BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: Blake Edwards
Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal,
Mickey Rooney, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam,
John McGiver, Dorothy Whitney, Alan Reed
For most people, the iconic image of Audrey Hepburn is probably one from "Breakfast At Tiffany's": either the shot of Audrey in giant sunglasses window-shopping at the start of the film, or the art from the movie's poster, where she's striking a demure, devil-may-care pose with a cigarette holder that looks about three feet long. The movie's based on a Truman Capote novella, and Hepburn stars as Holly Golightly, a reckless, fun-loving free spirit who makes ends meet by peddling her favors to wealthy men. George Peppard, in what's got to be his best role, plays Paul Varjak, an aspiring writer who's just moved into Holly's Manhattan apartment building. Paul has a wealthy patron himself, a personal "decorator" (Patricia Neal) who's helping him cover expenses till his writing takes off. What's constantly alluded to but never explicitly stated is that both Paul and Holly are prostitutes. (Holly's standard fee, collected from her affluent dates, is a flat $50 "for the powder room.") There's an edge to Holly that's hard to find in any other Hepburn character: brittle, impulsive and self-destructive, congenitally predisposed to steal hearts and break them and not look back. Capote thought she was wrong for the part - he wanted Marilyn Monroe - but if it's not Hepburn's most affecting performance, it's pretty darn close. The Henry Mancini score includes "Moon River", which Hepburn sings. Mickey Rooney does a bizarre slapstick turn as Holly's frazzled Japanese neighbor.
