Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)
| Breakfast at Tiffany's | |
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 Theatrical release poster by Robert McGinnis. |
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| Directed by | Blake Edwards |
| Produced by | Richard Shepherd Martin Jurow |
| Screenplay by | George Axelrod |
| Story by | Truman Capote (novella) |
| Starring | Audrey Hepburn George Peppard Patricia Neal Buddy Ebsen |
| Music by | Henry Mancini |
| Cinematography | Franz F. Planer |
| Editing by | Howard A. Smith |
| Studio | Jurow-Shepherd |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 5, 1961 |
| Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.5 million |
| Gross revenue | $14 million |
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a 1961 romantic comedy film starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, and featuring Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, and Mickey Rooney. The film was directed by Blake Edwards and released by Paramount Pictures. It was loosely based on the novella of the same name by Truman Capote.
Hepburn's portrayal of Holly Golightly as the naïve, eccentric woman is generally considered to be the actress' most memorable and identifiable role. She herself regarded it as one of her most challenging roles, since she was an introvert required to play an extrovert.[1] Hepburn's performance of "Moon River" helped composer Henry Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer win an Oscar for Best Song.
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[edit] Plot
In the early morning hours a taxicab pulls up at the famed jewelry company Tiffany & Co. on Fifth Avenue in New York City and a stylishly dressed woman emerges. The woman, Holly Golightly, enjoys a pastry and coffee while standing before the window displays, then strolls home.
At her brownstone apartment building, Holly fends off her date from the night before who has been waiting in his car all night. Holly had accepted $50 from him to tip the powder-room attendant at the club, but had instead abandoned her date.
The next morning Holly is awakened by new tenant Paul Varjak ringing the door bell. After feeding the pet cat she refuses to name, Holly chats with Paul as she hurriedly dresses for a visit to Sing Sing prison. This is a weekly routine for which she earns $100 for an hour's conversation with Sally Tomato, an incarcerated mob boss. Holly is passing coded messages for Sally's drug ring but plays dumb regarding her visits.
Wealthy matron Emily Eustace Failenson arrives at the brownstone and is introduced as Paul's "decorator". Holly later drops by Paul's apartment to escape a date and sees Failenson leave money and kiss Paul goodbye. Paul is a writer, but hasn't been published since 1956.
Paul is invited to Holly's for what turns out to be a wild party. He meets José da Silva Pereira, a rich, handsome Brazilian, and Rusty Trawler, a rich, pudgy American. Paul also meets Holly's "agent", O. J. Berman, who describes Holly's transformation from a country girl to a classy Manhattan socialite. O. J. tells Paul that Holly is a "real phoney".
In the days that follow, Paul joins Holly's latest visit to Sally at Sing Sing. Paul soon begins writing again. One afternoon Paul hears Holly playing guitar and singing "Moon River" from her windowsill, and they seem to be attracted to each other.
Failenson enters Paul's apartment, worried that she is being followed by a man outside. Paul tells Failenson that he will "handle it" and leaves the apartment, with the man following. Paul confronts the man in Central Park, who introduces himself as "Doc" Golightly, Holly's husband. While sharing his box of Cracker Jacks with Paul, Doc tells him that Holly's real name is Lula Mae Barnes. Doc says that he would like to take Holly back to Texas and asks for Paul's help.
Paul agrees to mediate a reunion between Doc and Holly. Holly tells Paul the marriage was annulled and asks Paul to accompany them to the bus station. There, Holly tells Doc she won't be returning with him. Doc tells Holly that if she doesn't return he won't support her brother Fred on his imminent release from the Army. Holly still refuses, declaring that Fred will come live with her in New York. Doc leaves on the bus alone.
Holly and Paul go to a club, where Holly gets drunk. Upon returning to her apartment, Holly tells Paul that she plans to marry Rusty Trawler for his money. A few days later Paul learns that one of his short stories has been accepted for publication. On the way to tell Holly the good news, he sees the newspaper at her door, the headline stating that Trawler has married someone else. Holly and Paul agree to spend the day together, visiting the library and going to Tiffany's, where Paul has the ring from Doc Golightly's box of Cracker Jacks engraved.
Later, Paul awakens to find that Holly has returned to her apartment. Paul ends his association with Failenson. Holly schemes to marry José for his money, which angers Paul. Holly and José return to her apartment to find a telegram notifying her of Fred's death. Holly trashes her apartment in grief and her behavior disturbs José.
Months later Paul has moved out of the brownstone. He is invited to dinner by Holly, who is leaving the next morning for Brazil. However they are arrested by police in connection with Sally's drug ring. Holly spends the night in lock-up.
The next morning Paul is waiting with a taxi when Holly is released. He has Holly's cat and a letter from José explaining he must end their relationship due to her headline-making arrest. An emotional Holly insists she will go to Brazil anyway and throws the cat from the taxi into the pouring rain.
Paul confronts Holly for her behavior and leaves the cab, tossing the ring he engraved for her from Tiffany's into her lap. Holly runs after him and together they find the cat, look into each other's eyes and embrace.
[edit] Cast
- Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, main character.
- George Peppard as Paul Varjak
- Patricia Neal as Mrs. Failenson / Emily Eustace (2E)
- Buddy Ebsen as Doc
- Martin Balsam as O.J. Berman
- Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi
- Alan Reed as Sally Tomato
- Orangey as the cat (trained by Frank Inn)
[edit] Production
[edit] Development
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2010) |
The Oscar-nominated screenplay was written by George Axelrod, loosely based on the novella by Truman Capote. A number of changes were made to fit the medium of cinema. Capote's novella included language that was toned down for the film.
In the novella, there is no mention of romance between Holly Golightly and the character named Paul in the film (in the novella, he is nameless). The character of Paul's "decorator", Mrs Emily Eustace Failenson or "2E" (Patricia Neal), was created for the film.
In the novella, Mag Wildwood, a model with a stuttering problem, moves into Holly's apartment after Holly falls out with the novelist upstairs. In the film, Mag appears as a stuttering guest who arrives at Holly's party with Rusty Trawler.
The film changed the novella's unresolved ending to a more conventional happy one.
[edit] Pre-production
Capote, who sold the film rights of his novella to Paramount Studios, wanted Marilyn Monroe to play Holly Golightly. Barry Paris references a quote by Capote: "Marilyn was always my first choice to play the girl, Holly Golightly." Screenwriter Axelrod was hired to "tailor the screenplay for Monroe". When Lee Strasberg advised Monroe that playing a prostitute would be bad for her image, she turned it down. When Hepburn was cast instead of Monroe, Capote remarked: "Paramount double-crossed me in every way and cast Audrey".[2]
Originally producers Martin Jurow and Richard Shepherd had picked John Frankenheimer as the director,[citation needed] but Hepburn said: "I've never heard of him" and he was replaced on her request.
[edit] Principal photography
Most of the exteriors were filmed in New York City, except the fire escape scenes and the alley scene at the end in the rain where Holly puts Cat out of the cab and then Paul and Holly look for Cat. All of the interiors, except for portions of the scene inside Tiffany & Company, were filmed on the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood.[citation needed]
It was rumored[citation needed] that the film's on-location opening sequence, in which Holly gazes into a Tiffany's display window, was extremely difficult for director Blake Edwards to shoot. Although it was simple in concept, crowd control, Hepburn's dislike of pastries, and an accident that nearly resulted in the electrocution of a crew member are all said to have made capturing the scene a challenge.[citation needed] In an interview given for the 45th anniversary DVD, Edwards, said that the sequence was captured rather quickly due to the good fortune of an unexpected traffic lull despite the location in the heart of Manhattan.
