful Paris of the 60s. As noted by the esteemed colleague Rivegauche in his statement, the scent seems to have a light and soft quality despite its character, a feeling I share. This may possibly be due to the resins used, as the amber contrasts skillfully with the chypre accord. Conversely, one could also posit the thesis that the green elements dim the sweetness of the amber - an intriguing approach. Although creamy notes are also perceptible, a slight powderiness hovers in the background, which could indicate the use of musk not mentioned in the fragrance components, but which was certainly harmoniously applied and occasionally makes Charade feel very sexy. And not only that, the scent feels absolutely modern, impresses with sophistication, is unisex, and embodies in its various phases both the female lead character and the male protagonists of the film, respectively their duality. Essentially, the scent feels as if you are watching a playful classic today that still feels youthful. I believe, Andreas Wilhelm, this fragrance is your masterpiece!

WARNING Spoiler Alert: If you have missed this classic so far but would still like to see it, you should not read further due to the resolution of the following key scene!
At a market on Avenue Gabriel / Carré Marigny in Paris, the famous "Marché aux timbres," Reggie gives her friend's son three seemingly insignificant stamps, which he exchanges with a dealer for a bundle of worthless stamps. Among the exchanged stamps are the famous Swedish Tre Skilling Banco - the world's most expensive stamp - from 1854, as well as the Hawaii Missionaries (for which a collector was actually murdered) and the first edition of the famous Ochsenköpfe. For the film, the originals were only modified in their color and value level, but otherwise were crafted to be deceptively similar - a true feast for any philatelist.

Perhaps a final word about the wonderful Audrey Hepburn, her pretty face also graces a German stamp. In 2001, however, all 14 million of the unauthorized stamp by the Hepburn Foundation had to be completely destroyed. Only three sheets of 10 stamps each still exist, two of which are in the archive of Deutsche Post, while currently 5 stamps from the last sheet are still in circulation, the remaining five were auctioned for up to €50,000 each. So it’s worth keeping an eye out, and in the meantime, one could watch the film again….