Audrey Hepburn in 1956. Image via Wikipedia
Audrey Hepburn Month has been interesting for me in several ways. I read two different biographies about Hepburn this past month: Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn by David Spoto and Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit: A Son Remembers by Sean Hepburn Ferrer. Spoto's biography was informative, comprehensive, and gossipy. Ferrer's biography had such a different take and feel, since Ferrer was basically writing about his memories and experiences with his mother. He mentioned a few things related to her work and peers within the Hollywood industry, but the book felt much more personal and respectful. I loved seeing all of the family photographs included in that book, too. The last part of the book was dedicated to explaining the last few weeks of Audrey's life, after her health began to fail due to cancer. That part of the book really resonated with me, since it made me think about my own experiences with my mom before she died.
There are several things that I liked learning about Audrey Hepburn's character and personality. She was an introvert who held insecurities for much of her life. She was also very generous, polite, and kind, which caused her to be admired and respected in Hollywood and around the world. Her kind heart and love for children caused her to spend the last years of her life as an ambassador for UNICEF, and I really admire that she felt like the best way to take advantage of her public image was to draw attentions to the plights of those in desperate need of help.
I watched seven Audrey Hepburn films this month. I tried to focus on watching films that I hadn't ever seen, or hadn't seen for a long time. J and I also watched Breakfast at Tiffany's, since he had no memory of seeing that show. About halfway through the month, though, I felt like I was going through a slump: I got less excited about watching several of her films while I read her biography by Spoto, because it seemed like she didn't get a lot of critical acclaim for her work. Quite a few of her films received lukewarm reception, despite her individual popularity with the public. I began to feel like she was mostly regarded for her beauty, sense of fashion, and elegance. But I'm glad that I stuck with studying her work and life, because despite her beauty and fashionable appeal, she created enough films that there were really some good instances for her to shine as an actress and comedian. These are the films that I watched (which are not in chronological order of her filmography, but the order in which I viewed them):
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Breakfast at Tiffany's: Hepburn's fast-talking character Holly Golightly seems like an
exhausting character to play. Heburn had to keep up a lot of momentum in each
scene, and it was interesting to know that this character was in many ways different from Hepburn's own introverted personality. I do think, though, that the insecurities which Holly Golightly had (particularly about love and being loved by someone) must have resonated with Hepburn, though. I liked knowing that there was a crowd of people watching her opening scene – it seems like she is the only one on the
whole street. Last year Vogue published a list of "10 Things You Never Knew About Breakfast at Tiffany's" in order to celebrate what would have been Hepburn's eighty-sixth birthday.
Sabrina (1954)
Sabrina: I wasn’t really drawn to Sabrina’s character. She isn’t
really that endearing of a person to me. I was surprised to know that Hepburn was
nominated for Best Actress for this picture, since I didn’t really see any amazing
acting. She’s charming, but I don’t feel like Sabrina had a lot of depth to her
character. Even her suicide attempt didn’t really impact me; it just seemed
like a juvenile thing to do. And her relationship with Humphrey Bogart seems a little unbelievable. He's just too old for her! It was interesting to know that Hepburn had an off-screen relationship with William Holden during this film, though (she ending up breaking off their relationship once he learned that he had undergone a vasectomy, since she hoped to be a mother one day).
Sabrina is the first film in which Givenchy made Audrey Hepburn's wardrobe for her. (Givenchy shared his memories of working with Hepburn in an interview with The Telegraph last year.) It is pretty incredulous to me that Edith Head won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for this film, and didn't even acknowledge Givenchy's major role!
Roman Holiday (1953)
Roman Holiday: This was Audrey Hepburn's first film, and also the first and only time she received an Academy Award for Best Actress. What a way to enter the film industry! This film is charming, and while I don't think that Princess Ann has a lot of depth to her character, Hepburn has the perfect amount of grace and poise, as well as comedic timing for this role. I particularly loved the "Mouth of Truth" scene with Hepburn and Peck. Their interaction and chemistry seemed very genuine.
The Nun's Story (1959)
The Nun's Story: I turned to this film about halfway through the month, because I was getting worn out on seeing romantic comedies. This film provided a great alternative view of Hepburn's career, since it was one of the more diverse roles that Audrey Hepburn played. It
was nice to see that her beauty and fashion were not a focus in this movie. In fact, her
makeup was so muted so it didn’t really look like she was wearing any makeup
at all! I liked that her character had quiet strength and depth, particularly as she struggled to figure out what it meant to be a nun, as well as to have discipline and conviction. The movie wasn’t really emotional for
me, but it was compelling.
The Children's Hour (1961)
The Children's Hour: This was definitely the most unexpected and thought-provoking movie by Hepburn that I saw this month. The story revolves around how a lie can destroy the lives of people. In this film, Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine's characters are accused of being lesbians. J and I sat and talked about this movie for a long time after it ended, not only exploring the intensity of the movie (which included some Hitchcock-like elements in terms of suspense and camera work), but also the content of the movie. Although the mentions of homosexuality are quite oblique and tame (which probably was to help this movie pass through the censors at the time), it is interesting to even consider that this topic was broached in the 1960s at all. That being said, I don't think that the film really meant to showcase the plight of homosexuals in terms of social discrimination; the main message of the film centers around lying and deceit.
Green Mansions (1959)
Green Mansions: This was probably the most bizarre film that I saw this month. At first, it was strange to see Hepburn playing opposite Anthony Perkins, because I could only picture him as the character Norman Bates (from Psycho) in my mind. But I mostly got over that issue, as the film progressed. The whole thing seemed really unbelievable, though: the film set of the jungle, while elaborate in construction, was still very much a set. And Anthony Perkins's gangly body wasn't the best visual complement for Hepburn's already-slim frame. (In fact, watching Perkins reminded me of how in high school we used the term "lerp" for a gangly boy who was somewhat nerdy and lanky.) Hepburn's character was also quite weak, too: on a surface level, she was a girl who liked nature and didn't seem to know how to define the love that she felt for Perkins's character. It seemed like she (as a weak and uneducated female) even needed Perkins (as a man) to help her express and define her emotions. Blah! The romantic dialogue was really over-the-top effusive too, which was a turnoff.
Two For the Road (1967)
Two For the Road: I almost didn't watch this show. It got lukewarm reviews and I didn't think it sounded entertaining to watch a movie about a ten-year marriage which was on the rocks. It sounded too depressing. But this actually ended up being one of my favorite movies of the month. Hepburn's character is really compelling, funny, and also has a lot of depth. J and I actually laughed quite a bit while watching the film, especially during the flashbacks of the earlier part of the couple's courtship and marriage. The moment when Hepburn's skinny body pops out from behind a road sign (shown in the image above) is a really good example of her comedic timing. Hepburn and her co-star Albert Finney (with whom she had an off-screen romance during the creation of this movie) had really palpable chemistry, too. J said he almost felt like it was voyeuristic to watch them interact (whether flirting or fighting), because their acting seemed so natural. Hepburn also seemed more "real" and approachable to me in this film, and I think it partially had to do with the fact that her costumes were bought off-the-rack (instead of created by Givenchy, for example). It was interesting for me to watch this film too, since I knew that Hepburn's own marriage (to Mel Ferrer) was about to end after twelve years. In some ways, this film perhaps reminded her of her own life and marriage.
So, this ends Audrey Hepburn Month! While I didn't get to revisit some of my favorite films with her (such as How to Steal a Million or Wait Until Dark), but I'm really glad that I was able to get a better sense of her career through these films and books.
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