Sabrina

Rating:
Summary: Stylish, Smart, and Sophisticated
Review: This Billy Wilder gem has something that today's movies are missing, and no, I'm not just talking about good acting, it does have that though, but I meant something eles, no, I don't mean an intersting story-line and characters we care about, and yet again no, I wasn't thinking about great directing and a wonderful script, what I was thinking about was it has charm. Based on a play by Samuel Taylor the screenplay by Wilder, Ernest Lehman, and Taylor himself, is filled with charm, wit, and style. Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn) is a chauffeur's daughter, who is madly in love with David Larrabee (William Holden), only he doesn't notice her. She's been in love with him since she was a child. Her father thinks it might be best if Sabrina went to Paris, to sorta help her get her mind off David. There she takes cooking lessons. Now, while she's in Paris, back home Linus Larrabee (Humphrey Bogart) was trying to close a big deal for his company, and one way this can be done is if David marries the owner's daughter. Of course, Linus doesn't tell David his plan at first. After a few inbetween things happen, Sabrine comes back from Paris, to find that David now has a crush on her. And now, Linus must try and come between Sabrine and David, so David will spend more time with his wife to be. So, of course, as these romantic comedies go, Sabrina must fall in love with Linus and forget about the man she thought was perfect for her. "Sabrina" is a very amusing film. It had me laugh, and it was tender and romantic. I enjoyed the film a lot, but, my only problem with the movie is, even though the acting is great in this movie, no one seems to have a chemistry between them. We really don't believe that Bogart and Hepburn are in love with each other. Everyone seems to just be doing their job (act!). It doesn't seem to be real. No one plays well off each other. That's the only reason I took one star off. The movie was nominated for 6 Oscar's (Including Best Actress, Director, and Screenplay) and it won one award for "Best Costume Design". Here's some old Hollywood gossip for those of you who love this stuff. Humphrey Bogart was not the original choice for this movie, he was a last second replacement for Cary Grant! Bogart also hated working with Holden and Hepburn. Infact, he didn't even want Hepburn in the movie at all! He wanted his wife Lauren Bacall instead. Maybe, this is why the acting seems sorta stiff between everyone. But don't let that stop you from seeing this wonderful movie. It's for the hopeless romantic in everyone.

Rating:
Summary: A delightful romantic comedy!
Review: Sabrina Fairchild (portrayed by the lovely Audrey Hepburn) is the daughter of the chauffeur for the rich Larrabee family of New York. Sabrina has always had a crush on the charming David Larrabee (William Holden), who's all play, while his older brother, Linus (Humphrey Bogart), is all work. When Sabrina comes home from Paris after attending a culinary school, she returns a sophisticated and beautiful young woman. David, who was never attracted to her before, is now smitten with the new Sabrina. Although David is engaged (to his soon-to-be fourth wife), he seems to forget about his fiancee when Sabrina's around. Linus, who arranged David's marriage to seal a business merger, must keep Sabrina and David apart by spending time with her. But in the end, who gets Sabrina's heart?

The DVD is terrific. The clarity is very clear for a black & white film. When it comes to the special features, you get a 12-minute long documentary about the making of Sabrina and a photo gallery with many pictures from the set.

Sabrina is my favorite Audrey Hepburn film. The entire cast is wonderful. You can't go wrong with Hepburn, Bogart and Holden in the same movie. The writing is marvelous and you can't forget the director, the legendary Billy Wilder. This is a must-have for any fan of Audrey's or for anybody who loves classic romantic movies!

Rating:
Summary: Sabrina
Review: Personally, I found this movie to be very boring and trite. In fact, I fell asleep through it twice. I am a big Audrey Hepburn fan, so I was very disapointed when I watched this and found it so incredibly dull. I did though very much enjoy the remake and have seen that several times.

Rating:
Summary: "...But now, Father, the moon is reaching for ME!"
Review: And with that dreamy-eyed wonder which so easily danced in Audrey Hepuburn's face, we too, feel compelled to see her win the heart of flighty playboy David...but why is stiff-lipped brother Linus getting in the way?

Director extraordinaire William Wilder gracefully weaves another tale of "ugly duckling morphs into beautiful swan," yet, we don't feel like we've seen it quite like this. The film is charmingly comedic, yet never slapsticky like the recent remake. The production is highly viewable, and the marvelous clothing is eternally stylish on the three leads of Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and William Holden--all of them, Oscar winners, and Hepburn herself a nominee for this performance.

