Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

Truman Capote (novel)
George Axelrod (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 October 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Audrey Hepburn plays that daring, darling Holly Golightly to a new high in entertainment delight!

Plot:

A young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Apartment | Writer | Party | Neighbor

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Audrey Hepburn	...	Holly Golightly
George Peppard	...	Paul 'Fred' Varjak
Patricia Neal	...	2-E (Mrs. Failenson)
Buddy Ebsen	...	Doc Golightly
Martin Balsam	...	O. J. Berman
José Luis de Villalonga	...	José da Silva Pereira (as VilAllongA)
John McGiver	...	Tiffany's salesman
Alan Reed	...	Sally Tomato
Dorothy Whitney	...	Mag Wildwood
Beverly Powers	...	Nightclub Stripper (as Miss Beverly Hills)
Stanley Adams	...	Rusty Trawler
Claude Stroud	...	Sid Arbuck
Elvia Allman	...	Librarian
Mickey Rooney	...	Mr. Yunioshi
Orangey	...	Cat

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Portuguese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Hungary:14 | Canada:G (Ontario) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | South Korea:12 | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:AL | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

171 East 71st Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Jurow-Shepherd

Trivia:

Contrary to popular belief, the movie follows 'Truman Capote' 9qv)'s original novel quite closely. The character of Mag Wildwood, the Amazon-like model who crashes Holly's party in the film, is a major character in the novel. Capote describes her as having a stutter. In the film, Mag does indeed stutter though this isn't explained. During the shoplifting sequence, Holly briefly dons a Huckleberry Hound mask; a direct reference to a line in her song, "Moon River." Although Audrey Hepburn's performance of "Moon River" is unsurpassed, it would not be officially released until after her death. Holly's "bad date" prior to her first visit to Paul's apartment is only heard behind a door. The man who provides this voice is uncredited, but he sounds a lot like Mel Blanc, who at the time was working with film co-star Alan Reed on "The Flintstones" (1960).

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of the film, Holly puts on nylon stockings in the cab. The left one has a visible run on it, yet the stylish Holly still puts it on. When she steps out of the cab, the run is gone. Then, as she searches for the cat, the nylons seem to disappear and then reappear.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sid Arbuck: [seeing Holly enter her building] Hey!
[he chases her inside]
Sid Arbuck: Hey, baby, what's going on here?
Holly Golightly: Oh, hi!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (#9.12)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

The Big Blow Out

Audrey's a Delight

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" preserves an idyllic time and place in the American psyche, New York City between WWII and The Great Society. A time when being hip and urbane were accessible (and desirable) to the middle-class.

The film's" the two romantic protagonists are Holly Golightly, played wonderfully by Audrey Hepburn, and Paul Varjak, played by George Peppard in an understated performance that well complements Hepburn's. Holly is an aspiring socialite and party-girl looking for a wealthy sugar daddy. Paul is an aspiring writer and kept-man of a wealthy older woman. Neither is happy, but both go through the motions in a swirl of Manhattan parties and parings.

Everything falls nicely into place in this romantic-comedy; directing, musical score, acting, and screenplay. Filmed on location in New York this is a beautiful, captivating movie, that has not only aged well, but is a time machine to a wonderful place that probably really never existed except in our imagination.