SABRINA [1954 / 2013] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
Audrey Hepburn’s Most Lavish, Luscious, and Hilarious Hit!
In celebration of 80 years of Audrey Hepburn, introducing an all new re-mastered and re-packaged Blu-ray edition. ‘SABRINA' is charming, humorous and aglow with some of Hollywood's greatest stars. Sabrina is charming, humorous and aglow with some of Hollywood's greatest stars. Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn star in a Cinderella story directed by renowned filmmaker Billy Wilder for ‘Sunset Boulevard' and ‘Some Like It Hot.' Humphrey Bogart and William Holden are the mega-rich Larrabee brothers of Long Island. Humphrey Bogart's all work, William Holden's all playboy. But when Sabrina, daughter of the family's chauffeur, returns from Paris all grown up and glamorous, the stage is set for some family fireworks as the brother's fall under the spell of Audrey Hepburn's delightful charms. Based on the play by Samuel A. Taylor.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1954 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Nomination: Best Actress for Audrey Hepburn. 1955 Academy Awards: Win: Best Costume Design in Black-and-White for Edith Head. Nomination: Best Actress in a Leading Role for Audrey Hepburn. Nomination: Best Director for Billy Wilder. Nomination: Best Writing for a Screenplay for Billy Wilder, Ernest Lehman and Samuel A. Taylor. Nomination: Best Cinematography, in Black-and-White for Charles Lang. Nomination: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration in Black-and-White for Hal Pereira, Ray Moyer, Sam Comer and Walter H. Tyler. 1955 Golden Globes: Win: Best Screenplay for Billy Wilder, Ernest Lehman and Samuel A. Taylor. 1955 BAFTA Film Awards: Nomination: Best British Actress for Audrey Hepburn. 1955 Directors Guild of America: Nomination: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Billy Wilder. 1955 Writers Guild of America: Win: Best Written American Comedy for Billy Wilder, Ernest Lehman and Samuel A. Taylor.
FILM FACT No.2: Initially, Cary Grant was considered for the role of Linus, but he declined, and the role was taken by Humphrey Bogart. Best known for playing tough detectives and adventurers, Humphrey Bogart was cast against type as a smart businessman gradually transformed into a romantic lead. During production of the film, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden entered into a brief but passionate and much-publicized love affair. Humphrey Bogart had originally wanted his wife Lauren Bacall to be cast as Sabrina. Humphrey Bogart complained that Audrey Hepburn required too many takes to get her dialogue right and pointed out her inexperience. The film began a lifelong association between Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn. It was reported that when Audrey Hepburn called on Givenchy for the first time in Paris, Givenchy assumed that it was Katharine Hepburn in his salon. The film ‘SABRINA’ was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2002.
Cast: Audrey Hepbur, Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, Walter Hampden, John Williams, Nella Walker, Martha Hyer, Joan Vohs, Marcel Dalio, Marcel Hillaire, Nella Walker, Francis X. Bushman, Ellen Corby, David Ahdar (uncredited), Raymond Bailey (uncredited), Marjorie Bennett (uncredited), Ralph Brooks (uncredited), Colin Campbell (uncredited), Harvey B. Dunn (uncredited), Fritz Ford (uncredited), Otto Forrest (uncredited), Chuck Hamilton (uncredited), Paul Harvey (uncredited), Nancy Kulp (uncredited), Kay E. Kuter (uncredited), Ralph Moratz (uncredited), Bill Neff (uncredited), Emory Parnell (uncredited), Gregory Ratoff (uncredited), Kay Riehl (uncredited), Marion Ross (uncredited) and Emmett Vogan (uncredited)
Director: Billy Wilder
Producer: Billy Wilder
Screenplay: Billy Wilder, Ernest Lehman and Samuel A. Taylor
Composer: Frederick Hollander
Cinematography: Charles Bryant Lang, Jr., A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio
French: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
German: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Italian: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Japanese: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Spanish: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Português and Swedish
Running Time: 114 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Andrew's Blu-ray Review: “Once upon a time, on the North Shore of Long Island...there lived a small girl on a very large estate.” So begins ‘SABRINA’ [1954], an enchanting fairy tale about a chauffeur's daughter in love with the younger son of the master of the estate. Sabrina goes to Paris and comes back a polished princess, but her fairy tale has some romantic complications on its way to an unexpected, but happy ending. However, the complications during the creation of this romantic fantasy were sometimes more nightmare than fairy tale.
It is one thing for Hollywood to remake foreign films for American audiences. But why did the studio feel compelled to remake classic films from Hollywood's Golden Age is hard to comprehend. No matter how good the remake is, it always suffers in comparison to the original film. Take the re-make of ‘Sabrina,’ no offense to Sydney Pollack, Julia Ormond and Harrison Ford, but your version I felt was a total crass mess, as how can you compare the remake to a film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden, the original wins hands down.
