I'll Skip "Breakfast At Tiffany's"

Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961)

Not Rated

Starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Mickey Rooney, Patricia Neal

Directed by Blake Edwards

The Story:

Holly Golightly (Hepburn) is a... socialite ... living alone in New York. Ah, but when writer Paul Verjak (Peppard) moves into her building...

Who am I kidding?

It's the tale of two hookers living in New York.

However, after trying over the course of 3 days, I finally made it 20 minutes into the movie.

Only because I always try and give every movie 20 minutes to make up my mind, or change my mind.

That said, I was ready to bail on the adventures of Holly at around the 5 minute mark.

As a comedy, it is not amusing.

As a romance, it is nauseating.

Factor in the Mickey Rooney character, and this is one of the most racist films ever made.

Done as a bit by Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies, it's amusing.

Done as a real character who is nothing more than a comic relief cliche'... well no ...

And I really had no desire to spend another 90 minutes with any of these characters any longer.

Hepburn is made to be a feminist icon with her performance here, but I think that's revisionist history through rose-colored glasses; or overlooking how she makes a living.

I can neither endorse the one-hit-wonder Deep Blue Something's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" song, because as I recall, I think, I no longer like it.

For those however that do like it, it's streaming on Netflix if you're so inclined.

Final Grade: F

This "Charade" Seems An Awful Lot Like Hitchcock to Me...

 Who do you trust?


The Story:

Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) is on vacation.  She is contemplating leaving her husband, and she bumps into a handsome stranger named Peter Joshua (Cary Grant).  She returns to Paris, to find her apartment empty, everything they owned is gone!  The police come calling, and inform her that her husband is dead!  At the funeral, several strange men (including James Coburn and George Kennedy) come by, just to make sure that he's dead.  When the CIA agent (Walter Matthau) informs Regina that her husband stole $250,000 from these men, and they want it back, Regina doesn't know what to do or who to trust.  Then when she finds out that Peter Joshua may not be who he claims to be, things begin to become even more confusing.

This movie is often mentioned as the greatest Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made.

I'd have to say, that's a pretty close argument.

It follows very much in line with what Hitchcock was doing at the time.  You've got action, suspense, plot twists, mistaken identity and a little romance.

Throw in Cary Grant in one of his final roles just a few years removed from his turn in North by Northwest, and you can see the similarities are very striking between this and other Hitchcockian fare of the time period.

However, this film was directed by Stanley Donen, probably better known for his musicals (Singin' in the Rain) than for something more Hitchcockian in nature, but he does a fine job.  In fact, looking at his credits, the man made a ton of movies, yet to be fair, probably is completely under the radar as far as "Best Directors" in Hollywood.

The movie holds up rather nicely for being a 50 year old film, and I'm glad I finally got around to seeing it after owning it for probably over a decade, unwatched!
Who can you trust?


For those that don't own a copy, it is available for streamable viewing on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'm sure I'll see it again in the future... just not sure when. ;)