Movies : Audrey Hepburn in Paris Five Films We Adore
By Zoey Bloom
This post was originally written by my first intern when the blog started in 2016. When I asked readers about their favorite feel-good movies, movies with Audrey Hepburn were mentioned over and over. Here are a few favorite Audrey movies to watch this weekend.
Sabrina (Dir. Billy Wilder, 1954)
Possibly my favorite Audrey Hepburn film, “Sabrina” is a story about unrequited love and second chances. Sabrina Fairchild, played by Ms. Hepburn, is the daughter of a chauffeur for the wealthy Larrabee family. Young, shy Sabrina has been infatuated with fun-loving playboy David (one of the two Larrabee sons) for years without him noticing her. She goes away to Paris for two years to attend culinary school, and she returns much more elegant and sophisticated than when she left. When she gets back home, she finds that not only is David interested in her, but also his straight-to-business, serious brother named Linus. “Sabrina” is a very romantic film with beautiful scenery, and the handsome, brooding Humphrey Bogart makes the movie simply irresistible.
Charade (Dir. Stanley Donen, 1963)
In this film “Charade”, Audrey Hepburn plays Regina Lampert, the wife of Charles Lampert, a Swiss man who is murdered on a train because of a fortune he stole during World War II. The CIA comes to her apartment in Paris to ask Regina if she knows anything that helps them find it, but she says that she doesn’t. Charles’s former partners in the crime start coming after Regina to find out where her late husband hid the fortune. With the help of a man named Peter Joshua (played by the charming Carey Grant), who might not be who he says he is, Regina becomes a part of a wild ride where nothing is as it seems.
How to Steal a Million (Dir. William Wyler, 1966)
Nicole Bonnet (played by Hepburn) is the daughter of a legendary art collector and master forger. Her father lends a beautiful Cellini sculpture of the goddess Venus to a prestigious Paris museum, a sculpture that is actually a forgery made by Nicole’s grandfather. When Nicole learns that the museum is planning on doing tests on the work of art for insurance purposes that would expose it as a forgery, she enlists the help of a dashing man named Simon Dermott to help her steal it back. “How to Steal a Million” is a delightful comedy filled with even more delightful Givenchy outfits (an Audrey Hepburn signature).
Paris When It Sizzles (Dir. Richard Quine, 1964)
“Paris When It Sizzles” is about a screenwriter named Richard Benson (William Holden) who has been paid an advance on his next screenplay. Unfortunately, he procrastinated on his work by traipsing around Paris, and now his screenplay is due in two days. He hires an assistant to keep him on track, the beautiful Gabrielle Simpson (Audrey Hepburn). He is inspired by Gabrielle, and together they run through various scenarios for a screenplay called “The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower”.
Funny Face (Dir. Stanley Donen, 1957)
While on an assignment for a major New York City fashion magazine, photographer Dick Avery (Fred Astaire) decides to use a bookstore for the setting of a photo shoot. There, he meets Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn), a shy and intellectual bookstore employee. He is quite taken with her unique beauty, and he whisks her off to Paris where she models for the magazine at iconic French landmarks. There is love, singing, dancing, fashion, and of course, breathtaking views of Paris. This film is “Funny Face” is, without a doubt, one of Ms. Hepburn’s best.
Do you have a favorite Audrey Hepburn movie? Comment below and share.
The movies you listed above are great – however, My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Roman Holiday and Sabrina remain my favorite Audrey films 🙂
Love in the Afternoon was on TCM this past Sunday. That movie has made it to my favorites list.