Hank & Audrey Go to Paris. by filmfactsman (March 12, 2006)
An inspired and infectious score by Henry Mancini begins the magic of this lighthearted Hitchcock-like intrigue starring the charming Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, produced and directed to perfection by Stanley Donen ("Funny Face", "Two for the Road"), who makes good use of his Parisian and Alpine locations to recount this complex tale of a suddenly widowed (and about to be divorced) young woman who finds herself the target of a gang of predatory men. There's an amusingly 007-style beginning to the film as Mancini's clangy, intentionally derivative theme music accompanies the rapid-fire opening titles of Maurice Binder, who created the Bond film titles in similar fashion. Like many Mancini scores, the tone in the cues is lightweight and attractive, while the pleasantly catchy Oscar-nominated tune with lyrics by Johnny Mercer ("Moon River"), adds a melodically memorable element to the sparkling score.