Even now 57 years after its original release, Breakfast At Tiffany's remains a charming love story between two hustlers of sorts. Audrey Hepburn is not the Holy Golightly that Truman Capote intended, she couldn't be but she was Audrey Hepburn in all of her 1961 glory. Amazing how it still works that Audrey Hepbun touch. George Peppard is gorgeous but impenetrable. Mickey Rooney, unforgivable. Henry Mancini, opportune but. strangely enough the character that fascinated me the most in my latest viewing is Patricia Neal. I would love to see a full movie about that woman. She exudes sensuality and smartness. Blake Edwards concocts a lighter fare from Capote's book and as it happens, it's still very much alive and surprisingly relevant.
547 Reviews
A Real Charmer: Comfort Viewing At It's Best
gftbiloxi21 April 2005
The celebrated author on whose novel it was based despised the film version, describing it as "mawkish." The star wasn't much more enthusiastic; she never considered it among her best work. And the reviews were mixed. But regardless of what Truman Capote, Audrey Hepburn, or the critics thought about it, the public adored it--and the image of Audrey Hepburn wearing a black evening dress, nibbling pastry, and window shopping has passed into our cultural iconography.
The film is indeed lightweight stuff. Audrey Hepburn is a New York good-time girl who makes a living by clipping her wealthy escorts for fifty here and fifty there. When she meets handsome George Peppard--a writer who makes ends meet by trading favors with society matron Patricia Neal--can love be far behind? But Audrey's mysterious past and her determination to marry rich, George's status as a kept boy-toy, and their occasionally questionable associates provide plenty of complications to fill out the story.
What makes the film work is the remarkable charm of its two stars. Most of the attention goes to Audrey Hepburn and the film shows her to remarkable advantage: she is a remarkable actress, personality, and beauty, and she works wonders with the ultralight script. But when it comes to charm, George Peppard is no slouch either: the film catches him at the height of his early golden-boy good looks, and he is the perfect foil for Hepburn in both their comic and dramatic scenes. Mickey Rooney's excessive performance as Yunioshi aside, the supporting cast is also very entertaining, with Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, and Dorothy Whitney all give enjoyable turns. The film looks great (make sure you get the widescreen version), the score (which includes "Moon River") is excellent, and director Blake Edwards keeps everything moving at a pleasant pace. This a great film to cozy up with on a cold night--romantic, entertaining, and as comforting as a cup of hot chocolate. Recommended.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
The film is indeed lightweight stuff. Audrey Hepburn is a New York good-time girl who makes a living by clipping her wealthy escorts for fifty here and fifty there. When she meets handsome George Peppard--a writer who makes ends meet by trading favors with society matron Patricia Neal--can love be far behind? But Audrey's mysterious past and her determination to marry rich, George's status as a kept boy-toy, and their occasionally questionable associates provide plenty of complications to fill out the story.
What makes the film work is the remarkable charm of its two stars. Most of the attention goes to Audrey Hepburn and the film shows her to remarkable advantage: she is a remarkable actress, personality, and beauty, and she works wonders with the ultralight script. But when it comes to charm, George Peppard is no slouch either: the film catches him at the height of his early golden-boy good looks, and he is the perfect foil for Hepburn in both their comic and dramatic scenes. Mickey Rooney's excessive performance as Yunioshi aside, the supporting cast is also very entertaining, with Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, and Dorothy Whitney all give enjoyable turns. The film looks great (make sure you get the widescreen version), the score (which includes "Moon River") is excellent, and director Blake Edwards keeps everything moving at a pleasant pace. This a great film to cozy up with on a cold night--romantic, entertaining, and as comforting as a cup of hot chocolate. Recommended.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Great Art or Guilty Pleasure?
smc716 February 2006
I am never sure which Breakfast at Tiffany's is. I can certainly think of movies which more accurately portray the human condition, but of few that are more fun.
Neither Holly nor Paul seem to represent real people. Their attraction, which is the focal point of the movie, is a character unto itself. Paul sees Holly as scared, vulnerable, and in need of rescue and enjoys his role as potential knight in shining armor to her damsel in distress. She is drawn to him because he sees beyond her facade of fabulousness to the scared little girl she is inside and which she tries (not that hard really at all) to hide. Adding to her attraction to him is the fact that he stands up to her when she treats him shoddily. This probably does not happen to her too often, and it intrigues her.
These are mostly the tricks a romance novelist uses to keep readers baited and rooting for a fictional, possibly doomed romance to work and do not reflect the real nature of love. There is, however, enough chemistry, genuine affection, and respect between the two characters to keep the story from seeming utterly implausible.
Of course, a movie doesn't have to be realistic to realistically portray what is right and what is wrong with the world we live in. Breakfast at Tiffany's doesn't do a whole lot of that either, though. After watching I can never pinpoint one solid message from it.
What it does have a lot of, as many others have pointed out, is stylish, witty, good fun. This is almost always the movie I choose on the rare occasions when my husband is working late, my son is asleep, I have energy to spare and good bottle of wine just begging to be uncorked. Believable or not, it is well-told and compelling, and remains one of the better movies a gal can lose herself in.
Neither Holly nor Paul seem to represent real people. Their attraction, which is the focal point of the movie, is a character unto itself. Paul sees Holly as scared, vulnerable, and in need of rescue and enjoys his role as potential knight in shining armor to her damsel in distress. She is drawn to him because he sees beyond her facade of fabulousness to the scared little girl she is inside and which she tries (not that hard really at all) to hide. Adding to her attraction to him is the fact that he stands up to her when she treats him shoddily. This probably does not happen to her too often, and it intrigues her.
These are mostly the tricks a romance novelist uses to keep readers baited and rooting for a fictional, possibly doomed romance to work and do not reflect the real nature of love. There is, however, enough chemistry, genuine affection, and respect between the two characters to keep the story from seeming utterly implausible.
Of course, a movie doesn't have to be realistic to realistically portray what is right and what is wrong with the world we live in. Breakfast at Tiffany's doesn't do a whole lot of that either, though. After watching I can never pinpoint one solid message from it.
What it does have a lot of, as many others have pointed out, is stylish, witty, good fun. This is almost always the movie I choose on the rare occasions when my husband is working late, my son is asleep, I have energy to spare and good bottle of wine just begging to be uncorked. Believable or not, it is well-told and compelling, and remains one of the better movies a gal can lose herself in.
More than just a romantic-comedy, "Breakfast" is a real love story
Damian_21 July 2004
Warning: Spoilers
The main reason I like "Breakfast at Tiffany's" so much is because I think it is one of those rare romantic comedies that actually transcends the genre and becomes a genuine love story. I have a theory that most love stories that get made aren't really about love. They're either about romance or lust. I don't think that many people in Hollywood (or society in general today) even know what real deep, meaningful love really is. "Breakfast at Tiffany's," on the other hand, is one of the most beautiful real love stories ever told.
*SPOILERS*
"Tiffany's" is basically about a woman who is incapable of loving. She considers herself a "free spirit" a "wild thing," an independent, adventurous woman who lives for the moment. She is also a bit of a social outcast because her "profession" is essentially that of a call girl. Whether or not she actually sleeps with all of these men (or just some of them) who pay her is unclear, but she definitely uses them. She is not a woman of high moral character and despite her constant "up" attitude and optimistic outlook, she is really quite lonely. It's all a reflection of how she really feels about herself I think. It's almost as if she needs to keep trying new things and distracting herself from the truth, because if she were to actually take a moment to stop and look at herself, she would be confronted with how unimpressive and ordinary she really is. She would also have to face the fact that she is not really that stylish. She is an actor playing a part. "Holly Golightly" isn't even her real name. As I said, she is incapable of loving others because she doesn't really even love herself. She feels she is unlovable. Her self-perception is really quite low and that's why she concocts these huge, elaborate fantasies about being elegant, classy and witty. When I first saw the film, I was so impressed by the charm and beauty of Audrey Hepburn that I instantly fell in love with her. The more I watch the movie, the more I realize how utterly sad and pathetic (yet still likable) her character really is. As Marty Balsam says in the film: "She's a phony, but she's a real phony."
