Breakfast at Tiffany's (B or 3/4 stars)
Set in an idealized NYC circa 1960, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' (directed by Blake Edwards & adapted from Truman Capote's novel) is about Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn), an eccentric & independent young socialite with a zest for life and who claims to support herself from tips as a powder room attendant. In this romantic tale, Holly falls for her new neighbor Paul Varjak (dashing George Peppard), an aspiring writer with writer's block who's actually a playboy supported by an older wealthy woman he names 2E (a terrific Patricia Neal). 2E represents an obstacle to his growing attraction to Holly, as well as his puzzlement at her erratic, non-committal behavior; which goes from ditching expensive dates and giving all-night parties for her "friends" to being lonely & neurotic in the company of her cat.
She calls her cat ... Cat. After all, naming him would be too much of a commitment. Matters only get more complicated when Holly's past is revealed through the character of Doc Golightly (Buddy Ebsen), a visitor from rural Texas who reveals the truth about Holly's past & the truth behind her faux-sophistication; or at least, the sophistication she strives for. Blake Edwards makes this film a real Valentine to NY's Greenwich Village & Fifth Avenue's Tiffany's, which Holly visits whenever her spirits are down. I quite liked the opening title sequence where Holly eats a bun & drinks coffee in the early morning while looking in the front window of Tiffany's. To her, Tiffany's is a place where "nothing bad could happen to you". Holly is scared inside, but she's not quite sure what she's scared of.
With one exception, the supporting cast is solid; including Buddy Ebsen & Martin Balsam, who has a great line: "She's a phony, all right, but a real phony". The aforementioned notable exception is Mickey Rooney, who plays Holly's nasty Japanese neighbor. The role is a caricature; and the portrayal is offensively rendered. Among the strengths of 'BaT' is Hepburn's wonderful rendition of Henry Mancini's melodic song, "Moon River", which won the Oscar for Best Song & became a popular hit for some time. Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress, but lost to Sophia Loren, who was incredible in the Italian film, Two Women. But Hepburn IS iconic in the role. Her look, her attitude, her attire (Givenchy gowns), her elongated cigarette holder ... she crafts quite the character, here.
Yes, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' is a good film. Memorable. Beautifully shot. It is a stylish, idealistic snapshot of a certain type of person at a certain time & place. But I wouldn't necessarily call it "charming" as so many do. For me, I found it a tad shallow. Hepburn is great; stretching to create a type of character she's never played before. But if I am to be honest, I found Holly Golightly to be a slightly irritating character. She flits about, talks too much, plays with men's emotions, drinks a lot, smokes a lot, can't make up her mind, destroys her apartment, & treats some characters poorly. During the final 10 minutes of the film, Holly has a change of heart and the highly romantic, super happy ending helped me swallow the bitter taste in my mouth of earlier goings on. I suppose the moral of the movie is: it's okay to have complex emotions & to be scared from time to time. Hopefully you, like Holly, can snap out of it & find true love. I guess that's the moral.
She calls her cat ... Cat. After all, naming him would be too much of a commitment. Matters only get more complicated when Holly's past is revealed through the character of Doc Golightly (Buddy Ebsen), a visitor from rural Texas who reveals the truth about Holly's past & the truth behind her faux-sophistication; or at least, the sophistication she strives for. Blake Edwards makes this film a real Valentine to NY's Greenwich Village & Fifth Avenue's Tiffany's, which Holly visits whenever her spirits are down. I quite liked the opening title sequence where Holly eats a bun & drinks coffee in the early morning while looking in the front window of Tiffany's. To her, Tiffany's is a place where "nothing bad could happen to you". Holly is scared inside, but she's not quite sure what she's scared of.
With one exception, the supporting cast is solid; including Buddy Ebsen & Martin Balsam, who has a great line: "She's a phony, all right, but a real phony". The aforementioned notable exception is Mickey Rooney, who plays Holly's nasty Japanese neighbor. The role is a caricature; and the portrayal is offensively rendered. Among the strengths of 'BaT' is Hepburn's wonderful rendition of Henry Mancini's melodic song, "Moon River", which won the Oscar for Best Song & became a popular hit for some time. Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress, but lost to Sophia Loren, who was incredible in the Italian film, Two Women. But Hepburn IS iconic in the role. Her look, her attitude, her attire (Givenchy gowns), her elongated cigarette holder ... she crafts quite the character, here.
Yes, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' is a good film. Memorable. Beautifully shot. It is a stylish, idealistic snapshot of a certain type of person at a certain time & place. But I wouldn't necessarily call it "charming" as so many do. For me, I found it a tad shallow. Hepburn is great; stretching to create a type of character she's never played before. But if I am to be honest, I found Holly Golightly to be a slightly irritating character. She flits about, talks too much, plays with men's emotions, drinks a lot, smokes a lot, can't make up her mind, destroys her apartment, & treats some characters poorly. During the final 10 minutes of the film, Holly has a change of heart and the highly romantic, super happy ending helped me swallow the bitter taste in my mouth of earlier goings on. I suppose the moral of the movie is: it's okay to have complex emotions & to be scared from time to time. Hopefully you, like Holly, can snap out of it & find true love. I guess that's the moral.