Valentine Marathon: Sabrina (1954)

I’m all about experimenting new movies and staying optimistic but usually after two more average selections, I like to make conscientiously better choices that are sure to be good.  Of course, nothing is guaranteed but my absolute love for Audrey Hepburn and my desire to want to see more of her movies has me searching up her movies on Netflix on a regular basis to make sure I never miss any of them. Which is why, the next selection is one of her earlier movies and also is the first movie that I’ve seen of Humphrey Bogart.  I give you full right to judge me right now.  But, as I always say when I’m reviewing older movies, I know I’m WAY behind and I’m working as hard as I can to catch up. I’ve just learned that older movies are classy and if you watch too many of them, there’s so much less to love about a lot of movies nowadays, especially romantic comedies.

Either way, next up…Sabrina! Lets check it out! 🙂

SABRINA (1954)

Director: Billy Wilder

Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, Walter Hampden, John Williams, Martha Hyer

Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) has been living with her father (John Williams) at the Larrabee’s mansion ever since he became a chauffeur there. Since very young, she’s always had a crush on the younger son, David (William Holden) who is a playboy and just got out of his third divorce.  David doesn’t notice her at all until she comes back from a cooking course in Paris 2 years after looking sophisticated and transformed into a beauty. However, the Larrabee’s business lies on a plastics merger that his brother Linus (Humphrey Bogart) has worked hard to get and to strengthen the merger, he has made David agree to marry the new partner’s daughter, Elizabeth (Martha Hyer). Hoping to severe David’s admiration for Sabrina, Linus takes Sabrina hoping to charm her to leave their family for Paris until he realizes that he may have developed feelings for her unexpectedly.

Sabrina is such a charming movie.  I mean its nothing like Roman Holiday or Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but its pretty close.  The three characters here, especially Audrey Hepburn are a joy to watch.  Plus, the story itself is pretty adorable.  Sabrina is a girl who transformed into a woman physically but its really between keeping with her crush that she’s had forever and finally realizing that she’s in love with the person she least expected to know how to love, a saavy businessman who is many years older than she is.  That character itself is charming because no matter how old a movie is, a girl’s crush on that impossible guy is always there.  And Audrey Hepburn portrays Sabrina so well.

William Holden plays David, the playboy who never sees Sabrina before she comes back from Paris as a woman.  Although she goes away to forget him, the moment David notices her, she falls right back hoping to finally get the man even though he’s engaged.  Although I saw Paris When It Sizzles before this one and it was done afterwards, I felt that the connection between Audrey Hepburn and William Holden was better in that one mostly because the focus wasn’t on them in this movie.  After all, David fades off when Linus’s plans work out to keep him bedridden in kind of a pretty hilarious way. Honestly, William Holden has that natural attraction and confidence.  I mean, how can Sabrina resist, right? Especially when she was so young and all she’s ever really known seems to be the Larrabee residence’s affairs.

Which brings us to the second man here, Linus played by Humphrey Bogart.  The older and more sensible brother who only has his mind on business suddenly needs to try and charm a young Sabrina and change her mind with his stories.  Linus plays as a mysterious person because I kept wondering if the things he told Sabrina are real knowing that they were probably all not true anyways.  But Sabrina, being naive as she was, believes everything he says and slowly falls this man that seems to be so different underneath all the serious.  But then, my question now is, if everything he said was to make her leave for Paris, when she falls for him, wouldn’t she be falling for a lie? She’s have to know him all over again. Hmm…I just thought about that as I was writing this up.

Sabrina is just absolutely charming and awesome.  The story, the characters and the cast itself are amusing to watch and its just so much fun.  C’mon, I giggled a little when that “Yes, I have no bananas” song played.  So weird but so cute also. And Audrey Hepburn sings La Vie en Rose and she sounds dazzling 🙂 I totally recommend this movie! I absolutely loved it!

Have you seen Sabrina? What are your thoughts? Any other Humphrey Bogart recommendations?