This will be a short movie review, simply because there is little to say. For those of you who have been reading my blog with some consistency, you’ve noticed that I’ve been slowly working my way through the many classic Audrey Hepburn movies, that I, as a 20-something male, never got around to seeing. This series of reviews is no coincidence, of course, because Paramount has been releasing Hepburn’s works in the form of new Centennial Collection DVDs.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is the fifth DVD release in this line, and it didn’t come a moment too soon. After all, I hold Breakfast at Tiffany’s as one of the best romantic comedies ever made, and one that all future films should be compared against.

The movie works on many levels: Hepburn is fantastic and super hot in it; the chemistry between her and George Peppard is great; the story is fun and more than stands the test of time; the movie is romantic and funny all at once; and so on and so forth.

I told you this was going to be a short review. Analysing films that I really like is always rather boring, because anything you write in attempt to fill out the review ends up being filler for the baseline fact: the movie is damn good. So, why waste words?

I’m done.

Seriously.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is great, and if you’re young like me and haven’t seen the movie, you should check it out. Especially you ladies, because then maybe you wouldn’t go flocking to such pictures as Bride Wars, which looked funny but rather disparaging to the fairer sex from the previews.

God, you’re still here? The 2-disc DVD set includes commentary by producer Richard Shepherd and a variety of featurettes, including:

• A Golightly Gathering
• Henry Mancini: More Than Music
• Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective
• The Making of a Classic
• It’s So Audrey: A Style Icon
• Behind the Gates: The Tour
• Brilliance in a Blue Box
• Audrey’s Letter to Tiffany
• Original Theatrical Trailer

So, if you’re an Audrey Hepburn fan, this new DVD version of Breakfast at Tiffany’s may be worth purchasing.

In my continued case to see all things Audrey Hepburn, I popped Funny Face into my DVD player today. Thankfully, Paramount Pictures has been releasing Hepburn films over the last few months under its Centennial Edition banner, and Funny Face is the latest to be re-released. Having just watched Sabrina, Roman Holiday and, of course, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, my expectations were set pretty high – little did I know that Funny Face was an annoying musical that definitely does not stand the test of time.

Funny Face is about a fashion magazine photographer (Fred Astaire) who, in order to get a perfect shot, storms into an old bookstore to perform a photo shoot – taking the poor bookkeeper (Hepburn) by surprise. Though she has a “funny face,” Mr. Astaire sees something in the young women and selects her to be his next model. Hepburn is swept away to Paris for her big premiere, though her intentions are more to philosophize with Parisians than walk down a runway. At the same time, an awkward relationship forms between the two. (more…)

I’m 26 years old, which means as I watch the movies of the future, I slowly delve into the pictures of the past. A wave of classics arrived in new Centennial Edition DVD packages this week, including Roman Holiday, and it has given me the chance to watch the Gregory Peck/Audrey Hepburn film for the first time.

I’ve only seen a spattering of Hepburn films in my lifetime, but I have realized while she was one of the most sought after actresses in the late 50’s and early 60’s. She was gorgeous, likable and entertaining, and had a knack for picking quality projects. Between Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Roman Holiday, Hepburn set the stage for the modern romantic comedy. It’s absolutely intriguing watching a picture like Roman Holiday, which has a simple, almost ludicrous plot, an unlikely relationship and forced conflict that is reminiscent of today’s romantic comedies. At the same time, it feels fresh and is consistently enjoyable from beginning to end. The same formula that has been duplicated time and time again – and continues to be so – works wondrously well. And this is a movie that was made in the year both my parents were born. (more…)