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.

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.

Funny Face is a pretty typical romantic comedy, only with singing, dancing and very little comedy and romance. While most of Hepburn’s pictures stand the test of time amazingly well, Funny Face will only appeal to fans of the era. The musical numbers, while not terrible, are just antiquated, and come off as more annoying than anything else. In recent years I’ve grown to enjoy musicals, but this is the kind of musical I loathe.

There’s not much else to say. Funny Face was not what I was expecting, and lacks the charm and wit of many of Hepburn’s other movies. There isn’t much chemistry between Hepburn and Astaire, and that could have been its one saving grace.

The Funny Face DVD includes:

• Kay Thompson on “Think Pink”
• This is VistaVision (whatever that means)
• Fashion Photographers Exposed
• The Fashion Designer and His Muse
• Parisian Dreams
• Paramount in the ’50’s – Retrospective Featurette
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Photo Galleries

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.

Roman Holiday is about a princess who escapes from her inner crew and winds up in the arms of a surprised but eager reporter who just happens to have been assigned to get an exclusive story with the young woman. With the princess unaware of the reporter’s true intentions, and also unaware that he knows who she is, the two set out on a day around Rome. Of course, as they go from one adventure to next, they slowly begin to fall in love.

There’s not much more to say, other than Roman Holiday is one of the best movies I’ve seen in months. Both Peck and Hepburn are excellent, and have unusual but great chemistry. Hepburn’s also quite hot in the picture, and shows a bit of skin. That doesn’t hurt. There are several laugh-out-loud parts, and many heart touching moments as well. Most impressive is the shocking ending, which took me completely off guard but makes complete sense, too. It’s a shame more films don’t end this way, though I understand why they don’t.

If you’re of a younger generation and haven’t seen Roman Holiday, I highly recommend it. This is an excellent romantic comedy that stands the test of time.

Some of the Centennial DVD bonus features include:

• Behind the Gates: Costumes
• Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years
• Remembering Audrey Hepburn
• Rome with a Princess
• Dalton Trumbo: From A-List to Blacklist
• Restoring Roman Holiday
• Paramount in the ‘50s
• Photo Galleries
• Original Theatrical Teaser trailer
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Theatrical Re-release Trailer