Paul Varjak, the character played by George Peppard (pre A-TEAM days of course) is in a similar situation. He is also playing a role and has a lousy self-image. He wants to write but has had such a hard time at it that he has resigned himself to taking money from a married, rich woman, who considers him to be her "good time" on the side, for his living. Paul and Holly start out as simple neighbors, later become friends and eventually fall in love which ends up scaring the pepper out of Holly. She's okay flirting with someone but as soon as she crosses that line over into falling for someone, she becomes afraid and runs away. She sees love as a "cage," something that stifles people and sucks the life out of them. She needs help. She needs someone to love her and she needs to be able to love them back. This man is the perfect one for her because he needs her just as much as she needs him. They can help each other. They can lift each other up. By themselves they are nothing but together they are complete. They are two miserable people who can find happiness in one another.
I like movies about redemption. Stories about otherwise lowly people who are raised to the heights of happiness through love (without it seeming forced or sentimental) are exceptionally rare but when they do show up they tend to appeal to me (that's the reason why I like the story to "Sabrina" so much too). I will never EVER forget that last scene in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" where Holly is finally confronted with the painful truth that despite all her attempts to deny herself, to hide from her own "ordinariness," nothing about her has really changed. As Paul says "No matter where you go, you just keep running into yourself." She admits that she is lonely and unhappy. She goes back for the cat that she set free moments earlier upon realizing that she was coming dangerously close to "owning" him. In going back for the cat she is really going back for herself. She sees herself as the cat and, in fact, there is frequent imagery throughout the film that connects them (Holly wearing the cat mask that she steals from the shop, "Nine Lives" being the name of the book that Paul wrote, etc.). She didn't want to give him a name because she didn't want him to belong to her, she would consider that "caging" the animal. So she called him simply "cat," but over time "Cat" ended up becoming his actual name. In reclaiming the cat she is sort of reclaiming her own life. For a few moments it looks like "Cat" may be gone forever, but when she hears the soft "meow" and pulls him out of a cardboard box, she is elated. She is the happiest woman on earth. Like the cat, she was lost but now is found. She embraces the cat and kisses her love, Paul, as they stand in the rain. The music swells (Gotta love that "Moon River" song) and the screen fades to black. It is, in my opinion, one of the greatest endings of any movie ever.
*SPOILERS*
"Tiffany's" is basically about a woman who is incapable of loving. She considers herself a "free spirit" a "wild thing," an independent, adventurous woman who lives for the moment. She is also a bit of a social outcast because her "profession" is essentially that of a call girl. Whether or not she actually sleeps with all of these men (or just some of them) who pay her is unclear, but she definitely uses them. She is not a woman of high moral character and despite her constant "up" attitude and optimistic outlook, she is really quite lonely. It's all a reflection of how she really feels about herself I think. It's almost as if she needs to keep trying new things and distracting herself from the truth, because if she were to actually take a moment to stop and look at herself, she would be confronted with how unimpressive and ordinary she really is. She would also have to face the fact that she is not really that stylish. She is an actor playing a part. "Holly Golightly" isn't even her real name. As I said, she is incapable of loving others because she doesn't really even love herself. She feels she is unlovable. Her self-perception is really quite low and that's why she concocts these huge, elaborate fantasies about being elegant, classy and witty. When I first saw the film, I was so impressed by the charm and beauty of Audrey Hepburn that I instantly fell in love with her. The more I watch the movie, the more I realize how utterly sad and pathetic (yet still likable) her character really is. As Marty Balsam says in the film: "She's a phony, but she's a real phony."
Paul Varjak, the character played by George Peppard (pre A-TEAM days of course) is in a similar situation. He is also playing a role and has a lousy self-image. He wants to write but has had such a hard time at it that he has resigned himself to taking money from a married, rich woman, who considers him to be her "good time" on the side, for his living. Paul and Holly start out as simple neighbors, later become friends and eventually fall in love which ends up scaring the pepper out of Holly. She's okay flirting with someone but as soon as she crosses that line over into falling for someone, she becomes afraid and runs away. She sees love as a "cage," something that stifles people and sucks the life out of them. She needs help. She needs someone to love her and she needs to be able to love them back. This man is the perfect one for her because he needs her just as much as she needs him. They can help each other. They can lift each other up. By themselves they are nothing but together they are complete. They are two miserable people who can find happiness in one another.
I like movies about redemption. Stories about otherwise lowly people who are raised to the heights of happiness through love (without it seeming forced or sentimental) are exceptionally rare but when they do show up they tend to appeal to me (that's the reason why I like the story to "Sabrina" so much too). I will never EVER forget that last scene in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" where Holly is finally confronted with the painful truth that despite all her attempts to deny herself, to hide from her own "ordinariness," nothing about her has really changed. As Paul says "No matter where you go, you just keep running into yourself." She admits that she is lonely and unhappy. She goes back for the cat that she set free moments earlier upon realizing that she was coming dangerously close to "owning" him. In going back for the cat she is really going back for herself. She sees herself as the cat and, in fact, there is frequent imagery throughout the film that connects them (Holly wearing the cat mask that she steals from the shop, "Nine Lives" being the name of the book that Paul wrote, etc.). She didn't want to give him a name because she didn't want him to belong to her, she would consider that "caging" the animal. So she called him simply "cat," but over time "Cat" ended up becoming his actual name. In reclaiming the cat she is sort of reclaiming her own life. For a few moments it looks like "Cat" may be gone forever, but when she hears the soft "meow" and pulls him out of a cardboard box, she is elated. She is the happiest woman on earth. Like the cat, she was lost but now is found. She embraces the cat and kisses her love, Paul, as they stand in the rain. The music swells (Gotta love that "Moon River" song) and the screen fades to black. It is, in my opinion, one of the greatest endings of any movie ever.
Audrey Hepburn - The "It" Girl of the 60s
misslv8012 April 2004
I've loved "Breakfast at Tiffany's" since I was nine. Even before I completely understood about Holly's "profession", I was captivated by the grace and magic that was Audrey Hepburn.
George Peppard plays Paul Varjak, a writer who has to earn his living through a wealthy socialite, Patricia Neal, as her "kept" man. Audrey, who plays Holly Golightly, is a gold-digging call girl, who is looking for the right rich man to marry. Though you would think these two would be unflattering characters, they are both very charming and put on phony personas (especially in Holly's case) in order to survive.
You have to marvel at how a woman like Audrey could look so good in anything she wore. At the beginning of the movie when she first meets Peppard, she's only wearing a simple white shirt that she wears as a nightgown or at the party scene when she first comes out and greets her friend O.J. Berman wearing nothing but a sheet made up to look like a dress! Gorgeous!
It's a marvelous piece of acting when Holly first meets Paul in her apartment, and she's talking about how she has to get ready to meet one of her "clients" in jail, Sally Tomato, and she's talking about her profession, looking at herself in the mirror, getting dressed, asking Paul to find one of her shoes, etc., and then, voila! the famous basic black dress and hat with the wide brim. Very stylish - and in the scene she is given much to work with, the way she has to juggle the dialogue and the action of what she is doing all at once. Very natural and sophisticated at the same time.
Audrey is very believable as Holly because her character is someone who is pretending to be sophisticated, hanging around with phony people, but really comes from humble beginnings. Once in a while you will hear in her voice the "country-girl" drawl, and you will see through the facade of Holly Golightly who she really is. George Peppard is also very handsome and believable as the "starving" writer who also has to sell himself out in order to earn a living.
Many complaints have been made about Mickey Rooney and the "stereotypical" portrayal of the landlord Mr. Yunioshi. Yes, it is stereotyped, but nonetheless, I still thought it was funny. The party scene is one of the best in the movie - hilarious! Wonderful score by Henry Mancini. Of course it's a classic scene when Holly pulls up in front of Tiffany's in the New York taxi, drinking coffee and eating a danish in front of the window. New York City itself is like a vibrant, interesting character in the movie. I could go on and on.
