Sabrina

I've been having a bit of a mini Audrey Hepburn season lately, and SABRINA is my latest watch. And what a joy it is to watch! It's a fast-paced, witty and engaging little movie about a little mouse of a girl - Hepburn, of course - who becomes a society star and has to pick between two rich brothers in the process.

The story is lightweight and frothy, but where this film really works is the script, which is just great stuff. This is one of those old-fashioned Hollywood efforts which is just a joy to watch, with top-name actors delivering their lines with aplomb. Hepburn has never been lovelier here, with none of those irritating characteristics than some of her other characters possess (I'm thinking of BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S in particular).

It helps that the calibre of the cast is superb, with a fine turn from Humphrey Bogart particularly notable. William Holden plays his cad to the hilt, and there's fine comic support from Walter Hampden and John Williams. SABRINA is also notably funny, and that comic routine with the stuck olive is one of the most hilarious things I've seen in a good while.

Sabrina is a movie that was made for Audrey Hepburn. She is simply charming as the title character. The story is Cinderella like in that Sabrina, a chauffeur's daughter with a crush on the playboy son of her father's employer, goes to Paris and returns as a mature sophisticated lady who charms everyone she meets.

The picture is enhanced by the direction of Billy Wilder and the casting of Humphrey Bogart and William Holden (Why did they make him blond?)as the Larabee brothers who vie for Miss Hepburn's affections.

But the film is clearly Miss Hepburn's and one can see why she was one of the most beloved actresses of her time. Watch Sabrina and you too will fall in love with her. A marvelous film.

A lot of things work together to make this an entertaining and satisfying picture. With Billy Wilder's story-telling skill, Audrey Hepburn's unsurpassed charm, plenty of talent in the rest of the cast, and a worthwhile story, there is a lot of credit to go around.

The story is based the kind of interesting but slight premise that Wilder handles masterfully, and as a result the story is filled with both funny moments and thoughtful moments, all of which work well. There is a variety of well-chosen settings, always interesting but never pretentious.

Bogart and Holden both play their roles flawlessly. The two of them make an interesting combination with Hepburn, and it works even better than you could hope. John Williams also plays the proper English chauffeur as few others could have. There are also a number of good moments for the others in the supporting cast.

With all the other strengths, it may still be Hepburn's picture most of all.

In "Sabrina", she has a role that allows her quite a variety of scenes as her character grows and changes. It plays to all of her strengths, and makes Hepburn herself the most appealing aspect of an enjoyable and well-crafted picture.

The romantic comedy genre isn't one I usually gravitate towards but since it did star two of my all time favorite actors, Bogart and Holden, it was required viewing for me. I enjoyed the movie immensely despite some issues I had with the plausibility of Sabrina's transformation. The film is moving, thanks mostly to Linus's restrained courting and Sabrina's relationship with her father, and there are wonderful comic moments, thanks to Holden's perfectly timed wise quips and lighthearted nature which clash with the senior Larabee's pragmatism. Hepburn is as charming here as she is in Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany's. The ending makes perfect sense given David's commitment problems and the fact that in my opinion Elizabeth seems more alluring than Sabrina, though our heroine is perfect for Linus. Terrific film, 9/10.

If they had cast a different group of actors to play Sabrina and the Larrabee brothers, I have a feeling that my overall feelings towards the movie would have been different. Sabrina truly succeeds on the weight of its acting. It takes a certain amount of talent to pull off the wit and charisma the script demands but in the end, Bogie ends up being Bogie, Hepburn is Hepburn through and through and Holden plays off both of them. Add a multi-talented supporting cast led, in my opinion, by the classic Walter Hampden and Sabrina becomes a classic Hollywood treat that you can enjoy whenever you're in the mood.

Sabrina returns from a two year trip for school to Paris. As the chauffeur's daughter to a wealthy business family, she fancies their younger son, who was not only her childhood friend, but is also the troublesome playboy of the family as well.

Although I'm skeptical of some of Sabrina's six Oscar nominations, it's hard to argue that it was a beautiful effort in a year dominated by Brando's On the Waterfront. Anyone curious about why Audrey Hepburn is revered the way she is should check out this movie and draw their own conclusions. Here she is surrounded by an accomplished cast, received an Oscar nomination for her acting, and is forever known as one of Hollywood's all-time greats according to many opinions.