[edit] Music
| “ | It took me a long time to figure out what Holly Golightly was all about. One night after midnight I was still trying. I don't drink much, but I was sipping. And it came to me. I wrote ["Moon River"] in half an hour. | ” |
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—Henry Mancini[3] |
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Hepburn introduced the film's signature song, "Moon River" by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer. The song was tailored to Hepburn's limited vocal range, based on songs she had performed in 1957's Funny Face.[4] On the Anniversary Edition DVD of Breakfast at Tiffany's co-producer Richard Shepherd says in his audio commentary that after a preview in San Francisco, Martin Rankin, Paramount's head of production, wanted "Moon River" replaced with music by somebody like Gordon Jenkins (whose album Manhattan Tower had been out fairly recently): "Marty [Jurow, co-producer] and I both said 'over our dead bodies.'"[5] According to Mancini and Edwards, a studio executive hated the song and demanded it be cut from the film; Hepburn, who was present, responded to the suggestion by standing up and saying, "Over my dead body"![6]
According to Time magazine, Mancini "sets off his melodies with a walking bass, extends them with choral and string variations, varies them with the brisk sounds of combo jazz. "Moon River" is sobbed by a plaintive harmonica, repeated by strings, hummed and then sung by the chorus, finally resolved with the harmonica again."[3]
[edit] Reception
Time magazine noted "for the first half hour or so, Hollywood's Holly (Audrey Hepburn) is not much different from Capote's. She has kicked the weed and lost the illegitimate child she was having, but she is still jolly Holly, the child bride from Tulip, Texas, who at 15 runs away to Hollywood to find some of the finer things of life—like shoes."; it pointed out that "after that out-of-Capote beginning, Director Blake Edwards (High Time) goes on to an out-of-character end."[7] Almost a half century later, Time commented on the pivotal impact of Hepburn's portrayal of Golightly:[8]
Breakfast at Tiffany's set Hepburn on her 60s Hollywood course. Holly Golightly, small-town Southern girl turned Manhattan trickster, was the naughty American cousin of Eliza Doolittle, Cockney flower girl turned My Fair Lady. Holly was also the prototype for the Hepburn women in Charade, Paris When It Sizzles, and How to Steal a Million: kooks in capers. And she prepared audiences for the ground-level anxieties that Hepburn characters endured in The Children's Hour, Two for the Road and Wait Until Dark.
The New York Times called the film a "completely unbelievable but wholly captivating flight into fancy composed of unequal dollops of comedy, romance, poignancy, funny colloquialisms and Manhattan's swankiest East Side areas captured in the loveliest of colors"; in reviewing the performances, the newspaper said Holly Golightly is "as implausible as ever. But in the person of Miss Hepburn, she is a genuinely charming, elfin waif who will be believed and adored when seen. George Peppard is casual and, for the most part, a subdued citizen who seems to like observing better than participating in the proceedings. Martin Balsam makes a properly brash, snappy Hollywood agent. Mickey Rooney's bucktoothed, myopic Japanese is broadly exotic. Patricia Neal is simply cool and brisk in her few appearances as Mr. Peppard's sponsor and Vilallonga, is properly suave and Continental as Miss Hepburn's Brazilian, while Buddy Ebsen has a brief poignant moment as Miss Hepburn's husband."[9]
[edit] Influence
Hepburn as Holly, carrying an oversized cigarette holder, is considered one of the most iconic images of 20th century American cinema.[10]
One of three dresses designed by Givenchy for Hepburn for possible use in the film sold at auction by Christie's[11] on December 5, 2006 for £467,200 (~US$947,000), about seven times the reserve price.[12]
The film rejuvenated the career of 1930s movie song-and-dance man Buddy Ebsen, who had a small but effective role in this film as Doc Golightly, Holly's ex-husband. His success here led directly to his best-known role as Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies.[citation needed]
[edit] Portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi
While the 1961 New York Times review of the film merely referred to Mickey Rooney's portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi, the Japanese neighbor, as "broadly exotic,"[9] more recent characterizations include "cringe-inducing stereotype,"[13] "painful, misguided,"[14] "overtly racist,"[15] "one of the most egregiously horrible 'comic' impersonations of an Asian (Mr. Yunioshi) in the history of movies,"[16] and a portrayal "border[ing] on offensive" that is a "double blow to the Asian community — not only is he fatuous and uncomplimentary, but he is played by a Caucasian actor in heavy makeup."[17]
