Audrey

Loved this documentary of my all time favorite actress. Heard some already well known facts about her life and learned some new things about her which was nice. Documentary covers her Hollywood life as well as her personal life.

She could wear a potato sack and still look absolutely stunning. My heart breaks that she never really loved herself like a lot of the world did and still does. Happy that she at least ended up with a gentleman, Robert Wolders, that made her feel loved. Also that she became the face for UNICEF which meant more to her than being movie star. Would always love to see more about her but this movie did a decent job of it.

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...

Of course when Audrey Hepburn is shown, she's mesmerizing. But those dance sequences with other actresses are pointless. Overall it's well done but does not stand out from any other documentaries I've seen about this iconic woman.

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.

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.