“Breakfast at Tiffany’s”

November’s entry in the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Big Screen Classics series was Paramount Pictures’ 1961 dramedy Breakfast at Tiffany’s. 

(© Paramount Pictures)

Socialite Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) and aspiring writer Paul Varjak (George Peppard) live in the same apartment building in New York City. Both are also involved in other relationships that are ones of convenience and/or survival–and definitely not love. Sparks (and confusion) start to fly as the two get to know each other better and begin to look realistically at who and what they really are and what they want out of life. And while the film is primarily focused on Holly G. (and those incredible Givenchy-designed clothes), both Holly and Paul have interesting character arcs and have interesting decisions to make.

Directed by Blake Edwards, the film also has an iconic score by Henry Mancini. The classic song “Moon River” makes its debut in the film (and Audrey sings it in a lovely way, too).

Seeing this classic film on the big screen was a total treat. Audrey Hepburn is luminous, as always. I learned from Tiffany Vazquez’s outstanding introduction that Truman Capote, the author of the source material, wanted Marilyn Monroe to play the role. Still, it’s difficult to picture anyone other than Hepburn as Holly Golightly. As advertised, TCM screened the beautiful digital print in its original aspect ratio. It was a happy ending for the film’s characters and for the film goers, too.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks again for the Big Screen Classics series, TCM! Keeping my fingers crossed that it will return in 2017.