And to top it all off, it's a very romantic love story about two people who find happiness in the crazy, mixed-up world we live in. A classic. Recommended to anyone who loves old Hollywood cinema.
George Peppard plays Paul Varjak, a writer who has to earn his living through a wealthy socialite, Patricia Neal, as her "kept" man. Audrey, who plays Holly Golightly, is a gold-digging call girl, who is looking for the right rich man to marry. Though you would think these two would be unflattering characters, they are both very charming and put on phony personas (especially in Holly's case) in order to survive.
You have to marvel at how a woman like Audrey could look so good in anything she wore. At the beginning of the movie when she first meets Peppard, she's only wearing a simple white shirt that she wears as a nightgown or at the party scene when she first comes out and greets her friend O.J. Berman wearing nothing but a sheet made up to look like a dress! Gorgeous!
It's a marvelous piece of acting when Holly first meets Paul in her apartment, and she's talking about how she has to get ready to meet one of her "clients" in jail, Sally Tomato, and she's talking about her profession, looking at herself in the mirror, getting dressed, asking Paul to find one of her shoes, etc., and then, voila! the famous basic black dress and hat with the wide brim. Very stylish - and in the scene she is given much to work with, the way she has to juggle the dialogue and the action of what she is doing all at once. Very natural and sophisticated at the same time.
Audrey is very believable as Holly because her character is someone who is pretending to be sophisticated, hanging around with phony people, but really comes from humble beginnings. Once in a while you will hear in her voice the "country-girl" drawl, and you will see through the facade of Holly Golightly who she really is. George Peppard is also very handsome and believable as the "starving" writer who also has to sell himself out in order to earn a living.
Many complaints have been made about Mickey Rooney and the "stereotypical" portrayal of the landlord Mr. Yunioshi. Yes, it is stereotyped, but nonetheless, I still thought it was funny. The party scene is one of the best in the movie - hilarious! Wonderful score by Henry Mancini. Of course it's a classic scene when Holly pulls up in front of Tiffany's in the New York taxi, drinking coffee and eating a danish in front of the window. New York City itself is like a vibrant, interesting character in the movie. I could go on and on.
And to top it all off, it's a very romantic love story about two people who find happiness in the crazy, mixed-up world we live in. A classic. Recommended to anyone who loves old Hollywood cinema.
"...no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself..."
elvircorhodzic11 April 2017
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY's is an exciting and entertaining romantic comedy about a charismatic girl from high society and an unrealized writer. Film is loosely based on Truman Capote's novella of the same name.
A young and elegantly dressed lady walks around and looking in a shop windows in an early morning. After looking into the shop's windows, she strolls home. Outside her apartment, she fends off her date from the disastrous night before. Later, she meets, a pleasant and somewhat confused writer, the new tenant in her building. They develop a special relationship. She wants to marry a rich man. However, her new friend slowly falls in love with her. Both must give up of some important goals in their lives for the sake of love...
This is an unconvincing and provocative story with a touch of an inappropriate comedy, romance and melodrama. However, this distorted reality has a certain depth. The story of a nobody's-but everyone's girl is, given her past, a naive and painful at the same time. A quiet and insecure writer with an obvious problem of writer's block and hands of a beautiful and rich older lady around his neck enters in her life. It is a quite confusing situation in life.
Costume design is exquisite, the song "Moon River" is haunting as a reflection of fears, turmoil and friendship.
Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly / Lula Mae Barnes is an irresistible, irritating, bumbling and gentle woman with two names. She constantly flees away from itself. Holly is "the real fake" and "a wild thing" at the same time. Lula Mae is a person from whom Holly escapes. Ms. Hepburn is a beautiful and gentle actress, exceptional comedienne, who is an ideal choice for this role. George Peppard as Paul Varjak is often set aside as an observer. He was not the right choice for this role. George just can not follow a "twisting" step of the unreliable Holly. Mr. Edwards has tried to equalize their characters. They are unhappy, unfulfilled and they differ from some moral standards. Their relationship is based on an unconditional friendship. There is no a chemistry or love sparks. He has, in an elusive and unreliable girl, found an inspiration in his life. She has found a man who will, regardless of her excesses and lies, always be beside her and lend her a hand when she falls.
Their support are Patricia Neal (Mrs. Emily Eustace "2E" Failenson) as a cool rich woman with a beautiful smile and a magnetic gaze. Martin Balsam as O.J. Berman is very funny as a Hollywood agent. Mickey Rooney as I.Y. Yunioshi is an inappropriate and hackneyed cliché.
This is an odd collection of turbulent and false feelings, which is a comic and melodramatic at the same time, and even occasionally pleasant to watch.
A young and elegantly dressed lady walks around and looking in a shop windows in an early morning. After looking into the shop's windows, she strolls home. Outside her apartment, she fends off her date from the disastrous night before. Later, she meets, a pleasant and somewhat confused writer, the new tenant in her building. They develop a special relationship. She wants to marry a rich man. However, her new friend slowly falls in love with her. Both must give up of some important goals in their lives for the sake of love...
This is an unconvincing and provocative story with a touch of an inappropriate comedy, romance and melodrama. However, this distorted reality has a certain depth. The story of a nobody's-but everyone's girl is, given her past, a naive and painful at the same time. A quiet and insecure writer with an obvious problem of writer's block and hands of a beautiful and rich older lady around his neck enters in her life. It is a quite confusing situation in life.
Costume design is exquisite, the song "Moon River" is haunting as a reflection of fears, turmoil and friendship.
Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly / Lula Mae Barnes is an irresistible, irritating, bumbling and gentle woman with two names. She constantly flees away from itself. Holly is "the real fake" and "a wild thing" at the same time. Lula Mae is a person from whom Holly escapes. Ms. Hepburn is a beautiful and gentle actress, exceptional comedienne, who is an ideal choice for this role. George Peppard as Paul Varjak is often set aside as an observer. He was not the right choice for this role. George just can not follow a "twisting" step of the unreliable Holly. Mr. Edwards has tried to equalize their characters. They are unhappy, unfulfilled and they differ from some moral standards. Their relationship is based on an unconditional friendship. There is no a chemistry or love sparks. He has, in an elusive and unreliable girl, found an inspiration in his life. She has found a man who will, regardless of her excesses and lies, always be beside her and lend her a hand when she falls.
Their support are Patricia Neal (Mrs. Emily Eustace "2E" Failenson) as a cool rich woman with a beautiful smile and a magnetic gaze. Martin Balsam as O.J. Berman is very funny as a Hollywood agent. Mickey Rooney as I.Y. Yunioshi is an inappropriate and hackneyed cliché.
This is an odd collection of turbulent and false feelings, which is a comic and melodramatic at the same time, and even occasionally pleasant to watch.
This movie is watchable because of Audrey Hepburn
tammyaphillips24 January 2010
There are movies that are loved because of the cast, the music and style, not for the interesting plot, wonderful characterizations or snappy dialogue. This famous movie, Breakfast at Tiffany, has been lovingly regarded for years because of the wonderful Audrey Hepburn and the talented Henry Mancini. Moon River is one of the best movie songs ever. But there is, surprisingly, not much to say overall about this movie.
Two prostitutes become friends. George Peppards' role could have been played by anyone breathing and Micky Rooney was too ridiculous to be funny. The always superb Patricia Neal did not have much to do. Only Buddy Epsen moved me.
There are a few noteworthy scenes. But, Breakfast at Tiffany's is the best example I've seen of a lovely cake with a big hole in the middle.
Two prostitutes become friends. George Peppards' role could have been played by anyone breathing and Micky Rooney was too ridiculous to be funny. The always superb Patricia Neal did not have much to do. Only Buddy Epsen moved me.
There are a few noteworthy scenes. But, Breakfast at Tiffany's is the best example I've seen of a lovely cake with a big hole in the middle.
