Sabrina

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Water Hampden, John Williams, Martha Hyer
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Rating: Unrated
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
1954

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: When his playboy brother (William Holden) gets involved with the chauffeur's daughter (Audrey Hepburn), his older brother (Humphrey Bogart) steps in to try and woo her away from him.

Review:

Tim: Billy Wilder directs a very thought-provoking movie in Sabrina. As I watched the film, I tried to put myself in the audience's shoes in the mid 1950s. I think this is important to do as much as possible, because it's not fair to judge an old movie by today's standards. While you can never completely disassociate from contemporary standards and viewpoints, it helps to have a sense of how audiences viewed the movie. That was actually a bit harder with Sabrina than most movies. There were things I really liked and things I did not. In the end, I'd consider this a good movie, but I didn't like it quite as much as I expected.

When I think about watching a movie with two of my all-time favorite actors, Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn, I immediately get really, really excited. When you tell me they're playing love interests, I get slightly less excited. Maybe it's the 30 year age difference between them? Now, I'm certainly not suggesting that people in different walks of life can't fall in love- they certainly can. However, there's just something so unsettling about watching this large age gap show up on screen. Maybe this is a personal bias, but I had a little difficulty when Bogart and Hepburn would kiss- that 30 year age difference just flashed before my eyes. The movie handles it well, but it's just a little odd.

The other issue I struggled with was the way Bogart treated Hepburn. Now, I have to allow for some room here, because attitudes towards women and relationships were very different in the 50s than they are today. But certain scenes just seemed so odd- like when they barely know each other and Bogart just decides he's going to kiss her so boldly, knowing that she was technically his brother's girl. I don't know, it just felt a little uncomfortable to me.

This isn't to say the film is bad- there's much to like here. The script was very well written by Billy Wilder and his co-writers. There's some terrific dialogue in the movie and very quotable lines. The film is also quite funny, but in an intellectual, pleasing way. There's a few more juvenile gags (like sitting on and breaking wine glasses), but many of the funniest moments are easy to miss because of their subtlety. The dialogue was one of the best parts of the film.

The cast is good. Despite the borderline creepiness of their on-screen relationship, Bogart and Hepburn both turn in effective performances. I very much enjoyed how the characters were portrayed as flawed, complex, real people. Bogart is certainly gruff, selfish, and cold. However, underneath that rough exterior, he's a genuinely good person who does care about others. Hepburn is whimsical, naive, foolish, and has an unhealthy obsession with a man completely undeserving of her attention. She has no problem stealing a man from his fiancee. And yet, she's a hopeless romantic who feels deeply and loves her father greatly. Even William Holden's character has a nice redeeming element to him. Holden, by the way, is the most fun member of the cast, playing his playboy role with glee.

Sabrina might occasionally venture into creepy territory, but as a whole, it's an unconventional love story. Yes, things might seem a bit forced now and then, but at the end, you clearly want two of the characters to end up together. Despite a number of flaws, the movie does succeed in touching the heartstrings, even if it's just gently. For that reason, this movie succeeds where so many romantic movies have failed.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, The African Queen