Breakfast at Tiffany's

The celebrated author on whose novel it was based despised the film version, describing it as "mawkish." The star wasn't much more enthusiastic; she never considered it among her best work. And the reviews were mixed. But regardless of what Truman Capote, Audrey Hepburn, or the critics thought about it, the public adored it--and the image of Audrey Hepburn wearing a black evening dress, nibbling pastry, and window shopping has passed into our cultural iconography.

The film is indeed lightweight stuff. Audrey Hepburn is a New York good-time girl who makes a living by clipping her wealthy escorts for fifty here and fifty there. When she meets handsome George Peppard--a writer who makes ends meet by trading favors with society matron Patricia Neal--can love be far behind? But Audrey's mysterious past and her determination to marry rich, George's status as a kept boy-toy, and their occasionally questionable associates provide plenty of complications to fill out the story.

What makes the film work is the remarkable charm of its two stars. Most of the attention goes to Audrey Hepburn and the film shows her to remarkable advantage: she is a remarkable actress, personality, and beauty, and she works wonders with the ultralight script. But when it comes to charm, George Peppard is no slouch either: the film catches him at the height of his early golden-boy good looks, and he is the perfect foil for Hepburn in both their comic and dramatic scenes. Mickey Rooney's excessive performance as Yunioshi aside, the supporting cast is also very entertaining, with Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, and Dorothy Whitney all give enjoyable turns. The film looks great (make sure you get the widescreen version), the score (which includes "Moon River") is excellent, and director Blake Edwards keeps everything moving at a pleasant pace. This a great film to cozy up with on a cold night--romantic, entertaining, and as comforting as a cup of hot chocolate. Recommended.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Even now 57 years after its original release, Breakfast At Tiffany's remains a charming love story between two hustlers of sorts. Audrey Hepburn is not the Holy Golightly that Truman Capote intended, she couldn't be but she was Audrey Hepburn in all of her 1961 glory. Amazing how it still works that Audrey Hepbun touch. George Peppard is gorgeous but impenetrable. Mickey Rooney, unforgivable. Henry Mancini, opportune but. strangely enough the character that fascinated me the most in my latest viewing is Patricia Neal. I would love to see a full movie about that woman. She exudes sensuality and smartness. Blake Edwards concocts a lighter fare from Capote's book and as it happens, it's still very much alive and surprisingly relevant.

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a mostly charming film which serves as a wonderful showcase for the great Audrey Hepburn. In her portrayal of Holly Golightly Hepburn created one of the most iconic characters in film history. This is a memorable film and it's Hepburn who makes it so. She is at the center of everything that goes on in the film and you can't help but be charmed by Holly Golightly. The movie has its flaws, most notably one incredibly unfortunate casting decision, but all these years later it is rightly remembered fondly by most who have had the pleasure of seeing it.

Holly Golightly makes her living as an escort, but it's not as unseemly as it might seem. What she really is more than anything else is an extroverted Manhattan socialite around whom all kinds of craziness swirls. That craziness is best typified in a famous party scene in Holly's apartment. There are so many people crammed into Holly's little apartment, there's so much going on that you don't even know where to look. But inevitably the eye is drawn back to Holly herself. The character has such style and charisma, as of course does the actress playing her. Everyone remembers the famous black dress but the beauty and elegance of Audrey Hepburn shine through no matter what Holly Golightly's wearing. Heck, she could wear a sheet and make it seem elegant. In fact she does. And that sums up Holly Golightly rather nicely. Beautiful, charming, engaging...and more than a touch eccentric.

It's Audrey's movie through and through and she is never anything less than wonderful in her performance. Playing opposite her in the key male role is George Peppard and he at times comes across as being a little wooden, maybe somewhat dull. But perhaps his character is just suffering in comparison to Holly Golightly who is many things, dull certainly not one of them. Buddy Ebsen has a small role but an important one as it is his character who provides some insight into who Holly really is, or at least who she used to be. We come to learn that Holly has pretty much reinvented herself and there are some wistful moments as we see why she may have felt the need to do so. There will be some roadblocks thrown up in the way of Holly's seemingly blissful existence and as she confronts these obstacles there are times where you know she's doing the wrong thing. But you love her anyway and just hold out hope she'll get it right in the end. That's the irresistible charm of Audrey Hepburn working its magic.