Audrey's a Delight
gbheron15 March 2001
"Breakfast at Tiffany's" preserves an idyllic time and place in the American psyche, New York City between WWII and The Great Society. A time when being hip and urbane were accessible (and desirable) to the middle-class.
The film's" the two romantic protagonists are Holly Golightly, played wonderfully by Audrey Hepburn, and Paul Varjak, played by George Peppard in an understated performance that well complements Hepburn's. Holly is an aspiring socialite and party-girl looking for a wealthy sugar daddy. Paul is an aspiring writer and kept-man of a wealthy older woman. Neither is happy, but both go through the motions in a swirl of Manhattan parties and parings.
Everything falls nicely into place in this romantic-comedy; directing, musical score, acting, and screenplay. Filmed on location in New York this is a beautiful, captivating movie, that has not only aged well, but is a time machine to a wonderful place that probably really never existed except in our imagination.
The film's" the two romantic protagonists are Holly Golightly, played wonderfully by Audrey Hepburn, and Paul Varjak, played by George Peppard in an understated performance that well complements Hepburn's. Holly is an aspiring socialite and party-girl looking for a wealthy sugar daddy. Paul is an aspiring writer and kept-man of a wealthy older woman. Neither is happy, but both go through the motions in a swirl of Manhattan parties and parings.
Everything falls nicely into place in this romantic-comedy; directing, musical score, acting, and screenplay. Filmed on location in New York this is a beautiful, captivating movie, that has not only aged well, but is a time machine to a wonderful place that probably really never existed except in our imagination.
Well-remembered, but flawed
Leofwine_draca24 February 2014
I've been catching up on Audrey Hepburn movies lately, and of course this is the best remembered of the lot. It's a super-stylish romantic comedy in the days when the genre still elicited laughs, rather than the groans coming out of cineplexes these days.
My problem with BREAKFAST IS TIFFANY'S lies in the script, which presents the Hepburn character as one of those annoyingly air-headed bimbos who spends the whole film at the mercy of her own ignorance. There's nothing wrong with Hepburn, who nails the character perfectly, just the slightly irritating childlike persona. She's not really a person to fall in love with, more like somebody who needs sectioning.
Still, the rest of the film is well-made, beautifully shot and rather effective, and the sweet, good-natured comedy works well. It's rare for me to see George Peppard in a romantic role, but he acquits himself well with the material. This certainly isn't my favourite Hepburn movie - I can't help but feeling it's slightly overrated - but on the other hand I can see why it's regarded as a classic by most.
My problem with BREAKFAST IS TIFFANY'S lies in the script, which presents the Hepburn character as one of those annoyingly air-headed bimbos who spends the whole film at the mercy of her own ignorance. There's nothing wrong with Hepburn, who nails the character perfectly, just the slightly irritating childlike persona. She's not really a person to fall in love with, more like somebody who needs sectioning.
Still, the rest of the film is well-made, beautifully shot and rather effective, and the sweet, good-natured comedy works well. It's rare for me to see George Peppard in a romantic role, but he acquits himself well with the material. This certainly isn't my favourite Hepburn movie - I can't help but feeling it's slightly overrated - but on the other hand I can see why it's regarded as a classic by most.
Our Huckleberry Friend
bkoganbing1 September 2011
Checking out both the original novel and the Wikipedia article on Breakfast At Tiffany's I was surprised to see how different Truman Capote's vision of this story was. Capote who wanted Marilyn Monroe cast as Holly Golightly lived to see Audrey Hepburn make his literary creation one of her best cinematic creations. I think given Marilyn's track record for behavioral problems on film sets, Capote, Blake Edwards the director, and everyone else concerned with Breakfast At Tiffany's probably dodged a bullet.
Capote's story is set in the Forties and the film is contemporary 1961 when it was filmed. There's no real plot to it, Capote did a character study and so is this. It's about two people and the fascination that George Peppard's character develops for the unconventionality of Holly Golightly as Hepburn essays her.
Hepburn is the kept woman of a cross section of the male species and Peppard is the boy toy of another woman who rents in their apartment, Patricia Neal. Neal who would win her Oscar the following year for Hud has her character as curiously underdeveloped. It's the main weakness of Breakfast At Tiffany's.
The strength is of course Audrey Hepburn who took Capote's character completely over and it's her vision of the story that we see when the film is broadcast. She's an amoral minx who in the end realizes that her life is really meaningless.
Breakfast At Tiffany's won two Oscars both for Henry Mancini for Best Musical Scoring and Best Original Song for Moon River. That song is best known for Andy Williams's rendition, but there are also superb recordings by Frank Sinatra and Tony Martin. Hepburn got a nomination for Best Actress and the film was also nominated for Best Art&Set Decoration for a color film and Best Screenplay adapted from another medium, in this case Capote's novella.
Considering all the changes made, maybe the credit should have read inspired by Truman Capote's work. In any event this film belongs in the top rank of the works of Audrey Hepburn.
Capote's story is set in the Forties and the film is contemporary 1961 when it was filmed. There's no real plot to it, Capote did a character study and so is this. It's about two people and the fascination that George Peppard's character develops for the unconventionality of Holly Golightly as Hepburn essays her.
Hepburn is the kept woman of a cross section of the male species and Peppard is the boy toy of another woman who rents in their apartment, Patricia Neal. Neal who would win her Oscar the following year for Hud has her character as curiously underdeveloped. It's the main weakness of Breakfast At Tiffany's.
The strength is of course Audrey Hepburn who took Capote's character completely over and it's her vision of the story that we see when the film is broadcast. She's an amoral minx who in the end realizes that her life is really meaningless.
Breakfast At Tiffany's won two Oscars both for Henry Mancini for Best Musical Scoring and Best Original Song for Moon River. That song is best known for Andy Williams's rendition, but there are also superb recordings by Frank Sinatra and Tony Martin. Hepburn got a nomination for Best Actress and the film was also nominated for Best Art&Set Decoration for a color film and Best Screenplay adapted from another medium, in this case Capote's novella.
Considering all the changes made, maybe the credit should have read inspired by Truman Capote's work. In any event this film belongs in the top rank of the works of Audrey Hepburn.
A showcase for Audrey
hall89525 September 2009
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a mostly charming film which serves as a wonderful showcase for the great Audrey Hepburn. In her portrayal of Holly Golightly Hepburn created one of the most iconic characters in film history. This is a memorable film and it's Hepburn who makes it so. She is at the center of everything that goes on in the film and you can't help but be charmed by Holly Golightly. The movie has its flaws, most notably one incredibly unfortunate casting decision, but all these years later it is rightly remembered fondly by most who have had the pleasure of seeing it.
Holly Golightly makes her living as an escort, but it's not as unseemly as it might seem. What she really is more than anything else is an extroverted Manhattan socialite around whom all kinds of craziness swirls. That craziness is best typified in a famous party scene in Holly's apartment. There are so many people crammed into Holly's little apartment, there's so much going on that you don't even know where to look. But inevitably the eye is drawn back to Holly herself. The character has such style and charisma, as of course does the actress playing her. Everyone remembers the famous black dress but the beauty and elegance of Audrey Hepburn shine through no matter what Holly Golightly's wearing. Heck, she could wear a sheet and make it seem elegant. In fact she does. And that sums up Holly Golightly rather nicely. Beautiful, charming, engaging...and more than a touch eccentric.
It's Audrey's movie through and through and she is never anything less than wonderful in her performance. Playing opposite her in the key male role is George Peppard and he at times comes across as being a little wooden, maybe somewhat dull. But perhaps his character is just suffering in comparison to Holly Golightly who is many things, dull certainly not one of them. Buddy Ebsen has a small role but an important one as it is his character who provides some insight into who Holly really is, or at least who she used to be. We come to learn that Holly has pretty much reinvented herself and there are some wistful moments as we see why she may have felt the need to do so. There will be some roadblocks thrown up in the way of Holly's seemingly blissful existence and as she confronts these obstacles there are times where you know she's doing the wrong thing. But you love her anyway and just hold out hope she'll get it right in the end. That's the irresistible charm of Audrey Hepburn working its magic.
