Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) - Movie Reviews

Strangely enough, the only time Holly Golightly has something like a breakfast at Tiffany's is at the start of the movie where the title card is rolling. I also couldn't help but notice that all the credits were placed in the beginning of the movie. There is just a 'The End' when the movie finishes.

Yesterday was the first time I saw this movie; it was actually the first time I saw anything with Audrey Hepburn in it. Yes, I know, I post movie reviews here, and I haven't seen the essentials. But whatever, I enjoyed this movie. Like I mentioned before, there is something about older movies - about them being a time capsule of culture but also about the way people made films.

There is something about New York City and the movies. It is like the feel of the city hasn't changed over the years. Look at the empty landscape in some of the scenic shots in the movie, and you don't think it's been more than fifty years since the movie was made. What does change is the fashions and the cars. I mean the cars in those times. They were bulky, but you can see their charm through the chrome details and the excessive curves in them. And the smoking, everybody smokes in this movie, and they smoke everywhere, and they use matches. Damn, and there were only landline telephones back then, they had a character on their own. Hell, they even made phone dialing pins!

The audience may find a little problem with the stereotypical portrayal of people of a different race. I am referring to Mr Yunioshi - a Japanese man portrayed by a white actor. It is such a cartoon it might as well be just racist. Sure, it might be, but it didn't bother me. Mr Yunioshi is a character that's meant to deal with Miss Golightly's stunts. Besides he is not the only one behaving based on his race - the only difference is that he gets a lot more screen time. Take Jose, the rich man from Brazil for example, quite Latin wouldn't you say? Pretty much all the supporting cast acts as their type-cast roll.

But the biggest impact I felt from this movie came from Paul Varjak when he says to Holly that she is now pretty much his, that she belongs to him - almost as his property; and he does say it this way repeatedly.

Now, I don't recall any romantic movies of recent times using that approach or anything near that posessive. Paul Varjak is portrayed to be a very kind man, and he said it because that is the way people used to talk in those days, and it worked - maybe it is something that is applicable to today --

If you're a fan of romantic comedies, Breakfast at Tiffany's is worth the watch. The love story in this one is what gets you. It is like not many others - they do not need a romantic montage for them to fall in love.