Breakfast at Tiffany’s is probably the most iconic movie starring Audrey Hepburn, who is an American icon in her own right. The film, which was based on the novelette by Truman Capote, was released in 1961 and was nominated for several Academy Awards. Like I said, this movie stars Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly and features a cast of several well-known actors. It is probably my favorite of Audrey Hepburn’s films and I especially like the song “Moon River” that she sings in it.
This movie opens with Hepburn eating breakfast while strolling past Tiffany & Co. The plot follows Hepburn’s character Holly and her apartment neighbor Paul as they begin to become important in each other’s lives. Holly is a country girl turned New York socialite and Paul is a blocked writer who is experiencing some bad luck in getting published. Now, if you read about this movie on IMDB or some other website, it may seem like some old romantic comedy that doesn’t really have much depth to it but I think there is a serious undertone to the whole film and I think it is this undertone is what people today can relate to.
This seriousness that I am talking about can be seen through the character of Holly Golightly. On the surface, she seems to be a flighty and thoughtless socialite who has little care for the consequences of her actions. Even her name gives this impression. However, there is actually much more to her. To start, she has to essentially put on a mask in order to cover up her very humble beginnings as an unsophisticated country girl. On top of that, she has to basically kiss up to her wealthy “friends” and even consider marrying one in order to support herself. While not always this extreme, I think that everyone puts on different masks in order to hide parts of themselves. I know I do. People also have to sometimes do things that they don’t really want to in order support themselves or reach certain goals. It is because of this that I think that audiences from every generation can relate to this movie and it is also why I highly recommend it.
I’ve never seen this movie, but I’ve heard a ton about it. And I love Audrey Hepburn she’s fabulous. It’s definitely a movie that’s on my bucket list to watch! (basically because the girls from Gossip Girl talk about it so much lol)
I have also never seen this film, but I am familiar with the film and the actors. You described it well and speak highly of it so maybe I will have to watch it. It is nice to see a film with some more to it than a surface level, especially when they could easily get away with it with a leading lady like Audrey Hepburn.
Fav part about this movie is that the cat’s name is cat. I think. Right? Lols
This is another film you write about that I have heard of but never seen. Even without seeing it, I know its place in our society as a classic. As you pointed out in the last paragraph, the thing that separates the films of film’s Golden Age from the blockbusters of today are the not so obvious undertones that break the films into layers.