Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a Hollywood romantic comedy directed by one of Hollywood’s great comedic filmmakers and based on Truman Capote’s biting satirical novel.  

Capote stated that when he sold the film rights of his book, he was under the impression that Marilyn Monroe would play the title character.    Instead Paramount studios cast the sweet and innocent Audrey Hepburn in the role of Holly Golightly.  Too bad they did not listen to Capote, even though the movie became a great hit, giving Hepburn one of her most loved roles.    For me the problem is that the book correctly had Holly as a prostitute.   In the film, she is just bohemian, or whatever it means to be a free single women who will practically sleep with anybody if it suits her purpose.    Marilyn would have been perfect and believable.   Hepburn for her part tries her best but comes across as being just too sweet for me to believe in the crass nature of her character.   

Holly is a single non-working girl living in New York, where everyone from her landlord to a jailed Mafioso are smitten with.   Moving into an apartment above her is Paul (A wooden George Peppard), who is a budding writer, currently prostituting himself off to a rich married heiress so that she can pay for his rent as well as other expenses.   The two are immediately attracted to one another, which is not a surprise since they both have similar moral standards.   The problem for me is that the director Blake Edwards makes pains in showing these people in only the best illuminating light possible.   Holly is sweet and Paul is genuinely smitten by her, as well as being a talented writer.  

Most of the film takes place in their apartment building where Holly is either running away from a man or running at one.   Director Edwards however has a very great feel for slapstick and some of the comedic set pieces are genuinely funny.    The landlord is oriental but played for laughs in a grotesque depiction by Hollywood veteran Mickey Rooney.   This character is extremely offensive but allowed Edwards to sharpen his physical comedy timing that he would use with even greater effect in his future “Pink Panther” films.  There is a bit of Inspector Clouseau in the Chinese landlord here.    

The crowded apartment party scene also reminded me of Edwards’s later comedy masterpiece, “The Party”.       

While not without its charms, the movie’s immoral characters and sanitized viewpoint to them turned me off quickly.   It is a film lacking any edge whatsoever and with only a few funny moments.   In other words it left me quite bored.