Well I haven’t reviewed a classic film yet to my memory, so why not? This film is classic, that can’t really be debated, but it’s still worth looking back and seeing how far we’ve come. More importantly, it’s vital to learn from these classic films. Blake Edward’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, is based on the novella of the same name by Truman Capote, and is a drama/comedy about love, money and the connections between lost souls.
The story of the film revolves around a young New York socialite Holly Golighly (Audrey Hepburn) and her friendship with Paul Varjak (George Peppard), who is a young writer living in the same building as Holly. The catch is that he is living off of the money of a wealthy woman named Mrs. Eustace (Patricia Neal) with whom he is having an affair behind her husband’s back. Holly, who also lives off of the money of her wealthy suitors, encounters complicated feelings about Paul as well as her own life. Her past and ultimately her future come into play and the plot thickens. While this film seems to move from plot to plot rather seamlessly, some of them do lose relevance as the movie continues. The conclusion is satisfying and the story is more than interesting to keep you invested.
The acting is sadly mixed. Audrey Hepburn is amazing and gives a versatile and stirring performance. George Peppard however, comes off as wooden, uninspired and dull for most of the film. He picks it up towards the end, but sadly it’s not enough to say I enjoyed him. If this was just the style back then, but he just came off as really boring. His speech at the end of the film to Hepburn is quite good however. The directing Edwards does is marvelous; this is a gorgeous film. Oh… I suppose I should talk about that elephant in the room. So, there is a pretty major racial controversy around this film in the form of Mickey Rooney’s “portrayal” of a Japanese man named Mr. Yunioshi. Mr. Yunioshi is the comic relief of the film, and has to be one of the most offensive displays of racial stereotype of all time. Just look it up, it’s appalling. Never mind that this part was given to a white man, the part written is just awful to begin with. Seriously, this fact really soured the film for me. I understand that it was a different time… but man…
3 and a half stars. Some parts of the film have aged well, but some have really NOT. Between some racial stereotyping that really can’t be ignored and some honestly superfluous plot points, the film loses me a bit in the middle. Still, if you hang in there, this masterpiece of directing really should be viewed or at least attempted at some point if you have any interest in film.