It must be said that for all its charm the film does have one serious black mark against it. Mickey Rooney's portrayal of Holly's bucktoothed, slant-eyed stereotyped Japanese neighbor Mr. Yunioshi is absolutely appalling. It's the type of thing you'd expect from a film made in the 1920s. By 1961 you would have hoped people would have known better. Apparently not. Every time this character appears on the screen you can't help but cringe. The character takes you out of the movie watching experience entirely. You don't see him as a character named Mr. Yunioshi, all you see is Mickey Rooney in hideous yellowface makeup. Awful. And for a character meant to serve as comic relief, even had an Asian actor been cast there is no way around the fact that the character is just not funny at all. It's the one major flaw in a film which, while maybe not an all-time classic, is certainly charming and enjoyable throughout. And as a showcase for the talents and elegance of Audrey Hepburn it could not work any better.
Holly Golightly makes her living as an escort, but it's not as unseemly as it might seem. What she really is more than anything else is an extroverted Manhattan socialite around whom all kinds of craziness swirls. That craziness is best typified in a famous party scene in Holly's apartment. There are so many people crammed into Holly's little apartment, there's so much going on that you don't even know where to look. But inevitably the eye is drawn back to Holly herself. The character has such style and charisma, as of course does the actress playing her. Everyone remembers the famous black dress but the beauty and elegance of Audrey Hepburn shine through no matter what Holly Golightly's wearing. Heck, she could wear a sheet and make it seem elegant. In fact she does. And that sums up Holly Golightly rather nicely. Beautiful, charming, engaging...and more than a touch eccentric.
It's Audrey's movie through and through and she is never anything less than wonderful in her performance. Playing opposite her in the key male role is George Peppard and he at times comes across as being a little wooden, maybe somewhat dull. But perhaps his character is just suffering in comparison to Holly Golightly who is many things, dull certainly not one of them. Buddy Ebsen has a small role but an important one as it is his character who provides some insight into who Holly really is, or at least who she used to be. We come to learn that Holly has pretty much reinvented herself and there are some wistful moments as we see why she may have felt the need to do so. There will be some roadblocks thrown up in the way of Holly's seemingly blissful existence and as she confronts these obstacles there are times where you know she's doing the wrong thing. But you love her anyway and just hold out hope she'll get it right in the end. That's the irresistible charm of Audrey Hepburn working its magic.
It must be said that for all its charm the film does have one serious black mark against it. Mickey Rooney's portrayal of Holly's bucktoothed, slant-eyed stereotyped Japanese neighbor Mr. Yunioshi is absolutely appalling. It's the type of thing you'd expect from a film made in the 1920s. By 1961 you would have hoped people would have known better. Apparently not. Every time this character appears on the screen you can't help but cringe. The character takes you out of the movie watching experience entirely. You don't see him as a character named Mr. Yunioshi, all you see is Mickey Rooney in hideous yellowface makeup. Awful. And for a character meant to serve as comic relief, even had an Asian actor been cast there is no way around the fact that the character is just not funny at all. It's the one major flaw in a film which, while maybe not an all-time classic, is certainly charming and enjoyable throughout. And as a showcase for the talents and elegance of Audrey Hepburn it could not work any better.
My favorite movie
kearls-13 March 2006
What can you say about Truman Capote's masterpiece? It is brilliant!! Hepburn is wonderful as a young woman who is on the verge of insanity, but unknowingly to most around her. She is confused and lost in the world, and she meets Paul, both having sex with the wrong people, both confused about who they are and where they are in the world... they are"two drifters." Holly is a character that remains classic, and Hepburn played her brilliantly!! I love this movie, it will make you believe in love, and what girl doesn't truly love Tiffany's? Moon River is also a truly beautiful song that expresses the mood throughout the movie. It also has a few surprises, and is witty and charming.
Way Overrated
planktonrules30 May 2005
This is an average film masquerading as great. I'm not blaming Blake Edwards or the stars--after all, they were just making a picture. Instead, this movie is the ultimate "personality cult" picture. In other words, people are SO OVERWHELMED with Audrey Hepburn, they glomp onto a picture and act like it is one of the best pictures ever made. For movie poster collectors, they saw the value of posters from this little movie skyrocket to astronomical heights (it is currently one of the most valuable posters from the 1960s) due to the rise of this cult.
The sad thing is that this isn't one of Ms. Hepburn's best pictures. Better films such as A Nun's Story, Love in the Afternoon or Sabrina are superior when compared side by side. My assumption is that those who fuel this cult probably never saw the movie or never saw her other films.
By the way, even if I am way off in my attitude towards this film (since so many love it), you've gotta admit that the movie deserves to lost a point or two because of the insane casting of Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi--a Japanese man!!! Not only was this stupid, but highly offensive and insensitive.
The sad thing is that this isn't one of Ms. Hepburn's best pictures. Better films such as A Nun's Story, Love in the Afternoon or Sabrina are superior when compared side by side. My assumption is that those who fuel this cult probably never saw the movie or never saw her other films.
By the way, even if I am way off in my attitude towards this film (since so many love it), you've gotta admit that the movie deserves to lost a point or two because of the insane casting of Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi--a Japanese man!!! Not only was this stupid, but highly offensive and insensitive.
Is Holly Golightly all that great?
jghbrown14 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I've heard so much about this movie over the years that I felt I just had to see it before I died. What a disappointment! Holly Golightly is not even a very nice person. How many really nice (and I mean nice rather than cute) people throw their cat out into a dark wet alley and tell it to fend for itself, or describe a man, whom they'd been hoping to marry just because he was super rich, as having a face like a pig (after she discovered he was broke)? She dismisses many of her dates as rats and super-rats, but she's little more than a gold-digging escort girl herself. Hardly something to be proud of.
The first half-hour was somewhat amusing. After that it descended into a great deal of silliness. Holly became so shallow that it was difficult for me to see where love came into it, and I began to feel sorry for "Fred" having to spend the rest of his life with her. Perhaps he'll send her back to Doc or even down to Brazil to pursue ever sparser seams of gold?
The first half-hour was somewhat amusing. After that it descended into a great deal of silliness. Holly became so shallow that it was difficult for me to see where love came into it, and I began to feel sorry for "Fred" having to spend the rest of his life with her. Perhaps he'll send her back to Doc or even down to Brazil to pursue ever sparser seams of gold?
Good. Very good.
patrick32011 May 2001
A lot has been said about this film, so I won't repeat too much of it. I just thought the following points stood out for me as wonderful:
-The telephone Holly keeps in a suitcase so she won't hear it. Holly. Ahhhh... Holly. Like some kind of female opposite of James Bond (stick with me here), men all want her, women all want to be her. We need to see *more* eccentric women in leading roles, as opposed to the dull boring stodge of overpaid 'sex symbols' like Julia Roberts or Nicole Kidman who can be pretty or serious but never interesting.
-George Peppard in his finest role, and brilliant it is too. It's a real shock to my generation that has been more accustomed to seeing him tragically underused on trash like the A-Team. It made me want to see more of his early films, and wonder what happened in the intervening years (alcohol, apparently :-( ). An icon of male sensitivity, and there are few enough of them around too.
-That chap who sells them the telephone dialler in Tiffany's. A tiny role that achieves its aims perfectly and makes life seem better, which is what you want really.
Many have said Tiffany's is too saccharine and cheerful, but I think it actually hits the perfect balance of cynicism and sentiment. There are moments of intense depression (which people often forget) as well as hopeful optimism, and these two working together are what make the film so uplifting and memorable.
-The telephone Holly keeps in a suitcase so she won't hear it. Holly. Ahhhh... Holly. Like some kind of female opposite of James Bond (stick with me here), men all want her, women all want to be her. We need to see *more* eccentric women in leading roles, as opposed to the dull boring stodge of overpaid 'sex symbols' like Julia Roberts or Nicole Kidman who can be pretty or serious but never interesting.
