Breakfast at Tiffany's

Movie Review: Breakfast at Tiffany's

Year of Release: 1961
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Blake Edwards
Cast: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Buddy Ebsen, Mickey Rooney

Plot outline: Struggling writer Paul Varjak moves into a New York apartment building and becomes intrigued by his pretty, quirky neighbour Holly Golightly who in public flits through parties with a sexy, sophisticated air, but when alone changes into a sweetly vulnerable bundle of neuroses (IMDb).

Loosely based on the short novel of the same name by Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's is Audrey Hepburn's signature movie. Her portrayal of confused and lost Holly Golightly - with the black dress, black broad-brimmed hat, black sunglasses and long cigarette holder - is considered to be her most memorable and identifiable role. People who have read the novella might think that the casting of Ms. Hepburn was somewhat miscast (the writer himself wanted Marilyn Monroe to play the role of Holly Golightly). Nevertheless, she successfully made it her own and in the process created an image that is considered one of the iconic images of 20th century American cinema. Her character is actually dark and disturbing, but she somehow manages to bring a gleam of innocence and sweetness to it - I guess, this is what Audrey Hepburn is all about: grace and magic! The opening scene when Holly gets out of a taxi in front of Tiffany's, drinking coffee and eating pastry, while staring through the window at the famous jewelry store as Henry Mancini's melancholy strings of "Moon River" wash over everything is a classic (!) It instantly and perfectly sets the tone of the entire movie that follows. I heard many complaints about Mickey Rooney's stereotypical portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi. Yes, I agree ... it's politically incorrect (!), nevertheless I still think that his character is hilarious. Watch the movie carefully as the story contains many allegories: e.g. Holly keeps losing the key to her apartment, and so does Paul; Holly is a phony but a real phony, while Paul is a writer but hasn't been writing for a very long time; the cat who doesn't have a name, while Holly Golightly turns out to be a false name. Other than the opening scene, there are many memorable moments in the movie: e.g. the wacky party at Holly's place, Holly and Paul doing things they've never done before - the scene when Holly and Paul pinch cat masks (another allegory) and the scene when they are at Tiffany's, and of course the ending scene. Instead of gritty and vulgar, in the hands of director Blake Edwards and together with the magical persona of Audrey Hepburn, the movie becomes a candy box of style and sweet redemption. It received three Oscar nominations: Best Actress, Best Art and Set Decoration, Best Adapted Screenplay, and won two Oscars: Best Musical Score and Best Original Song. It's one of my personal favourites.

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars