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” and the other is “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. Widely considered to be one of the more popular romance movies of all time; it charted the ways for the likes of many, many more to come (romantic comedies, that is). 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 notable 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 relief to the film. He plays some sort of Japanese 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. They 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 he’s 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 definitely 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 champagne 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 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 it is considerably dated, I found it to be very entertaining and worthy of its “status” as a classic film. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out…though it may not change your life; it’s definitely worth a look.
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” benefited from this the first time around and with this next offering, I noticed no real improvement in the picture. 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. Still, if you own the original DVD this image looks the same as its predecessor.
Audio: How does it sound?
Again, like the video, the audio is the same as the original DVD release. The soundtrack is re-mastered 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 any day, and though I have no proof, I’d say that “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” has never sounded better.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Paramount continues its trend of releasing new “Special Editions” of previously available movies. Ok, that’s fine as long as there’s a valid reason to buy the disc – I’m all for it. This one might be one of the exceptions. There was plenty of room for improvement as the original disc contained the theatrical trailer only. That’s present here as well as a commentary track by Producer Richard Shepard. Shepard offers some insight into the production and his affection for Hepburn. Naturally he talks of the appeal of the movie and how it’s gone down in history as one of the more romantic movies ever made. There’s also a handful of featurettes but the only one with any substance is “The Making of a Classic” which is a look back at “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. Also included are three others: “It’s so Audrey: A Style Icon”, “Audrey’s letter to Tiffany” and “Brilliance in a Blue Box” and I guess every man should know that the coveted “Tiffany Blue Box” is what women are really after – everything else is completely insignificant! If “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” isn’t already in your DVD collection, this is certainly the edition to get but I think only true fans will want to make the jump to v 2.0. Though it’s a tough call, the commentary track and other featurettes might make it a tough decision. Lastly, I usually don’t comment on packaging but this comes in a magenta box. This isn’t the DVD’s with a cardboard cover over it. It’s in an actual box that makes it very difficult to get the case out of. I’d imagine that after a few opening and closings, the box will be history. You’ve been warned!