-George Peppard in his finest role, and brilliant it is too. It's a real shock to my generation that has been more accustomed to seeing him tragically underused on trash like the A-Team. It made me want to see more of his early films, and wonder what happened in the intervening years (alcohol, apparently :-( ). An icon of male sensitivity, and there are few enough of them around too.
-That chap who sells them the telephone dialler in Tiffany's. A tiny role that achieves its aims perfectly and makes life seem better, which is what you want really.
Many have said Tiffany's is too saccharine and cheerful, but I think it actually hits the perfect balance of cynicism and sentiment. There are moments of intense depression (which people often forget) as well as hopeful optimism, and these two working together are what make the film so uplifting and memorable.
A lot of fun, Audrey was a true beauty and actress of her time
Smells_Like_Cheese27 June 2007
Breakfast At Tiffany's is a pretty famous movie, it's recommended in my movie books and is usually on a top film critic's list as a classic. Before Roman Holiday, I had never seen an Audrey Hepburn film, and I have to say that I am becoming more and more of a fan of her's. She was so beautiful and very talented, not to mention she seemed like a very classy and elegant lady. But the film itself was a pretty good one, this was the movie that made romantic comedy clichés, so that's why I let it go so easily. It seemed like this film had what a lot of romantic comedy films steal now a days.
Holly is a huge socialite in her grand world, she finds happiness and joy in the jewelery store, Tiffany's. She is also being paid 100 dollars to visit a drug Mafia leader in prison to make his day. But things begin to change when a very handsome man moves in down stairs from her, Paul, but she calls him Fred since he looks like her brother. He's also in a similar situation where his "Decorator" is paying him for a good time. But together they find themselves helping one another and realizing they may need each other.
Breakfast at Tiffany's is an elegant classic that I would rate up with Seven Year Itch starring Marilyn Monroe. It has great humor and sizzling romance that anyone could fall in love with. Audrey Hepburn took on a role which the character could have been neuritic and annoying, but she made Holly into someone every woman would like to be. Her and George were great together, I would highly recommend Breakfast at Tiffany's, it's a great classic.
8/10
Holly is a huge socialite in her grand world, she finds happiness and joy in the jewelery store, Tiffany's. She is also being paid 100 dollars to visit a drug Mafia leader in prison to make his day. But things begin to change when a very handsome man moves in down stairs from her, Paul, but she calls him Fred since he looks like her brother. He's also in a similar situation where his "Decorator" is paying him for a good time. But together they find themselves helping one another and realizing they may need each other.
Breakfast at Tiffany's is an elegant classic that I would rate up with Seven Year Itch starring Marilyn Monroe. It has great humor and sizzling romance that anyone could fall in love with. Audrey Hepburn took on a role which the character could have been neuritic and annoying, but she made Holly into someone every woman would like to be. Her and George were great together, I would highly recommend Breakfast at Tiffany's, it's a great classic.
8/10
"It's useful being top banana in the shock department".
classicsoncall9 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
There came a point in the movie when I was almost convinced that Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) was mentally ill. I mean, how would one not be, having married a dirt farmer at fourteen, run away to the city to become a free spirit, and survive on fifty bucks a throw while partying their life away? Underneath the glitz and glamour of Holly's life was a troubling aspect of alienation and despair that couldn't be easily fixed by a next door neighbor 'kept' by an older woman. It was the perfect set up for that happy ending I think most viewers expect and which the movie delivered, but lacking in virtually any credibility when one really stops to think about it.
And yet the movie does serve up it's share of entertainment value. Hepburn is very pleasing to the eye and her fashion sense is exquisite, she even wears a bed sheet glamorously. If I had to guess, the character of Rusty Trawler (Stanley Adams) looked to me like a stand-in for the novel's writer Truman Capote, though that idea was given less credence when the newspaper headline declared he took his fourth wife. And gosh, up till now I thought the worst characterization of an Asian in a movie was James Cann's impression of a Chinese man in "El Dorado", but Mickey Rooney ran the table here on that score. What was anyone thinking about when they came up with the Yunioshi character? Pretty pathetic.
But as a time capsule reminder of New York City life in the early Sixties, this one has to be classic. Get a load of the vendor prices in Central Park - a frankfurter for twenty cents, peanuts and popcorn for a dime, and if you're willing to pony up a couple more pennies, a box of Crackerjacks for twelve cents! I know it was a half century ago but those numbers just don't sound right to me, but I was just a kid back then and not paying attention.
Well if there's a message here it would probably be Lula Mae's advice to Doc Golightly (Buddy Ebsen) - "You musn't give your heart to a wild thing", even though that idea seemed to capture the spirit of Holly's confused character. I'm sure the story's happy ending elicited more than it's share of teardrops for movie audiences of the Sixties, coming as it did in the face of Paul Varjak's (George Peppard) challenge to break free of her cage and stop running into herself. You just had to wonder if she could do that after the final credits rolled.
And yet the movie does serve up it's share of entertainment value. Hepburn is very pleasing to the eye and her fashion sense is exquisite, she even wears a bed sheet glamorously. If I had to guess, the character of Rusty Trawler (Stanley Adams) looked to me like a stand-in for the novel's writer Truman Capote, though that idea was given less credence when the newspaper headline declared he took his fourth wife. And gosh, up till now I thought the worst characterization of an Asian in a movie was James Cann's impression of a Chinese man in "El Dorado", but Mickey Rooney ran the table here on that score. What was anyone thinking about when they came up with the Yunioshi character? Pretty pathetic.
But as a time capsule reminder of New York City life in the early Sixties, this one has to be classic. Get a load of the vendor prices in Central Park - a frankfurter for twenty cents, peanuts and popcorn for a dime, and if you're willing to pony up a couple more pennies, a box of Crackerjacks for twelve cents! I know it was a half century ago but those numbers just don't sound right to me, but I was just a kid back then and not paying attention.
Well if there's a message here it would probably be Lula Mae's advice to Doc Golightly (Buddy Ebsen) - "You musn't give your heart to a wild thing", even though that idea seemed to capture the spirit of Holly's confused character. I'm sure the story's happy ending elicited more than it's share of teardrops for movie audiences of the Sixties, coming as it did in the face of Paul Varjak's (George Peppard) challenge to break free of her cage and stop running into herself. You just had to wonder if she could do that after the final credits rolled.
Excellent romantic comedy-drama
perfectbond9 September 2003
In a way Breakfast at Tiffany's is like getting two movies. The first half or so is a light-hearted comedy and the second half is a romantic drama. The entire package is thoroughly engaging. I'm not usually a fan of this genre but I was entertained throughout. What can be said about Ms. Hepburn in this role that hasn't already been said? She is perfect. Except for the odd A-Team rerun, I hadn't seen any of Mr. Peppard's work. In this film, he is the perfect foil for our heroine. The rest of the cast (including Cat) is more than up to par as well, especially Mick Rooney's politically incorrect but hilarious turn as Ms. Golightly's long suffering neighbor. Great film, 8/10.