The tale shows a young whippersnapper chauffeur's daughter (Hepburn) hopelessly enamored with the younger son of her father's employer. Charming David (Holden) is a misguided, misdirected, fun-loving playboy who never wants for female attention, and could scarcely give young Sabrina the time of day. In hopes of ending this futile, unrequited love, Sabrina's father sends her to study culinary arts in Paris.

During her tenure at the school, she not only learns how to cook (some funny moments there involving eggs and souffle), but how to be a woman worthy of capturing a man's attention. The new, sophisticated, and sauve Sabrina instantly captures David's attention upon her arrival, but now Linus, the older, settled, finacial wizard brother, is involved in the mix--and his reasons don't quite seem like love...or is it only because he doesn't know how to love?

Who will Sabrina end up with? Will she find joy with either brother? Will she feel she was "reaching for the moon"?

Besides being a story of a young woman's coming of age, the film also shows the class struggle and resentment between the poor and rich. "There is a front seat, a back seat, and a window in between," Sabrina's chauffeur father firmly states. By Sabrina's flirations with the sons, we are left to wonder if she will forever be seen as part of the "hired help", and not a family member.

See this classic, and don't bother to see the remake--it only pales in comparison. You won't even notice the black and white cinematography as all three stars glow so brightly.

Rating:
Summary: Audrey's second film is my favourite
Review: It almost begins like a fairy tale, how once upon a time, on the north shore of Long Island, some 30 miles from New York, there lived a small girl on a large estate. So goes the opening narration by Audrey Hepburn, which sets the story in motion and introduces the Larrabee estate and family, also goes on to describe an English chauffeur named Fairchild and his daughter, Sabrina, played of course by Hepburn, in this romantic comedy based on Samuel Taylor's play Sabrina Fair.

Sabrina's sent to a cooking school in Paris, which not only prepares her for a vocation, but to help her get over her crush over David Larrabee (William Holden), the dashing playboy who spent short periods at many colleges and even shorter periods with his three wives (consecutive, of course). Ironic, considering that Holden had a crush on Hepburn, which led to a brief affair, and for him, a torch he carried through the rest of his life. The advice she gets is "don't reach for the moon." The thing is, she's the last of the romantics, "l'amour toujours" as described by Linus Larrabee, the business brains behind the multimillion Larrabee holdings, which include land and water, copper, construction, and now, a new kind of plastic that's resilient and tastes sweet(!!)

After two years in Paris, she is a vision of beauty, chic, with a new haircut, and transformed, yet still the romantic, as she vows to be in the world and of the world, and "never ever run away from life, or from love either."

Linus plans to marry David off to Elizabeth Tyson, whose father owns the second largest sugar cane in Puerto Rico, the ceremonial part of a $20 million merger with Tyson. This is put in jeopardy with Sabrina's return, and David, who previously ignored her, is bedazzled. Yet Sabrina, who's reluctantly wooed by Linus to salvage the deal, finds out there's more to him than just the "cold businessman...with ice in his veins, ticker tape coming from his heart." She finds out he's nice and quite human.

"Remember, it's the 20th century" is a reminder that the Victorian days of knowing one's place is gone. Fairchild sees life as a limousine: "there's a front seat, there's a back seat, and a window inbetween." He later says "Nobody poor was called democratic for marrying someone rich." Mother and Father Larrabee believe that, as they are scandalized at David's affections towards Sabrina, and see her in terms of class status.

Other great scenes include the cooking school, but the party scene when Sabrina appears in her bare-shouldered white dress and becomes the belle of the ball dancing with David, shows her at her most radiant and resplendent.

Humphrey Bogart is great as Linus, scheduled, sensible, loyal, observant, honest, and yet with a softer side. John Williams is perfect as Tom Fairchild. And Jenny the maid is played by Nancy Kulp, best known as Ms. Hathaway in the Beverly Hillbillies TV series. But Francis X. Bushman as old Mr. Larrabee has some funny moments with a penchant for martinis and cigars (whenever his wife's not around). Hepburn would be reunited with director Billy Wilder in Love In The Afternoon.

