Breakfast at Tiffany's appeared on the big screen this Sunday November 27. My Mom was a big fan of Audrey's, and I had never seen Audrey Hepburn on the big screen before. Somehow it is more special to see the movie stars in a larger-than-life setting as it was originally intended in 1961.
I love this movie simply because of Audrey Hepburn. She succeeds in winning my heart (and evidently much of America's) despite the relatively blah supporting cast and a script that lacked believability and authenticity.
The movie is based on a novella by the great Truman Capote. But based on the commentary offered by Turner Classic Movies as well as my own internet research, Capote was not happy with many aspects of the film. For one, he wanted Marilyn Monroe to be Holly rather than Audrey Hepburn. Actually, I totally agree with Truman that Audrey was completely miscast in this role! Audrey could never make herself believable as an American Southerner affecting an English accent. No, we know darn well that Audrey Hepburn is English, English, English and there is no possibility that she could convince us of anything else. Yet somehow it all worked amazingly well.
Speaking of miscasting, according to the commentary, everyone later regretted having Mickey Rooney embarrass himself in a pathetic attempt to lampoon a Japanese landlord. He was terrible, and apparently Truman was against it from the beginning, and director Blake Edwards and Rooney himself regretted the entire concept, rightly so.
I hadn't seen the movie for many years and then it was on TV. It was kind of fun to have the song "Moon River" rejuvenated and made fresh. I had remembered it as a song for "old fogeys" and it was surprising to hear it as a new song.
It was interesting to me that I had forgotten most of the squabbles that Holly and Paul Varjak (George Peppard) had. I mainly latched on to the positive, fun memories of parties and romance and forgot about most of the pain and humiliations that they faced. It made me think of my own foibles over the years and times when I acted selfishly or like a dope. Truth to tell, I would rather forget about those as well. But for many of us, that is part of being young too.
Similarly, I had remembered the ending of the movie happening over what seemed like a very long time, but seeing it anew, it went by in a flash. I couldn't believe the movie was over so quickly.
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Ultimately, Breakfast at Tiffany's is a movie about falling in love, one of the most profound experiences that we can ever have in life. Audrey Hepburn made us experience that feeling and that is why it is a classic film.
I don't see it as anything like a perfect movie. If anything, it is an amazingly imperfect movie which somehow, inexplicably triumphed and turned out to be a masterpiece despite all of the errors that were made. Perhaps that in itself is a metaphor for life.
How wonderful would it be to live in New York and be young and attractive and in love? The magic of film allows us to experience it.
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