Audrey

"Audrey," The new documentary on Netflix, begins with a reenactment of a ballerina that the makers took pains in hoping we the viewer would be fooled into thinking it was Audrey Hepburn. Talk about starting on the wrong foot. The documentary plods through her early life. Yikes her family were Nazi sympathizers! She of course was not and even ran resistance in WW2. It takes a long time to get to Hollywood with little time on her best films, "Roman Holiday" and "Sabrina." Too much time on the iconic "Tiffany's" which is all splash and no mention of later work, i.e. "Robin & Marian."

It is wonderful seeing her at various public events dressed so beautifully. She was a living breathing work of art. So many of us loved her so much. To hear of her unhappy marriages was painful but I am not suggesting the pain should have been left out.

The documentary needed serious editing, less filler and those horrible re-enactments left on the cutting room floor. One hour of the best would perhaps have saved this documentary from being a mess.

Audrey's UNICEF work remarkable. She was a truly remarkable person but a little of that aspect goes a long way.

Perhaps I know too much about Audrey Hepburn.

I know they leave out the best part of her screen test for "Roman Holiday." I know the marquee for "Gigi" is for the movie, not the play she was in. And I know how many of her great movies are omitted. But, basically, I know they never capture what made Hepburn the incandescent star she was.

In fact, there aren't that many clips of her actually speaking in her movies. At the end of "Roman Holiday," she drops her voice to say she will keep her visit, "..in memory as long as I live." It's a lovely reading of that line. There are great moments from, "Two for the Road," and "Charade," and those movies aren't even mentioned.

I think Audrey took pride in her acting, yet you see little of that talent. She is mostly shown as an icon of style at many gala events. Too bad they don't show what made her a great and charming actress.

A near perfect documentary of this much beloved movie icon, my only real complaint would be the over use of a not so look alike ballerina that keeps popping up and swirling around, that aside, it's a pretty comprehensive over view of a life, although relatively short lived, packed with a lot of highs and lows, a seemingly fragile in appearance, yet surprisingly strong woman. Haunted by the desertion of a Father she loved, plus many insecurities, she somehow overcame them and in the end gave back selflessly to the World that had given her so much. May her Star continue to shine brightly

Many omissions make this biography extremely unsatisfying. One of her sons is completely absent from this life story. Her possible anorexia, or at least highly problematic relationship with food as a result of starvation during WWII, is essentially ignored. I found the dance sequences during which she was portrayed at different ages by various ballerinas superfluous and irritating. All in all, this film feels very insubstantial and inadequate to represent such revered and admired icon.

I read a, quite frankly, stupid Guardian review of this film prior to watching and I was scared justice had not been served to my idol, the woman with whom I've always felt a connection. But boy was I glad when I finished watching the doc. The documentary is woven together by Audrey in her own words, acheived by tapes she recorded for a journalist in the 90s, I believe. I cried too much during this film because here was a human, who nearly starved to death during a war and came out of it with the promise of happy children for the future only to be betrayed by the false promises of a capitalist and post-colonial society. Audrey had immense sorrow in her. From the abandonment of her father, to the war and the eventual disloyalty from her partners. But at the end, Audrey found love. She did find someone who understood her and she did find respite by opening the eyes of the world to what the inhumane politics of the 20th century did to the lives of the innocent new citizens of this Earth. Audrey was one of a kind. Her legacy of being a fashion icon is touched upon early on in the film too, as the mood changes from light to dark. No doubt, her fashion will always inspire us. Because the woman who wore it had heart. The lines, the colors and the mood followed which then created a character like no other. Audrey, you are alive more than ever...