Based on Samuel Taylor's play “Sabrina Fair,” the original Sabrina is a delightful romantic-comedy. The ever-versatile Billy Wilder, whose previous film was the war film ‘Stalag 17,' had an amazing way with actors that are fully on show here. William Holden, Billy Wilder's Academy Award® winning star, reportedly had the time of his life playing billionaire playboy David Larrabee, and his relish for the role shows through every time he is on screen. Billy Wilder also completely recreates Humphrey Bogart in the role of David Larrabee, competing with the all-business competitive brother Linus Larrabee [William Holden]. David Larrabee's workaholic older brother, Linus Larrabee [Humphrey Bogart], sees this and fears that David Larrabee's imminent marriage to Elizabeth Tyson [Martha Hyer] may be endangered. If the engagement is broken off, it would ruin a great corporate deal between the Larrabee Business and Elizabeth Tyson's very wealthy father Mr. Tyson [Francis X. Bushman]. Linus confronts David about his irresponsibility to the family, the business, and Elizabeth, but David is unrepentant. Billy Wilder lets the hardnosed tough guy Humphrey Bogart and lets him show off a sad, soft side as he slowly falls for the allures of Sabrina.
The prologue, with its storybook-like, slightly arch voiceover narration finely read by Audrey Hepburn, suggests a charming fairy tale with a satiric subtext. And indeed, `SABRINA' is Billy Wilder's delightful romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden, is a sort of “Cinderella” story, with a chauffeur's daughter who is transformed into the belle of the ball and dances with the prince, except that the “prince” is, if not a beast, at least a shallow cad, while the real love interest is almost more a frog than a prince.
The romantic complications are feather-light, but there's surprising bite both in the intensity of Sabrina's girlish crush on oft-married playboy David Larrabee [William Holden] and in the ambiguous motives of David's hard-nosed older brother Linus [Humphrey Bogart]. For years Sabrina, whose father Thomas Fairchild [John Williams] is the Larabees' chauffeur, has wistfully spied on handsome David Larrabee's ways with women at the family's glamorous parties, and in a despairing moment is even willing to throw her life away over him. When she blossoms, though, David discovers her charms, and she blithely enjoys his attentions despite her awareness of David's fickleness. As for Linus Larrabee, he's ruthless enough to prod David to make another marriage that will help the family corporation, and as he gently takes Sabrina off his brother's hands it's quite a while before his intentions become fully clear, perhaps even to himself.
The only hint of Billy Wilder's usually sharp social commentary in this effervescent film which comes in Linus Larrabee earnest declarations that the role of business in America is to provide good jobs and security to workers, and advancement for all humankind. Now, that's nostalgia. `SABRINA' is not nearly as funny as Billy Wilder's classic screwball comedy ‘Some Like It Hot,' which was voted the funniest movie of all time by the American Film Institute. Nevertheless, it's a lovely romantic comedy, flawlessly directed by one of Hollywood`s greatest.
Billy Wilder had his own problems during the making of ‘SABRINA.’ He was in pain from a back problem, and he and writer Ernest Lehman were barely keeping up with rewrites during production. On at least one occasion, when he didn't have enough new pages for that day's work, he asked Audrey Hepburn to feign illness so the rest of the day's shooting would be cancelled, giving him time to do more rewrites. Hepburn did as she was told, even though it made her appear difficult or unprofessional.
I have very little to complain about, but if I had to pick out one aspect of the film, and it would be in the second act, which is a bit underdeveloped. Sabrina goes off to Paris where we see a comic scene in the cooking school, which may have been funnier in 1954 than now. One other scene shows Sabrina meeting an elderly Baron, who apparently is responsible for how sophisticated she became during her time abroad, but we are left to guess at this. I'd have liked to lose the cooking scene and get a little more perspective on what she else she learned in Paris. This is an extremely small complaint, but I get to put something in this category.
The comedic side of the romantic comedy formula is largely successful, with a mixture of slapstick, word play and physical humour that works very well to keep the film interesting between romantic interludes. Some of the jokes are telegraphed pretty far in advance, once a man puts champagne glasses in his back pocket, there’s really only one way things can go, but are executed with enough panache so as to still be amusing when they finally show up. Great use is made in this film of the famous French song “La Vie En Rose,” serving both as a signifier of Sabrina’s social and romantic intentions and attitudes, and as a romantic evocation of Paris and bohemian European ways intruding upon a stuffy American family’s cosy existence. Audrey Hepburn evokes in the significantly older Larrabee brothers, a sense of youth and life, a feeling which the viewer cannot help but engage with too.
Still, trying to surpass Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn is luminous on screen like no other actress before or since, and Humphrey Bogart scowls and makes wiseass remarks with similar ease. Director Billy Wilder does a good job of creating a fairy-tale environment, from the opening narration to making Audrey Hepburn's Sabrina seem innocent even though at times she is quite matter-of-fact about trying to steal another woman's fiancé. It places us in a world of the ridiculously rich, with servants who feel happy in and, indeed, proud of their stations, and while never acknowledging the triviality of the characters, seldom looking down upon them or stooping to melodrama.