However, Sabrina also sees birth of a long-time association between Audrey and a certain Hubert de Givenchy, who did her costumes for many of her films. No Oscar for Hepburn, though she was nominated, but this film got me on my Hepburn kick back in the 90's, and is especially wonderful for those living "la vie en rose" as Sabrina does. To conclude, forget the 1995 remake--watch the original instead.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Most Enjoyable Romantic Comedies Ever!
Review: Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, & William Holden you couldn't ask for a better cast. Hepurn gives one of the best performances of her career & Bogart & Holden give suberb performances as the Larrabee brothers.

This Cinderella type story is about Sabrina a chaeffer's daughter who apperantly falls for her father's employer's son, David. David is a playboy, reckless, wild, & handsome, he takes no notice of Sabrina & breaks her heart one evening when she sees him dancing with another girl. Sabrina decides to commit suicide by closing the garage doors, turning on all the cars & letting the carbon monoxide kill her. Luckily, the eldest Larrabee brother, Linus comes along to save her.

She is sent to France the next morning for cooking school, & while she's their David is engaged, so that Linus can make a profit with his new invention. When Sabrina returns grown up & sophistacated both Linus & David fall for her, which causes some hilarious effects. The film is a great classic, perfect for your collection.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Movie but I also like The Remake!
Review: I saw Sabrina on TCM and I liked it and I think it's a wonderful movie and I think Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden were terrific and I recommend this movie and I'm planning on buying the DVD! I will probably get slammed for saying this but I also liked the remake that starred Julia Ormond, Harrison Ford and Greg Kinnear and I plan on buying that movie on DVD too! They are both charming, delightful movies that can be enjoyed on their ownrights and though I have seen remakes that were horrible the remake of this movie was fine but I suspose that since I saw the remake first that I was able to enjoy it because I wasn't comparing it to the original!

Rating:
Summary: Audrey Hepburn was Sabrina
Review: When you watch this movie,Audrey was Sabrina. Both Sabrina and Audrey were very beautiful,shy, and mystical.When she makes her appearance after returning from Paris,Audrey looks absolutely stunning and gorgeous.Combine her looks and her adorable charm,you can see why she was cast in this film.In the scene at the ball,she asks David(William Holden)if he wants to kiss her,(and who wouldn't)she looks at him with that beautiful face and alluring eyes. She was absolutely adorable and did a splendid job in her acting abilities. I will never,ever, grow tired watching an Audrey Hepburn movie.To me, she was the prettiest of all the actresses.And what an actress! I strongly recommend this version over the 1995 remake with Harrison Ford.

Rating:
Summary: Bogart and Hepburn - Champagne and whiskey
Review: "Sabrina" is a strange mix that works well, even when you think it wouldn't at first glance.

The wide-eyed innocence and optimism of Audrey Hepburn, falling in love with the cynical, world-weary and worn Humphrey Bogart. Hepburn is as good here as in any film, and it would take a powerful cynic indeed not to fall in love with her. Bogart offers a good challenge, but in the end he is no match. I have heard some complain that he is too old in this film, but to me that only adds to the charm, as the age is acknowledged and dealt with, rather than fumbled over.

Aside from the pure love story, there are some interesting wisdoms on relations between the rich and the not-rich. "Sabrina" is a smart flick, and serves up a realistic side dish to its romance.

Not much going on here with this DVD, but it is enough to make me happy. The short documentary is nice, and the film looks good.

But ah, the Golden Age of Hollywood! How nice it is to be swept away occasionally on a soft cloud of romance and style. If you are in need of a fix, "Sabrina" cures what ails you.

Rating:
Summary: Another great
Review: This delightful, poignant comic romance showcases Hepburn at her waiflike best and Bogart as his usual masterful self. Sabrina, the beautiful daughter of a chauffeur, is fresh home from Paris and eager to ensnare the engaged playboy, David. With goofy abandon, David reciprocates her affections and is willing to mess up his family's fortunes in the process. Enter his Machiavellian brother Linus (Bogart), who coldly and calculatingly woos Sabrina himself in order to get her out of the way. But can his cold heart be truly immune? The cinematography, dialogue, and directing are expert in this classic, which takes a light farce and gives it believable weight as a deeper romance full of moral dilemma. Sabrina's growth from impulsive girl into a more understanding woman is brilliant. They don't make many movies like this any more, relying on the script and the actors to create the atmosphere superbly.