HRH called me up on Saturday night to watch an Audrey Hepburn movie. It was a comfort night, with slippers, hot bread pudding and chocolate, milk, and a classic Audrey movie. Call it the perfect end to a crazy day of GMAT prep and I gladly accepted the invite. I arrived and we discussed the movie options. If it was going to be an Audrey flick, we had to choose “Roman Holiday,” “Sabrina,” or “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” In my opinion, Sabrina is great. But the whole Audrey – Bogart thing makes me a little….twitchy. It seems unnatural. The movie, not my twitchiness. That might have something to do with the 50 year age difference. And we can’t have twitching on comfort night. So, it was between “Roman Holiday” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” I’ve seen “Roman Holiday” before, so I asked if we could watch “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” I mean, it’s a classic. A song has been written about it. Hair styles were taken in a new direction by Audrey’s up-do. Even “Gossip Girl” had a scene in last week’s episode reenacting the opening of the movie, complete with “Moon River” in the background. So, obviously, this was a hole in my movie vieweing experience that needed to be filled. It’s been a classic since 1961! It was time to watch and partake of the antics of Holly Golightly.
Given my other Audrey movie experiences, I was expecting a light-hearted, clean, quirky, and loveable characters and movie. Hmmm. What I got was not what I expected. At one point, I told HRH that the party scene was a 1961 version of a rave. And then I found out the lead guy was having an affair with a married woman. And that Holly was a call-girl. And all she cared about was marrying a rich guy and her military brother, Fred. As the story progressed, we find out that Holly was married at the age of 14 and ran away (okay, so I probably would, too), visits a mob-convict every Thursday to deliver an innocent weather report from his “lawyer” (umm…be MORE naïve. I dare you.), and of course, our protagonist guy (Paul baby….or Fred) falls for Holly, though she pushes him away twice because he’s not rich enough for her, though he’s perfect for her in every other way.
After watching this, my first reaction was, “THIS IS A CLASSIC?” How? Why? Did I miss something here? Were the characters loveable? Not really. Was the story exciting or interesting? Not so much. Did I go “AWWWWW?” At the end? Nope. Sorry. So…what makes this movie a classic? It certainly wasn’t the surface level story, characters, soundtrack, or even dialogue. I was mystified.
Then my friend and I started talking. Holly was such a complex character beneath the awesome clothes and cigarettes. She was so totally insecure and a mystery to herself. Her choices in life were made in the hopes of forgetting that she had absolutely no idea who she was as a person. She had changed her name from Lula May (a good call on her part), was never settled down, didn’t even give her cat a name. She wanted to live the most out of life, but I think deep down realized that no matter what she did or how much glitz and glamour she aspired to in her life, she was lost. The drinking, cigarettes, constant changes….it all points to the fact that Holly was wanting something more, but didn’t know how to get it, and she didn’t realize that it has to come from her. Her male counterpart (Paul baby…Fred…whatever) was also lost. He had achieved moderate success with the publication of his book, but after that, he became lost, too. The fact that his lifestyle was being paid for by his married lover says it all. But, he recognized that it was not enough. Holly helped him see that, because she needed his help. Immensely. So he shaped up, ended the affair, got a real job, and got his life back on track. It was his love and verbal slap-in-the-face to Holly that helped her realize how empty her life was, and how she needed to change it. The movie ends with Holly and Paul baby standing in the rain, sheltering “Cat” - together. They needed each other to fill their lives, but could only come together when they had recognized their own problems, deficiencies, and so forth, and taken the step to change that. So really, this is a story about finding yourself, for better or for worse, and the necessity of those people in our lives who help us along the way.
And THAT, dear bloggers, is why this movie is a classic. The themes resonate almost 50 years later. The outfits may change and the picture quality might improve, but what this movie says behind all the movie fluff is applicable today. Now, would I watch this again? I don’t know. But is it a classic? I would say so.
Given my other Audrey movie experiences, I was expecting a light-hearted, clean, quirky, and loveable characters and movie. Hmmm. What I got was not what I expected. At one point, I told HRH that the party scene was a 1961 version of a rave. And then I found out the lead guy was having an affair with a married woman. And that Holly was a call-girl. And all she cared about was marrying a rich guy and her military brother, Fred. As the story progressed, we find out that Holly was married at the age of 14 and ran away (okay, so I probably would, too), visits a mob-convict every Thursday to deliver an innocent weather report from his “lawyer” (umm…be MORE naïve. I dare you.), and of course, our protagonist guy (Paul baby….or Fred) falls for Holly, though she pushes him away twice because he’s not rich enough for her, though he’s perfect for her in every other way.
After watching this, my first reaction was, “THIS IS A CLASSIC?” How? Why? Did I miss something here? Were the characters loveable? Not really. Was the story exciting or interesting? Not so much. Did I go “AWWWWW?” At the end? Nope. Sorry. So…what makes this movie a classic? It certainly wasn’t the surface level story, characters, soundtrack, or even dialogue. I was mystified.
Then my friend and I started talking. Holly was such a complex character beneath the awesome clothes and cigarettes. She was so totally insecure and a mystery to herself. Her choices in life were made in the hopes of forgetting that she had absolutely no idea who she was as a person. She had changed her name from Lula May (a good call on her part), was never settled down, didn’t even give her cat a name. She wanted to live the most out of life, but I think deep down realized that no matter what she did or how much glitz and glamour she aspired to in her life, she was lost. The drinking, cigarettes, constant changes….it all points to the fact that Holly was wanting something more, but didn’t know how to get it, and she didn’t realize that it has to come from her. Her male counterpart (Paul baby…Fred…whatever) was also lost. He had achieved moderate success with the publication of his book, but after that, he became lost, too. The fact that his lifestyle was being paid for by his married lover says it all. But, he recognized that it was not enough. Holly helped him see that, because she needed his help. Immensely. So he shaped up, ended the affair, got a real job, and got his life back on track. It was his love and verbal slap-in-the-face to Holly that helped her realize how empty her life was, and how she needed to change it. The movie ends with Holly and Paul baby standing in the rain, sheltering “Cat” - together. They needed each other to fill their lives, but could only come together when they had recognized their own problems, deficiencies, and so forth, and taken the step to change that. So really, this is a story about finding yourself, for better or for worse, and the necessity of those people in our lives who help us along the way.
And THAT, dear bloggers, is why this movie is a classic. The themes resonate almost 50 years later. The outfits may change and the picture quality might improve, but what this movie says behind all the movie fluff is applicable today. Now, would I watch this again? I don’t know. But is it a classic? I would say so.
3 comments:
"I believe you are in league with the butcher."
You know, I saw this movie a few years ago for the first time and was left with a big "MEH."
But now I kind of want to watch it again.
Oooh, I love Breakfast at Tiffany's. It is actually listed in my head as "Favorite Movie Ever." I see it as the girly version of "The Catcher in the Rye" - but more-or-less tailored to me. And I absolutely adore it. (Was a book too, by Truman Capote, btw)
xox
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