The Cinematic Experience - Breakfast at Tiffany's

Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961

Good Evening Lovelies!

This edition of The Cinematic Experience rounds out the 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' trifecta - first came The Little Black Dress post, then the novella by Truman Capote, and now the classic film itself!

Watch the trailer here

Whenever I think of this film, 'Moon River' comes to mind, so please enjoy the musical stylings of Miss Audrey Hepburn as you read this post.  (This version won Henry Mancini an Academy Award for best song and he also won a Grammy for best soundtrack.)

If you have never seen this film before, number one, you should be ashamed of yourself!  And number two, you should watch it immediately!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this movie!  This is the third movie I've watched for this blog, and it's the third movie that hasn't been on my absurdly long Film School list - although it was nominated for AFI's list, I do not know how it could have been left off.  Instead, in December 2012, this 1961 film was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its enduring significance in American culture - take THAT AFI!

This film is simply magical.  I got the same feeling watching the film as I did when I read the novella.  There is something so captivating and magnetic about Hepburn's Holly Golightly.  George Peppard works very well opposite Audrey Hepburn and I love that he is an actual character in the film as opposed to the observer role he played in the original story.  The screenplay was adapted brilliantly and I have to say that I most definitely prefer the cinematic telling of the story.  Here we have a love story with an ending that is more redeeming of Holly's character.  Perhaps it has a lot to do with the fact that Holly Golightly is played by Audrey Hepburn - she's SO good!  It is very well documented that Truman Capote originally wanted Marilyn Monroe to play this part, but she turned it down.  As much as I adore Marilyn, it just wouldn't have worked.  I very seriously doubt that she would have been able to pull off the part - she wouldn't have been able to call everyone 'darling' and be convincing in her sincerity.  And she definitely wouldn't have been able to make 'Cross your heart and kiss your elbow' a believable saying.  Though, at the beginning, Capote didn't see it that way - he had the screenplay tailored to Monroe and when he found out Hepburn was cast he said 'Paramount double-crossed me in every way...'

The film is funny and touching, captivating in it's ability to tell a complex story with many scandalous undertones while remaining true to an almost intangible innocence about it all.  Plus, it's got one of the best party scenes ever.  I very much would have enjoyed attending this one!

I'm foregoing any type of synopsis of this film because you've already gotten the gist from my book review and, well, you're really doing yourself a disservice by not watching it.  The director, Blake Edwards, did such a masterful job of creating so many cultural influences - the over sized cigarette holder, Givenchy's LBD, Holly's sunglasses, and fire escape visits.  This is truly one that should not, under any circumstance, be missed!  Just the idea that someone would pass on this - quelle horreur!

Bonne nuit, darlings!
XOXO!!