Audrey Hepburn Review Series Part 2

My ever-brilliant mother correctly observed, one summer, that me and my siblings were wasting away our time watching crappy movies like... So to sort of lead us to the right direction (read: movies that made sense, to say the least) without literally telling us to what to watch, she bought this Audrey Hepburn movie collection. My siblings refused to be fooled. I did not. I was as curious as a moth to a flame. For some reason I cannot recall, I watched Charade first. And the rest is... well, you'll read about it here, here and here.


I decided that these movies were the next in my Watch Audrey Hepburn Movies Phase because they were her first three movies in Hollywood, or at least the ones that made her famous.

Roman Holiday. This 1953 movie won for Audrey Hepburn her first Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best British Actress (Sabi na nga ba, Brits are better than Americans, in all aspects!), and a bunch of nominations for co-stars Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert.

Next to Breakfast I think this is her most famous movie.

I love this movie because: 1) Gregory Peck (as Joe Bradley) is, so far, the only 'ka-age group' of Audrey in terms of leading men. Yes, I am very particular with age. Cary Grant, who was supposed to play the part played by Peck but turned it down due to the age (aha!), played opposite her in Charade. That for me, made me feel that the movie was quite right. Haha, ageist.

2) Eddie Albert as Joe's photographer friend Irving Radovich was simply great, in the supporting actor sort of way. He reminds me of Baron Geisler and someone else I could not remember. Basta, simply put, magaling.

3) Nice ending. (SPOILER ALERT!) Princess Ann (or Anya) not ending up with journalist-writer Joe was a nice touch, and, I believe, a unique ending in those days when romantic films feature lovers who always end up with each other no matter what. Again, Princess Ann just accepts the power and responsibility she was given as a princess of some unnamed European country, and that "hooking up" with Bradley was a not-so-good idea.

4) Audrey was as usual refreshing. She even had her hair cut for the movie.

I disliked it--take note: not hate ha--because: 1) The movie's plot is much like.. the First Daughter (starring Katie Holmes) and Chasing Liberty (starring Mandy Moore) and yet, it won a Globe Globe and an Oscar for Hepburn as Best Actress. Hmm. Fine, it was shown before those two movies. Points for creativity.

But nonetheless, I liked the movie much more because of the ending. :) The movie's message to all those romantic movies of their time (or at least from my POV): Love stories need not end happily ever after for them to be called love stories.

Sabrina. This 1954 movie may not have won a Best Actress for Audrey, though she was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe (Edith Head won for Best Costume Design), but it sure solidified, or built up, her role as the premiere leading lady of her time. Starring opposite, with the same billing of course, a realllly old Humphrey Bogart (as Linus Larrabee) and a much-younger looking William Holden (as David Larrabee). (Note: I realized, watching this movie, that William Holden is not that old as I perceived him to be in Paris When It Sizzles. Bogart is the epitome of old. Hahaha)

Bogart + Hepburn: SUPER May-December  Love Affair

I loved it because: 1) Audrey is in her usual lovable self. :) 2) William Holden is funny and effective as the happy-go-lucky younger Larrabee (a funny name for an affluent family, I think). And so far, having watched two movies starring him, I like him. Like Audrey, I guess he's growing on me. Hahaha

Before the Jonases and the Hemsworths, there were the Larrabee Brothers.

3) The story, though common nowadays, is well-written and is cohesive--me speaking in my best mediocre scriptwriter self.

I hated it because: 1) Humphrey Bogart is sooo old. Hindi sila bagay ni Audrey. Maybe that's why there are a very few "romantic" scenes between him and Audrey, and only a couple of kissing scene, by my unofficial count. (Sana Cary Grant did not have "conflict of schedule" para siya na lang ang nag-play ng role. Yes he's old but he's a lot less older.)

Funny Face. I was supposed to watch Audrey's 1955 film War and Peace (because I was watching her films chronologically) but I decided it was--or seemed--too serious then, so I watched her 1957 film Funny Face instead. At hindi naman ako nagkamali. (I wasn't wrong.)

A colorful movie.

I loved the movie because: 1) It was colorful. Literally. Roman Holiday and Sabrina were in black-and-white, so a colored movie was pleasing and refreshing to see the day I watched all three films. Not only was it literally colored, it was also colored in the sense that the dresses and the set--and practically everything--was in vibrant colors, true to the "magazine office" setting of the story.
 

2) It is a f*cking musical! A real musical ha. For me, Funny Face is a cross between High School Musical (with more flair) or Chicago (with less flair ha). Basta, okay! The songs and the dance numbers were great and practiced, and more importantly, entertaining.

3) Fred Astaire is the perfect singing and dancing and acting leading man! Grabe! I loved his voice, the way he danced (which had a comic flair to it).

Ms. Hepburn having (too much) fun.

4) Kay Thompson as editor of Quality magazine Maggie Prescott is the best, like Astaire. She's even a better singer (in their song and dance number together) than Audrey. She's good in the best-supporting-actress way but did not let Audrey Hepburn outshine her.

5) Director Stanley Donen (director of Charade and Two for the Road) did a good job in directing and choreographing the dances of the film. His films--aside from William Holden films--are now on my to-watch list.

Funny Face is, for me, High School Musical (or Chicago), Devil Wears Prada and A Good Year all rolled into one, and throw in an Adrien Brody (The Pianist) to provide the singing and dancing leading man. It was that good.