In his audio commentary for the DVD release, producer Richard Shepherd said that at the time of production as well in retrospect, he wanted to recast the role "not because he [Rooney] didn't play the part well" but because Shepherd thought the part of Mr. Yunioshi should be performed by an actor of Japanese ethnicity; it was director Blake Edwards' decision to keep Rooney.[18] In a "making-of" for the 45th anniversary edition DVD release, Shepherd repeatedly apologizes, saying, "If we could just change Mickey Rooney, I'd be thrilled with the movie."[19] Director Blake Edwards stated, "Looking back, I wish I had never done it...and I would give anything to be able to recast it, but it's there, and onward and upward."[19] In a 2008 interview about the film, 87-year-old Rooney said he was heartbroken about the criticism: "Blake Edwards...wanted me to do it because he was a comedy director. They hired me to do this overboard, and we had fun doing it....Never in all the more than 40 years after we made it — not one complaint. Every place I've gone in the world people say, 'God, you were so funny.' Asians and Chinese come up to me and say, 'Mickey you were out of this world.'"[20] Rooney also said that if he'd known people would have been so offended, "I wouldn't have done it."[20]
The portrayal was referenced in the 1993 film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, when Bruce Lee and his girlfriend Linda Emery (portrayed in the film by Jason Scott Lee and Lauren Holly) watch Breakfast at Tiffany's in the theater, but Linda suggests they leave midway through the picture after she notices that Bruce is upset at Rooney's stereotypical depiction of an Asian man.[21]
A free outdoor screening in Sacramento, California, scheduled for August 23, 2008, was replaced with the animated film Ratatouille after protests about the character Mr. Yunioshi. The protest was led by Christina Fa of the Asian American Media Watch. In light of the protest, Sacramento vice mayor Steven Cohn stated that "the intent was never to create controversy, to make political statements or to be on the avant garde of the movie world, let alone to offend significant members of our community."[20][22]
[edit] Awards and honors
[edit] Academy Awards
[edit] Other awards
- Henry Mancini won the Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album or Recording or Score.
- George Axelrod won the Writers Guild of America, East for Best Written American Drama.
- Blake Edwards was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures.
- The film was ranked 486th on Empire's The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time list for 2008.[24]
American Film Institute placed the film 61st among its AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions, and "Moon River" fourth on its AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs list.
[edit] Soundtrack
The soundtrack featured a score composed and conducted by Henry Mancini, with songs by Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer. Mancini and Mercer won the 1961 Oscar for Best Original Song for "Moon River". Mancini won for Best Original Score.
[edit] Home media
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2010) |
Breakfast at Tiffany's was one of the first Hepburn films to be released to the home video market in the early 1980s,[citation needed] and is also widely available on DVD. On February 7, 2006, Paramount released a 45th anniversary special edition DVD set in North America with featurettes not included on the prior DVD release:
- Audio Commentary - with producer Richard Shepherd
- Breakfast at Tiffany's: The Making of a Classic - a making-of featurette with interviews by Edwards, Neal, the "laughing/crying" woman from the party, and Sean Ferrer, Hepburn's son.
- It's So Audrey! A Style Icon - a short tribute to Hepburn.
- Brilliance in a Blue Box - a brief history of Tiffany & Co.
- Audrey's Letter to Tiffany - an accounting of Hepburn's letter to Tiffany & Co. on the occasion of the company's 150th anniversary in 1987.
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Photo Gallery
On January 13, 2009, a remastered Centennial Collection version of the film was released. In addition to the special features on the 45th anniversary edition, this version includes:
- A Golightly Gathering - Reuniting some of the past cast members from the party with interviews on their experiences filming that segment.
- Henry Mancini: More Than Music - A featurette about Henry Mancini, "Moon River" and interviews with Mancini's wife and children.
- Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective - Documentary discussing the reaction and Asian perspective of the character of Mr. Yunioshi, one of the most controversial characters in film.
- Behind the Gates - A tour through Paramount Studios
[edit] Stage adaptations
In 1966, David Merrick produced a Broadway musical of the same name starring Mary Tyler Moore as Holly Golightly and Richard Chamberlain as Paul. The troubled production closed after four previews.
In 2004, a new musical adaptation of the film made its world debut at The Muny in St. Louis.[25]
In May 2009, actress Anna Friel confirmed that she will star in a West End adaptation of the film. The show started in September 2009 at the Haymarket Theatre.[26]
[edit] Further reading
- Breakfast at Tiffany's, by George Axelrod. Published by Paramount Home Entertainment (UK), 1960. (film script)
- Breakfast at Tiffany's: A Short Novel and Three Stories, by Truman Capote. Published by Random House, 1958.
