Plot: What’s it about?
Among all of the films that the late Audrey Hepburn made, there are two that fit synonymously with her and her characters. One, My Fair Lady in which she played a “country” girl who was desperately trying to become a socialite, and the other is this. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of the more popular romance movies of all time, charting the ways for the likes of many, many more to come. Even the box art is synonymous with the movie, all you have to do is look at it and you immediately think “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”…Also starring in this classic is George Peppard. Now if you’re like me, you associate George Peppard with the cigar-chomping ex-Vietnam vet who always said “I love it when a plan comes together” from TV’s “The A Team”. But like most actors, he had experience in movies and this is certainly one of his most noteable performances.
We meet Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) as the opening credits appear, peering into a store front window, and yes…it’s the world famous Tiffany’s. Dressed in her best, she makes her way back to her apartment, bare it might be, she manages to wind down from yet another of her long nights. We also meet Mickey Rooney’s character who adds quite a bit of comic releif to the film. He plays some sort of Japaneese man who is angered by the slightest sound and is not too shy about yelling at Holly to “Keep it Quiet”! By some chance, Paul (George Peppard) happens to press the wrong buzzer to be let into his new apartment. The meet, and though it’s not really said, it’s love at first sight. We learn that Paul is a writer, who has written one mildly successful book and also get a glimpse as to what Holly is really like. Flighty as a bird, Holly is about as phony as they come. Never before have I heard so many uses for the word “Darling…” (let it roll of your tongue). What these two have isn’t exactly normal…Paul has a mistress that pays him for certain things and Holly goes out on more dates than she can count. It takes Paul a while to realize that he’s starting to fall for Holly, and the appearance of her husband (Buddy Ebsen) doesn’t help matters a whole lot!
Throughout the entire movie, Holly refers to Paul as Fred. Fred is the name of her brother of whom she is very fond of, but is serving time in the Army. After we find out a bit about Holly’s past (her name is really Lula Bell) and she has adopted kids and a family—she also used to be overweight, something which she definately is not now…So now we have to get down to the heart of the movie, we all know and want Paul and Holly to get together, but it just doesn’t look like it will happen. They spend a day together that is probably one of the most memorable scenes in the movie. They do things they’ve never done before. For instance, Paul has some champaigne at 9 AM, they steal things from a nickel and dime store and Holly goes into a library! Things look well for them, but this is before Holly finds yet another love interest…
Breakfast at Tiffany’s has become almost an American classic, the picture of Audrey Hepburn with that “cat ate the canary” smile, with her trademark hair and the long cigarette is one that strikes an instant image of the movie into whoever sees it. While is is considerably dated, I found it to be very entertaining and worthy of it’s “status” as a movie. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out…though it may not change your life, it’s definately worth a look. And speaking of looks, it’s never looked better than on DVD!
Video: How does it look?
Paramount continues their tradition of giving their movies, both catalog titles and new releases the benefit of 16:9 enhancement. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is certainly no exception. The image does show it’s age, as it’s nearly 40 years old (hard to imagine). While no major artifacts are evident, some scenes seem a bit “muddled” while others are crystal clear. Colors seem a bit muted, but for the most part, flesh tones are natural and a good picture all around. I’m not sure if the print that was used to make this new transfer was a bad one, as I’ve never seen the movie before it arrived on DVD. Still, for a movie that is nearly 40 years old, it looks pretty darn good.
Audio: How does it sound?
The soundtrack is remastered in 5.1 from the original mono track. While it’s next to impossible to get a “true” 5.1 sound out of a 40 year old mono track, it doesn’t sound half bad. The award winning song “Moon River” played at the end credits sounds good and has a great dynamic range and depth. Surrounds are used once or twice, as most of the action is still dialogue driven. The front speakers are used for the most part for the songs that are played throughout, and they sound fairly good at that. While some purists might argue that a mono soundtrack should stay a mono, I’m for the benefit of technology. I’ll take a 5.1 over a mono track anyday, and though I have no proof, I’d say that Breakfast at Tiffany’s has never sounded better.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A theatrical trailer is included.
