Guess what turned out to be at the top of my NetFlix list - Sabrina... before you start chuckling away to glory, it wasn't Sabrina the teenage witch :P - it was the 1954 B&W version starring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden...
Now, when I popped the DVD in, I fully expected to see a digitally remastered, technicolor version of the movie - but boy, was I taken in by the DVD cover..
It turned out to be the original black & white version - which turned out to be the best way to actually see the movie, not just watch it...
In times where CGI is the main weapon in the Hollywood arsenal and the special effects ante is being upped all the time, it was a refreshing change to see something that was character driven - no gimmicks, just good old acting...
Most of the movie was obviously filmed on a soundstage but the top-class acting and humor more than made up for it...
Onto our leading lady - Audrey Hepburn... the first film I saw of hers, was My Fair Lady (yet another classic and who hasn't seen this movie, right?) and the next was a brief scene I saw from Breakfast at Tiffany's - which, btw, is also on my netflix queue...
To think that Sabrina was only her second movie, after Roman Holiday, is amazing... I think the term the critics used about her was 'elfin' - I so agree... Her transformation from earnest young-adult (no, not teenager) to a sophisticate - is a thing of beauty... I guess 2 yrs in Paris has that effect on you..
Anyways, what I'm really saying is, beyond the Oscar-winning costumes she wore to portray this transformation into an elegant socialite, it is the expressions she so cleanly conveys that convince you...
Be it swooning over David before her said Paris trip (to learn cooking, no less), or the quiet submission to the fact that she would probably never be that girl, the ease with which Ms.Hepburn captures those emotions is what really captivates you...Oh and did I mention the utterly gorgeous gown she wears to the Larabee party when she gets back - the lady is a vision... Linus you were a fool not ot dance with her in the first place...
What do I say about Mr.Bogart now? Honestly, I've heard a lot about him and was curious about the term 'Bogarted' (which I am yet to understand - looks like I'd have to watch more Bogey movies to figure that one out) and what better way than to observe such a legend ... He plays the role with such ease - he made running a multi-million $$ empire look so darn smooth!
I must say here that I was quite taken by his efforts to bring his every-dallying brother in line, be it sneaking in an article in the paper about his brother's impending engagement to the daughter of a tycoon (just a tiny nudge in the right direction) or pretending to take William's side when discussing Ms. Fairchild (oh yeah, that's her name - Sabrina Fairchild, in the movie) so he could convince William to sit down (knowing the champagne glasses hidden in David's pockets would most certainly cause damage in the you-know-where when he sat down) - I totally understand where he is coming from (no offense intended cherie) ...
He lights up the screen in the scenes with the other Larabee men (oh did I not mention their names, David & Linus Larabee) ... Larabee Sr. provides such comic relief that I had to try desperately not to keep snorting out laughing...
Overall, Sabrina is what you might call a chick-flick - but given the fact that the term wasn't around back then, I will settle for the term romantic comedy instead ... I've seen my fair share of rom-com's (and am not ashamed to admit it) - and this one is certainly one of the better ones...
The fact that I am here, writing about the 1954 version instead of the 1995 Harrison Ford-Greg Kinnear- Julia Ormond remake, says something right?
Yeah, so the boy gets the girl, but not before being punched in the faced by his younger brother to make him realize the garage girl is the one for him (oops, did I give it away *blinks innocently*) ... Its the little gestures that you remember - her singing in French, his hat finding its way to her to turn it down the French way - when she's on the boat back to Paris, Larabee Sr. sitting on his hidden Olive vial, Mr. Fairchild's (the Larabees' chauffer) discomfort while escorting Linus & Sabrina on their 'dates'...
Oh, and Sabrina naming her French dog 'David'? Priceless!
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