October 7, 2006
The movie was in the $5.00 bin.
I grabbed it the second I saw it.
If you love old Hollywood cinema, you will understand how I felt when I spotted the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It was buried not too far from the top in the cheap movie pile.
It touched my heart in the 60’s, but I do not remember exactly why.
Long time since I thought about Holly Golightly, the delightful audacious lead character in the Paramount Pictures movie based on Truman Capote’s book of the same name.
Story has it that Capote pushed for his close friend Marilyn Monroe to get the part, but casting experts chose Audrey Hepburn instead.
A good choice.
Hepburn was chic, although impossibly skinny, and looked the part in basic black, a large-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and a chiffon scarf.
The costume was perfect, but she could get by with wearing anything and look terrific. In one scene, she donned a long, white shirt (that’s all) and looked absolutely glamorous in it.
If you do not remember the movie, then you will no doubt recall its hit song, Moon River.
Henry Mancini wrote the music and Johnny Mercer the lyrics.
In the 60’s, the song became an instant and enduring hit.
The lyrics were sad and pensive and duplicated Holly Golightly’s philosophy of life.
Holly had lots to say about life, too.
As a young teen, all I took away from Breakfast at Tiffany’s was that it had cool actors, some funny scenes, neat clothes, a dreamy song, the cat was saved, and the guy and the girl got together in the end.
Holly’s profession escaped me in my youthful naiveté.
Now, in rewatching the movie, I see that Holly often discusses her “clients” and how they give her $50 for the “powder room.”
I missed that in 1961.
Her friend Paul, played by George Peppard, is a “kept” man who earns his living from a wealthy socialite, played by Patricia Neal.
I think I got that.
Nonetheless, both Holly and Paul are unflattering characters whose lives are off track. They both hate themselves but cannot find the guts to get out of their ugly situations.
Holly lives for the moment and will not give her cat a name or buy furniture because she holds no hope for the future.
Paul is a one-time successful writer who procrastinates about writing and will get back to it someday but never does.
The thought occurs to me while watching the movie that what Holly believed then is relevant to us today.
She had good advice.
However, I must admit I look at things a bit differently today than in the 60’s due to the aging business, of course. Some things, I am just coming to understand though.
Here are a few of Holly’s lines that I finally “get.”
Holly commented that Thursdays are gruesome.
“What’s so gruesome about Thursday?” Paul asked Holly.
“Nothing, I just can’t remember when it is coming up.”
I know what she means.
Holly described to Paul what she termed “the mean reds.” She said she did not mean “the blues”, no she meant “the reds”.
“Blues are sad, that’s all. Mean reds are horrible. You’re afraid and you don’t know what of. When that happens, the only thing to do is to go to Tiffany’s. It calms me down right away.”
I am thinking that this is very good advice. I can use this.
When I am upset I can say to my husband, “Yes, dear, I must go to Tiffany’s. It is the only thing that calms me down.”
Just like Holly said, “The quietness and the proud look of it (Tiffany’s). Nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real life place that made me feel like Tiffany’s, then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name!”
Then, Holly turns to Paul and puts him on the spot,” What do you do?”
“I’m a writer, I guess,” Paul replies.
“You guess? Don’t you know?”
“Ok. Positive statement—ringing affirmative—I’m a writer.”
Holly goes for the kill, “Tell me, are you a real writer? Does anybody buy what you write or publish it or anything? Do you write everyday? What have you written lately?”
On second thought, let’s forget the movie lines and just sing the song.
“Moon River, wider than a mile, I’m crossing you in style some day. Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker; wherever you’re going I’m going your way. Two drifters off to see the world. There’s such a lot of world to see. We’re after the same rainbow’s end, waiting round the bend, my huckleberry friend. Moon River and me.”