Darling Movie!!
dataconflossmoor-123 May 2009
Audrey Hepburn plays the elusive socialite. She is a New York gadabout who winds up cavorting around with parasitic, well to do reprobates. Her life is a sort of manufactured intellectual recreation, so to speak. For this social circle, engaging in supercilious delusions of grandeur is everybody's favorite hobby. Audrey Hepburn masquerades a pusillanimity that George Peppard is far more familiar with than he cares to admit! Both of them have a life that is full of euphemistic phraseology which provides a double entente meaning to words and phrases such as: "Friend", "Succor for social enlightenment", "Financial backer", "Ardent supporter thereof", or "I am in need of some very intriguing conversation". Audrey Hepburn is so beautiful in this film!! The jewelry is spectacular!! In particular, the diamond necklace, and tiara, are famous artifacts in the Hollywood world of collectibles, they are right up there with the "Wizard of Oz" ruby slippers!! Singing "Moon River" out the window of her Manhattan apartment, Audrey Hepburn garnered a charismatic following with the movie audience with this scene. Hepburn's wardrobe, including the hats, and the Jaqueline Kennedy style sunglasses, all became extremely sensationalized with this film. The conversations with the men in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" sort of ran the run of the mill gambit of the proverbial aging men seeking female companionship. The acceptable scourge with everybody was one in which constructive candor was replaced with one alcoholic beverage after another. "Breakfast At Tiffany's" is a totally marvelous film which brings out the disconcerting genre of the stilted arrangements which prevailed. While pinpointing this dubious rigmarole for the precarious quest of suitable liaisons, it becomes evident that these circumstances are, without question, comfortably symbiotic. This auspicious realm of monotony evokes a very succinct and humorous romanticism for this film's entirely non-conventional dynamic! Such an eccentric scenario in "Breakfast At Tiffany's" is formatted whereby pretenses of sophistication were nothing more than pejorative mendacity, and, reality, was in fact, true love! Best parts of this movie: It makes you want to go to Rio De Janiero, and, never more than ever before, do you want to get caught in the rain!! The amazing array of acting talent in "Breakfast At Tiffany's" will astound you. In addition to Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard,(The inadvertent gigolo) other stars included; Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam and Mickey Rooney. Director of this film, Blake Edwards, (Best known for an onslaught of "Pink Panther" movies, and television shows such as "Peter Gunn and "Mr Lucky") does a remarkable job at directing "Breakfast At Tiffany's". My total assessment of this film; EXCELLENT!! Or, as many prominent spawns of academia would say with an emphatically undaunted demeanor: DARLING MOVIE!!!!
A decent movie but falls short of the original book
zhenca2 July 2005
I remember being so much fascinated by Holly Golightly when I first read Capote's novel years ago and was really looking forward to Audrey Hepburn bringing this character to life. I have always been enthralled by this charming slender beauty on screen and, I can say, she loses none of her magic in this film either.
However, something is desperately missing in this emasculated interpretation of its witty and insightful literary source. Trapped in the "convenances" of that time, the film-makers deprive Holly of almost all her original subtlety and complexity, rendering the story flat and mushy. The introduction of a love sublot between the author and Holly adds nothing but a sloppy "happy end", which is the worst part of the movie, and ruins the whole intention of the book, its unique flair and muddles Holly's character into a personality, very much different from the one in the book. "Holly from the film" is perfected to be acceptable enough for all goody girls and their parents, she is cute, lovable and superficial, with not much to reveal behind her dishy face, immaculate figure and charming manner, which is still irresistible. "Holly from the book" is more controversial, unscrupulous, smart and poignant. Audrey herself is too nice for this original character but she does make the film quite "watchable" and her partner, George Peppard, his character turned upside down, is also pretty likable ilk of a ladies'man.
The film does offer a number of funny scenes too, especially, the party and shoplifting scenes. On the whole, the screen version is pretty smooth and entertaining but if you've read the novel before you can't get rid of the feeling that Capote's masterpiece was ruthlessly stripped of its most precious assest - the true Holly Golightly, whom the author so lovingly created. For this you should look in the original book.
However, something is desperately missing in this emasculated interpretation of its witty and insightful literary source. Trapped in the "convenances" of that time, the film-makers deprive Holly of almost all her original subtlety and complexity, rendering the story flat and mushy. The introduction of a love sublot between the author and Holly adds nothing but a sloppy "happy end", which is the worst part of the movie, and ruins the whole intention of the book, its unique flair and muddles Holly's character into a personality, very much different from the one in the book. "Holly from the film" is perfected to be acceptable enough for all goody girls and their parents, she is cute, lovable and superficial, with not much to reveal behind her dishy face, immaculate figure and charming manner, which is still irresistible. "Holly from the book" is more controversial, unscrupulous, smart and poignant. Audrey herself is too nice for this original character but she does make the film quite "watchable" and her partner, George Peppard, his character turned upside down, is also pretty likable ilk of a ladies'man.
The film does offer a number of funny scenes too, especially, the party and shoplifting scenes. On the whole, the screen version is pretty smooth and entertaining but if you've read the novel before you can't get rid of the feeling that Capote's masterpiece was ruthlessly stripped of its most precious assest - the true Holly Golightly, whom the author so lovingly created. For this you should look in the original book.
Hepburn's finest hour
paul_johnr11 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
When recalling the film legacy of Audrey Hepburn, the first title that will usually come to mind is 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' although a minority of fans will bring up 'Charade,' 'My Fair Lady,' and perhaps 'Sabrina.' For the most part, Hepburn and her character in this movie have become one and the same; no discussion of the actress's life is complete without mentioning 'Breakfast' somewhere along the line.
Hepburn was actually an eleventh-hour selection for the role of Holly Golightly. Truman Capote envisioned Marilyn Monroe as the lead female character and an offer was later made to Kim Novak. Hepburn was selected in the end, however, and George Axelrod's screenplay was massaged considerably to befit her elegance. Her performance has entered film history as a classic and will retain that status for years to come. Unfortunately, Hepburn's glamor came at a price; while suiting 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' to her disposition, much of Capote's novella was lost in the shuffle. 'Breakfast' is without doubt a very good film that belongs in the American canon. I do think, however, that it is slightly overrated, because the intense storyline of Capote's novella is thinned out for the sake of Audrey.
The Capote version of Holly Golightly is a saucy, foul-mouthed drifter who is torn between her need for independence and her desire for an ideal, life-long partner. She is something of a forerunner to the 1960s 'liberated woman,' instead making use of loopholes in the 1940s social framework. We get a sense of Holly as go-getter in the film, but Axelrod and director Blake Edwards forward the action to 1950s New York City and portray her as more of a chic socialite than a vulnerable, Texas-bred outcast. Two of the underlying themes for Capote are our search for identity and the constant transformation that our selves undergo; these were only touched upon at moments in the Axelrod version of 'Breakfast.'
Instead, the movie version seems to deal with a struggle between two wants: emotional connection and material security. Both Holly and her on-again, off-again lover Paul Varjak (George Peppard) find themselves locked in situations where money is offered but love is not readily forthcoming. Paul is first in this jam, trading sex for money with Mrs. Failenson (Patricia Neal), a wealthy interior designer. Holly, herself a call girl, meets José, the rich Brazilian diplomat whose 'love' is not politically correct back home. Needless to say, the Hollywood formula in 1961 was for both characters to accept their true love, which is exactly how this film ends.
Certain scenes in the film are clearly designed to show off the elegance of Hepburn, such as the apartment party, the visit to Tiffany and Company, and the five-and-ten shoplift, all of which are too long and detract from the main aspects of Holly's character. Axelrod and Edwards also give strange priority to Mr. Yunioshi, played by Mickey Rooney. The Japanese photographer annoyed by Holly is just a minor player in Capote's book, darting onto the stairwell and yelling in broken English every so often. In the movie, however, Yunioshi is used a great deal for comic relief, with Rooney giving an over-the-top effort. This stereotype is offensive nowadays, but racial slapstick was common at the time. It is one part of the film that has not held up well over the last four decades.
Having said this, Hepburn and Peppard did know what they were about. Their romance is convincing and the two actors' chemistry is sensed from when they first meet on-screen. Patricia Neal and Martin Balsam (playing Hollywood mogul O.J. Berman) are excellent in their abbreviated roles and Buddy Ebsen (Doc Golightly, Holly's husband) gives a memorable performance 45 minutes in. José Luis de Villalonga (simply called 'Vilallonga' in the film credits) also does well in a modest English-speaking part as the Brazilian aristocrat.
'Breakfast' was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two in music. Henry Mancini won for best dramatic/comedy score, while Johnny Mercer and Mancini won for best original song with 'Moon River.' Mancini does some nifty work here, transforming the 'Moon River' theme into each given situation and linking up the entire sound-picture. Blake Edwards should also be credited with his lovely visuals of New York City, including Central Park and, of all places, the New York Public Library's main branch on Fifth Avenue.
