Breakfast at Tiffany’s January 31, 2007
Posted by Shujath in English, Movies, Reviews.trackback
If it weren’t for Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is just another mediocre chick flick - especially when viewed in today’s context. I can recollect umpteen movies where a totally wayward and confused girl meets this charming guy out of the blue (George Peppard in this case)…after a few hiccups realizes that he is the only one who matters to her.
This movie has all the regular cliches you’d find in this genre. It is surprising to know that Hepburn wasn’t the original choice to play that role. Author Truman Capote (on whose novel this film was based) wanted Marilyn Monroe to play “Holly Golightly” and was quite disappointed when Audrey was finalized. One thing I kept wondering (and still don’t have the answer) is why this movie (or the novel) is called “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. In the movie, Tiffany’s is actually a jewellery store and as far as I can recall there is no scene where the lead pair has breakfast - maybe it’s supposed to mean something completely different which I am not aware of.
I also remember long time back I had seen a show on TV (probably E! Online) where this movie was rated the best romantic comedy of all time. But I beg to differ. For me it was just a passable flick - with a theme that has been rehashed over and over again…but given the fact that there is always a certain audience for this kind of film you might really like it depending on your taste.
I watched this one a while back and I completely agree with you. After watching enough films in the genre, this romantic comedy doesn’t come across as great but it could have been the template for many such movies since.
The best part of the film is, of course, Audrey Hepburn. I loved her performance as Holly Golightly. In fact, this character is beautifully written and the film would have been pretty boring if it wasn’t done right. I can imagine Marilyn Monroe in this role but that would have been a completely different performance.
I was surprised to find that the master of slapstick, Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther series, The Party, The Great Race), directed this film. Come to think of it, he might have made a difference to the presentation of the Golightly character. And when Edwards is present, Henry Mancini isn’t far behind and he comes up with a good score for the film.
Though I wouldn’t call this film mediocre, I would recommend it only to those who love romantic comedies or Audrey Hepburn.
Dude, this movie probably defined the genre of the chick flick. So many movies play homage to this movies either in the chic dresses worn by Audrey and the milieu of the movie.
It would be pretty cliched if u compared it to a movie from today!