It must be said that for all its charm the film does have one serious black mark against it. Mickey Rooney's portrayal of Holly's bucktoothed, slant-eyed stereotyped Japanese neighbor Mr. Yunioshi is absolutely appalling. It's the type of thing you'd expect from a film made in the 1920s. By 1961 you would have hoped people would have known better. Apparently not. Every time this character appears on the screen you can't help but cringe. The character takes you out of the movie watching experience entirely. You don't see him as a character named Mr. Yunioshi, all you see is Mickey Rooney in hideous yellowface makeup. Awful. And for a character meant to serve as comic relief, even had an Asian actor been cast there is no way around the fact that the character is just not funny at all. It's the one major flaw in a film which, while maybe not an all-time classic, is certainly charming and enjoyable throughout. And as a showcase for the talents and elegance of Audrey Hepburn it could not work any better.

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY's is an exciting and entertaining romantic comedy about a charismatic girl from high society and an unrealized writer. Film is loosely based on Truman Capote's novella of the same name.

A young and elegantly dressed lady walks around and looking in a shop windows in an early morning. After looking into the shop's windows, she strolls home. Outside her apartment, she fends off her date from the disastrous night before. Later, she meets, a pleasant and somewhat confused writer, the new tenant in her building. They develop a special relationship. She wants to marry a rich man. However, her new friend slowly falls in love with her. Both must give up of some important goals in their lives for the sake of love...

This is an unconvincing and provocative story with a touch of an inappropriate comedy, romance and melodrama. However, this distorted reality has a certain depth. The story of a nobody's-but everyone's girl is, given her past, a naive and painful at the same time. A quiet and insecure writer with an obvious problem of writer's block and hands of a beautiful and rich older lady around his neck enters in her life. It is a quite confusing situation in life.

Costume design is exquisite, the song "Moon River" is haunting as a reflection of fears, turmoil and friendship.

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly / Lula Mae Barnes is an irresistible, irritating, bumbling and gentle woman with two names. She constantly flees away from itself. Holly is "the real fake" and "a wild thing" at the same time. Lula Mae is a person from whom Holly escapes. Ms. Hepburn is a beautiful and gentle actress, exceptional comedienne, who is an ideal choice for this role. George Peppard as Paul Varjak is often set aside as an observer. He was not the right choice for this role. George just can not follow a "twisting" step of the unreliable Holly. Mr. Edwards has tried to equalize their characters. They are unhappy, unfulfilled and they differ from some moral standards. Their relationship is based on an unconditional friendship. There is no a chemistry or love sparks. He has, in an elusive and unreliable girl, found an inspiration in his life. She has found a man who will, regardless of her excesses and lies, always be beside her and lend her a hand when she falls.

Their support are Patricia Neal (Mrs. Emily Eustace "2E" Failenson) as a cool rich woman with a beautiful smile and a magnetic gaze. Martin Balsam as O.J. Berman is very funny as a Hollywood agent. Mickey Rooney as I.Y. Yunioshi is an inappropriate and hackneyed cliché.

This is an odd collection of turbulent and false feelings, which is a comic and melodramatic at the same time, and even occasionally pleasant to watch.

Checking out both the original novel and the Wikipedia article on Breakfast At Tiffany's I was surprised to see how different Truman Capote's vision of this story was. Capote who wanted Marilyn Monroe cast as Holly Golightly lived to see Audrey Hepburn make his literary creation one of her best cinematic creations. I think given Marilyn's track record for behavioral problems on film sets, Capote, Blake Edwards the director, and everyone else concerned with Breakfast At Tiffany's probably dodged a bullet.

Capote's story is set in the Forties and the film is contemporary 1961 when it was filmed. There's no real plot to it, Capote did a character study and so is this. It's about two people and the fascination that George Peppard's character develops for the unconventionality of Holly Golightly as Hepburn essays her.

Hepburn is the kept woman of a cross section of the male species and Peppard is the boy toy of another woman who rents in their apartment, Patricia Neal. Neal who would win her Oscar the following year for Hud has her character as curiously underdeveloped. It's the main weakness of Breakfast At Tiffany's.

The strength is of course Audrey Hepburn who took Capote's character completely over and it's her vision of the story that we see when the film is broadcast. She's an amoral minx who in the end realizes that her life is really meaningless.

Breakfast At Tiffany's won two Oscars both for Henry Mancini for Best Musical Scoring and Best Original Song for Moon River. That song is best known for Andy Williams's rendition, but there are also superb recordings by Frank Sinatra and Tony Martin. Hepburn got a nomination for Best Actress and the film was also nominated for Best Art&Set Decoration for a color film and Best Screenplay adapted from another medium, in this case Capote's novella.

Considering all the changes made, maybe the credit should have read inspired by Truman Capote's work. In any event this film belongs in the top rank of the works of Audrey Hepburn.