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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Three Classics...One Audrey Hepburn...Mix Well, September 10, 2006
What could be more pleasurable than watching screen legend Audrey Hepburn in her most career-defining roles? This is a great three-movie set at a great price, as all three are deserved romantic comedy classics directed by masters - William Wyler, Billy Wilder and Blake Edwards. Her natural charm and grace are pervasive throughout and further proof that she was among the most consistently affecting of actresses. In my humble opinion, there will be no one like her again.
In a beautifully restored print, 1953's "Roman Holiday" provides a most enchanting introduction to the then-24 year old actress thanks mainly to director William Wyler's expert direction and Dalton Trumbo's sweetly observant script. In hindsight, it is a modest performance compared to Hepburn's later work, but Wyler knew enough to let her natural breeding serve its purpose in conveying the carriage of a princess. It works wonderfully, as she is perfectly believable as a royal who experiences her first glimpse into the world outside her hermetically sealed world. The revelation here is really Gregory Peck, handsome and stalwart as always but in this movie quite relaxed with a surprising light comedy touch. It is actually his Joe Bradley that goes through the dramatic character arc that makes the ending so bittersweet. Even though this film is hardly mentioned in the same breath as his other classics like "The Best Years of Our Lives", Wyler's humanistic touch is everywhere - from the comic haircutting scene with the smitten barber to the famous Mouth of Truth scene where Peck pretends to lose his hand to the concluding press conference, which turns into a dance of acting nuance and unspoken feelings. This DVD has the most extras, including an excellent documentary on the production itself (watch for Hepburn's first Hollywood screen test) and other short films on the film's restoration process and Edith Head's contribution to Hollywood costuming.
With its cynical humor and the European-based sensibilities around different classes, 1954's "Sabrina" is most definitely a Billy Wilder picture. The film is not quite in the same league of other Wilder classics like "Sunset Boulevard", "Some Like It Hot" or "The Apartment", but on its own, it's an airy souffle of a comedy served on a perfectly lovely warming dish. What I like most about this movie is that Wilder keeps the fairy tale trappings of the story grounded in mordant wit and shrewd observations about business mergers, bribery and class snobbery. This is what keeps this movie surprisingly fresh. Torn between the characters played by her leading men, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden, Hepburn as a chauffeur's daughter is charming. This was her first introduction to Givenchy fashion onscreen, and the difference in her appearance between "Roman Holiday" and "Sabrina" is actually more startling than the one in the movie itself. It is no wonder she became such a style icon from that point forward. While Bogart is too dour in his role of older brother Linus (a role pegged for Cary Grant who canceled at the last minute, damn the luck), Holden is hilarious as shallow, ne'er-do-well younger brother David. The ending is inevitable, but leave it to Wilder to mix sweet and sour better than a Cantonese restaurant. There is a brief making-of documentary on this DVD.
1961's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" has the most contemporary and provocative story of the three, yet it seems the most dated perhaps because director Blake Edwards tries awfully hard to capture the upscale bohemian atmosphere of early sixties New York. In a role that author Truman Capote wanted to cast Marilyn Monroe, Hepburn is delightful as the aptly named Holly Golightly and somehow dances around the fact that her character is a high-priced call girl through her sense of style, fun and vulnerability. Holly's fear of commitment is the crux of this story, even though she is hopelessly drawn to a failed writer played by George Peppard, who is kept in fine style by a wealthy matron played with conniving sophistication by Patricia Neal. I still think Peppard is the weak link here as he doesn't have the light touch required to keep up with Holly's shenanigans. The rest of the cast can be best described as eccentric, in particular, Buddy Ebsen (pre-Jed Clampett) as Holly's backwoods first husband and Mickey Rooney as the Japanese neighbor upstairs. As a Japanese-American myself, I have to admit I find Rooney's Japanese make-up a bit much, but his accent is spot-on and his casting consistent with the loopiness of this film. Henry Mancini's romantic music provides the perfect accompaniment, and Hepburn's plaintive, ukelele-strummed version of "Moon River" is still the most definitive. Of the three films, this one has the most romantic ending, and the rain-soaked kiss in the alley is just about as lovely a scene as you are likely to see in movies. Sadly there are no extras on this DVD other than the trailer.
This set is highly recommended obviously for fans of Hepburn but also for those who can appreciate Hollywood classics in the romantic comedy genre.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elegance, April 29, 2006
Audrey Hepburn was -- and remains -- the perfect illustration of elegance and sophistication in Hollywood. A lot of actresses have tried to imitate her look, but they couldn't manage the same onscreen grace and skill.
And the "Audrey Hepburn Collection" brings together three of the films that helped shape that image. Okay, they're not her most impressive. But all three are all funny, charming, romantic movies, and they are also the ones that Hepburn is still best known for doing.
Bored young Princess Ann (Hepburn) goes on a "Roman Holiday," when she gets upset, is sedated by a doctor, and has an odd reaction to it. Soon she has wandered out of the palace and into the streets of Rome, where she is found by struggling American journalist Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck). Since she appears to be drunk, he takes her home.
When Joe realizes that he has the missing princess in his apartment, he takes her on a whirlwind tour of Rome, with his pal taking photographs for a full article. But he doesn't count on falling in love with Ann. And Ann has a tough choice to make -- should she give up her royal life and stay with Joe, or fulfil her responsibilities as a princess?
"Sabrina" (Hepburn) is the daughter of the chauffeur at the palatial Larabee estate. She's also in love with the ne'er-do-well second son, David (William Holden), but is sent away to Paris to attend a cooking school. And with the help of a fairy godcount, she gains sophistication, ambition, and confidence... as well as the ability to make a souffle properly ("A woman unhappily in love, she forgets to turn on the oven!").
When she returns to the Larabees' estate, David is instantly smitten. But even if marrying a chauffeur's daughter were okay with his family, his brother Linus (Humphrey Bogart) has arranged a business marriage for David. And to make sure David doesn't run off with Sabrina, Linus begins wooing her too... and falling in love for real.
"Breakfast at Tiffany's" is a daily ritual for Holly Golightly, a social butterfly who hosts parties, entertains drunken men, and dreams of owning a horse farm in Mexico. When Paul Varjak (George Peppard) moves into a neighboring apartment -- courtesy of his rich patroness -- he is instantly enchanted by the ditzy, sweet-natured Holly.
But for all Holly's fun, Paul starts to realize that all is not well with her. She's desperate to marry rich, visits a notorious gangster, and hides that she was an illiterate teen bride. As Holly's life starts to deteriorate, Paul sets out to show her what her life will be like without real love.
Yes, they are all romantic comedies, completely unrelated except that all three have Audrey Hepburn. But all three are fun, well-written ("You can't live here! I live here!" "Hi, neighbor!"), and charming. They're good for daydreaming as well, since they take place in chic apartments, palatial mansions and the streets of Rome.
Unlike many actresses, Hepburn's best-known roles were NOT all alike, nor were they all carbon copies of her. Even when we shouldn't really like the characters, she gave them warmth, sensitivity and likability that can't be faked. And she could be very funny too -- it's hard not to laugh when Holly yells "Timber!", as a drunken guest keels over.
The Audrey Hepburn Collection is the ideal trio of movies for people who are just falling in love, or who appreciate a good romantic comedy. Charming, cute and sweet.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Audrey is brillant, April 27, 2008
She is spectacular in all three movies. I recommend getting a great drink and even popcorn and watching them all back to back.
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