- Breakfast at Tiffany's: Complete Dialogues
- Breakfast at Tiffany's: 50 years on
"Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M." by Sam Wasson
[edit] References
- ^ Spoto, Donald (2006). Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn. New York: Harmony Books. p. 204. ISBN 0-307-23758-3.
- ^ Barry Paris (1996). Audrey Hepburn. Berkley Books.
- ^ a b "Movies: Never Too Much Music". Time. May 25, 1962. http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,896253,00.html. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Spoto, Donald. Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn. New York: Harmony Books, 2006. Page 204 - 205. ISBN 0-307-23758-3
- ^ Shepherd, Richard. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Anniversary Edition/Centennial Edition audio commentary. [DVD]. Paramount. Event occurs at 25:20.
- ^ Erwin, Ellen; Diamond, Jessica Z. (October 2006). The Audrey Hepburn Treasures. New York: Atria Books. p. 107. ISBN 978-0743289863.
- ^ "Cinema: Once Over Golightly". Time. October 20, 1961. http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,872844,00.html. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Corliss, Richard (January 20, 2007). "Audrey Hepburn: Still the Fairest Lady". Time. http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1580936,00.html. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ a b Weiler, A.H. (October 6, 1961). "The Screen: Breakfast at Tiffany's: Audrey Hepburn Stars in Music Hall Comedy". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A05EED9173AE13ABC4E53DFB667838A679EDE. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Spoto, Donald. Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn. New York: Harmony Books, 2006. Page 203. ISBN 0-307-23758-3
- ^ Audrey Hepburn Breakfast At Tiffany's, 1961
- ^ "Auction frenzy over Hepburn dress". BBC NEWS. 2006-12-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6209658.stm.
- ^ Durant, Yvonne (June 18, 2006). "Where Holly Hung Her Ever-So-Stylish Hat". New York Observed. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/nyregion/thecity/18holl.html. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (July 20, 2007). "Dude (Nyuck-Nyuck), I Love You (as If!)". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/07/20/movies/20pron.html. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Guernsey, Jessica. "The Undercover Minstrel Show". Dartmouth Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Quarterly (Dartmouth College) (August 2009): 2–6. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~mals/pdfs/MALS%20Quarterly%20Autumn%202009.pdf. "For an overtly racist Orientalist representation in American film, see Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961).".
- ^ "The Movies, Race, and Ethnicity: Asian Americans: Videotapes in the Media Resources Center, UC Berkeley". University of California, Berkeley Library System. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/imagesasians.html. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Berardinelli, James (2000). "Breakfast at Tiffany's". reelviews.net. http://www.reelviews.net/movies/b/breakfast_tiffanys.html. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Shepherd, Richard. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Anniversary Edition/Centennial Edition audio commentary. [DVD]. Paramount. Event occurs at 3:43.
- ^ a b Breakfast at Tiffany's: The Making of a Classic
- ^ a b c Magagnini, Stephen (September 28, 2008). "Mickey Rooney upset about claims his 'Tiffany's' role is racist". Sacramento Bee. Scripps Howard News Service. http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/35779. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Ito, Robert B. (March 1997). "A Certain Slant: A Brief History of Hollywood Yellowface". Bright Lights Film Journal. Bright Lights Film Journal. http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/18/18_yellow.html. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ^ "'Breakfast' is Out to Lunch". AsianWeek. 2008-08-27. http://www.asianweek.com/2008/08/27/breakfast-is-out-to-lunch/. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "NY Times: Breakfast at Tiffany's". NY Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/6998/Breakfast-At-Tiffany-s/awards. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
- ^ "Empire: Features". Empireonline.com. http://www.empireonline.com/500/3.asp. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "Show Archives". The Muny. http://www.muny.org/content/view/7/101/#B. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ "Entertainment | West End Breakfast for Anna Friel". BBC News. 2009-05-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8052020.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
[edit] External links
- Breakfast at Tiffany's at the Internet Movie Database
- Breakfast at Tiffany's at Allmovie
- Breakfast at Tiffany's at Rotten Tomatoes
- Breakfast at Tiffany's at the TCM Movie Database
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