‘SABRINA’ has been remembered as one of Audrey Hepburn’s finest moments. It’s a quintessential part of her filmography: Audrey Hepburn was in the process of becoming a star, was able to show off her acting ability, had one of the greatest directors of all time directing her and was wearing of Givenchy’s costumes for the first time. If you’ve seen ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ and ‘My Fair Lady,’ then this is your next stop.
SABRINA MUSIC TRACK LIST
LA VIE EN ROSE (Music by Louiguy) (Lyrics by Édith Piaf) [Sung by Audrey Hepburn]
LOVER (uncredited) (Music by Richard Rodgers) (Lyrics by Lorenz Hart)
ISN’T IT ROMANTIC? (uncredited) (Music by Richard Rodgers) (Lyrics by Lorenz Hart) [Sung by an unidentified male singer during the first Larrabee party / Whistled by David while driving in the car / Played when Sabrina and Linus are dancing]
YES! WE HAVE NO BANANAS (uncredited) (Written by Irving Cohn and Frank Silver) [Played on the phonograph in the boat and sung by Audrey Hepburn]
MY IDEAL (uncredited) (Music by Richard A. Whiting and Newell Chase) [Played on the phonograph in the boat]
MY SILENT LOVE (uncredited) (Music by Dana Suesse) (Lyrics by Edward Heyman) [Sung by an unidentified male singer during the first Larrabee party]
I DON’T WANT TO WALK WITHOUT YOU (uncredited) (Music by Jule Styne) [Played when David and Sabrina are first dancing]
SHADOW WALTZ (uncredited) (Music by Harry Warren) [Played when Sabrina and Linus are at the tennis court]
BOOLA BOOLA (uncredited) (Written by Allan M. Hirsch) (Adapted from "La Hoola Boola") (Written by Bob Cole and Billy Johnson) [Sung a Capella by Humphrey Bogart]
DREAM GIRL (uncredited) (Music by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans) [Performed by unidentified orchestra during the Larrabee party scene]
Blu-ray Image Quality – Wow! The 1080p encoded picture quality is absolutely fantastic, with a natural black-and-white video rivalling even the best of The Criterion Collection releases in terms of clarity, contrast and sharpness. Grain is definitely noticeable and provides a warm, film-like feel, though the intensity level occasionally fluctuates. Not a speck, mark, or scratch could be detected on the pristine source material, which is distinguished by excellent grey scale variance, and superior contrast and clarity. Though textures aren't as pronounced here as they are in some black-and-white films, details are quite evident; both in the foreground and background, and complex patterns remain stable and resist shimmering. You won't find that lush sheen that's a prime component of the best transfers, but blacks are rich and inky, and whites are bold and bright. Nocturnal scenes abound, yet crush is rarely an issue, thanks to fine shadow delineation and well-defined lines that show no evidence of artificial enhancement. While this very good effort from Paramount Pictures will knock your socks off or rank up there with some of the studio's best classic releases, it represents this 60-year-old classic very well, and beautifully captures the unique magnetism and dazzling allure of its iconic leading lady.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – The 2.0 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio mono track delivers very good quality sound that's devoid of any age-related defects, such as hiss, pops, or crackles. A wide dynamic scale handles all the highs and lows with ease, and no distortion ever creeps into the mix. Fine tonal depth allows the full-bodied orchestrations, which include endless reprises of “Isn't It Romantic” to fill the room with ease and dialogue is always clear and comprehendible. Accents, such as shattering glass and the hum of car engines, come through cleanly, and all the elements are well modulated, creating a seamless soundscape that belies its advanced age. Cleanliness is next to godliness where classic soundtracks are concerned, and this one passes muster with flying colours.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: Once again, Paramount Pictures has not supplied any special features, especially outtakes, behind-the-scene filming and interviews with cast and crew.
Finally, the film was Audrey Hepburn's second starring role, after her breakthrough role in the equally charming `Roman Holiday.' That film was a kind of “Cinderella” in reverse story, about a princess who becomes a commoner for a day, finding momentary happiness and love but without the happily ever after. In `SABRINA,' Audrey Hepburn gets to play the fairy tale the traditional way, and despite its complications, the story ends the way fairy tales are meant to. If you have a romantic bone in your body, you should see this film at least once. If you are a fan of Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, or William Holden you should see this film as well and I give it my 100% recommendation for you to purchase this wonderful Blu-ray disc. The only slightly negative aspect of this Blu-ray is that I just wish they would have included some Extras that were also missing on the UK Release of ‘Funny Face' Blu-ray disc. Anyway despite this, I am still proud to have this in my Blu-ray Collection and especially going with my other Audrey Hepburn Blu-ray Collection discs. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