I read Capote's novella about one year before watching its film version. While I have enjoyed both, the Hollywood treatment leaves something to be desired; the book offers much more. 'Breakfast' is available on DVD through Paramount and has received favorable treatment from the company: it is presented in widescreen with a choice of Dolby surround audio, 5.1 surround audio, or French 'dubbing.' English subtitles and a theatrical trailer are also provided.
*** out of 4
Hepburn was actually an eleventh-hour selection for the role of Holly Golightly. Truman Capote envisioned Marilyn Monroe as the lead female character and an offer was later made to Kim Novak. Hepburn was selected in the end, however, and George Axelrod's screenplay was massaged considerably to befit her elegance. Her performance has entered film history as a classic and will retain that status for years to come. Unfortunately, Hepburn's glamor came at a price; while suiting 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' to her disposition, much of Capote's novella was lost in the shuffle. 'Breakfast' is without doubt a very good film that belongs in the American canon. I do think, however, that it is slightly overrated, because the intense storyline of Capote's novella is thinned out for the sake of Audrey.
The Capote version of Holly Golightly is a saucy, foul-mouthed drifter who is torn between her need for independence and her desire for an ideal, life-long partner. She is something of a forerunner to the 1960s 'liberated woman,' instead making use of loopholes in the 1940s social framework. We get a sense of Holly as go-getter in the film, but Axelrod and director Blake Edwards forward the action to 1950s New York City and portray her as more of a chic socialite than a vulnerable, Texas-bred outcast. Two of the underlying themes for Capote are our search for identity and the constant transformation that our selves undergo; these were only touched upon at moments in the Axelrod version of 'Breakfast.'
Instead, the movie version seems to deal with a struggle between two wants: emotional connection and material security. Both Holly and her on-again, off-again lover Paul Varjak (George Peppard) find themselves locked in situations where money is offered but love is not readily forthcoming. Paul is first in this jam, trading sex for money with Mrs. Failenson (Patricia Neal), a wealthy interior designer. Holly, herself a call girl, meets José, the rich Brazilian diplomat whose 'love' is not politically correct back home. Needless to say, the Hollywood formula in 1961 was for both characters to accept their true love, which is exactly how this film ends.
Certain scenes in the film are clearly designed to show off the elegance of Hepburn, such as the apartment party, the visit to Tiffany and Company, and the five-and-ten shoplift, all of which are too long and detract from the main aspects of Holly's character. Axelrod and Edwards also give strange priority to Mr. Yunioshi, played by Mickey Rooney. The Japanese photographer annoyed by Holly is just a minor player in Capote's book, darting onto the stairwell and yelling in broken English every so often. In the movie, however, Yunioshi is used a great deal for comic relief, with Rooney giving an over-the-top effort. This stereotype is offensive nowadays, but racial slapstick was common at the time. It is one part of the film that has not held up well over the last four decades.
Having said this, Hepburn and Peppard did know what they were about. Their romance is convincing and the two actors' chemistry is sensed from when they first meet on-screen. Patricia Neal and Martin Balsam (playing Hollywood mogul O.J. Berman) are excellent in their abbreviated roles and Buddy Ebsen (Doc Golightly, Holly's husband) gives a memorable performance 45 minutes in. José Luis de Villalonga (simply called 'Vilallonga' in the film credits) also does well in a modest English-speaking part as the Brazilian aristocrat.
'Breakfast' was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two in music. Henry Mancini won for best dramatic/comedy score, while Johnny Mercer and Mancini won for best original song with 'Moon River.' Mancini does some nifty work here, transforming the 'Moon River' theme into each given situation and linking up the entire sound-picture. Blake Edwards should also be credited with his lovely visuals of New York City, including Central Park and, of all places, the New York Public Library's main branch on Fifth Avenue.
I read Capote's novella about one year before watching its film version. While I have enjoyed both, the Hollywood treatment leaves something to be desired; the book offers much more. 'Breakfast' is available on DVD through Paramount and has received favorable treatment from the company: it is presented in widescreen with a choice of Dolby surround audio, 5.1 surround audio, or French 'dubbing.' English subtitles and a theatrical trailer are also provided.
*** out of 4
Iconic character
SnoopyStyle13 July 2014
Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) is a social butterfly with a wild night life. Mr. Yunioshi (Mickey Rooney) is her angry upstairs neighbor. Paul Varjak (George Peppard) is a struggling writer newly moved into the NYC apartment building. He's a kept man of older wealthy Emily Eustace Failenson (Patricia Neal). He is fascinated with Holly's lifestyle and infatuated with her.
This is all about the adorable Audrey Hepburn. However there are things that keep me from liking it as a classic as other people do. First there is the racist caricature Yunioshi. Times have changed and humor does as well. It may be funny back then, but it's horribly clunky now. Second I find George Peppard very stiff without being suave. To me, Peppard will always be Hannibal. I just don't see enough chemistry between them. There is also the glossing over of what Holly actually does. But there is no denying that this is an iconic character that transcends the ages. She is not just a movie icon but a style icon. And don't forget 'Moon River'.
This is all about the adorable Audrey Hepburn. However there are things that keep me from liking it as a classic as other people do. First there is the racist caricature Yunioshi. Times have changed and humor does as well. It may be funny back then, but it's horribly clunky now. Second I find George Peppard very stiff without being suave. To me, Peppard will always be Hannibal. I just don't see enough chemistry between them. There is also the glossing over of what Holly actually does. But there is no denying that this is an iconic character that transcends the ages. She is not just a movie icon but a style icon. And don't forget 'Moon River'.
One of Audrey Hepburn's premier films...
moonspinner554 September 2005
"Breakfast At Tiffany's", from Truman Capote's acerbic novella, is so lushly produced and plushly designed it seems to take place in a New York City dream-world. Audrey Hepburn plays party-girl Holly Golightly with flaky flair, yet she never has to force herself to be a groovy extrovert--she encompasses all of Holly's faults and dizzy highs with just one of the deep little laughs that seem to well up from her chest. I didn't mind Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi (I forgot it was him) and since the movie's edge softens a bit as the film goes on, it needs Yunioshi for some of that low-down comedy inherent in the film's first hour. George Peppard as neighbor Paul is perhaps too smooth and a ready-match for Holly (he only bristles a bit early on), but Peppard as an actor is suitable for Hepburn, he allows her room to sparkle while keeping the film grounded. His frequent bemused looks are charming, and I thought his scenes with Patricia Neal were very good (the filmmakers are a little tough on Neal: she's made to seem decadent and lascivious, and when Peppard calls her on it, I'm not sure if we're supposed to feel sympathy for her, though I did). The opening moments with Hepburn standing in front of Tiffany & Co. are as miraculous as any scene from any movie of this era, and the rest of the film effortlessly emulates that early magic.
Audrey Hepburn in addition to beautiful, is talented
miguelneto-7493620 July 2016
Breakfast at Tiffany 's is a good movie of the 60s, has a large cast with one of the most beautiful actresses of the 60s, Audrey Hepburn makes an excellent performance , besides being very beautiful in this film , the romance of the movie is cool, and it works, the film is also humorous , has moments that can take good laughs from viewers , the direction is competent , the acting is good , the soundtrack is good , the picture is very good, the costumes is another strong point , the character of Audrey Hepburn has a wide variety of clothes in the film , the more the film is fairly predictable , the script is simple and has many moments that can of a little boredom, Breakfast at Tiffany 's is a recommended film for all moviegoers , has good performances , good soundtrack and good fun times , not to mention having one of the most beautiful actresses in the film , it is surely one of the best movies 1961. Note 7.8
Dog's Breakfast...
Xstal25 October 2020
A young woman with mental health issues, probably caused by marrying a pensioner at 14, struggles to live normally while surrounding herself with similarly deranged and psychiatrically challenged friends, most of whom have an alcohol problem. Also includes a Japanese minstrel!
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