The year is 1954 and Audrey Hepburn is 25 years old. Following the amazing success of Roman Holiday released in 1953, Hollywood couldn’t wait to produce another film with her.  Having won the Oscar and other awards for her role in Roman Holiday, Audrey was seen as solid gold.

 

Billy Wilder was the next director to have the good fortune to direct Miss H in a film, and that movie was Sabrina.

In the picture below, Mr. Wilder gives the actress direction near Wall Street in New York.

Sabrina was designed to showcase Miss H, which it most certainly and admirably accomplished.

Unfortunately, the 65 year old Humphrey Bogart (supposedly Cary Grant was offered the role but turned it down) was cast as Sabrina’s love interest, which bends the credulity of even the most rabid fans of the lovely actress.  And I like Humphrey Bogart a lot!  But she was 25 to his 65.  Crazy.

You may freely call me any form of crazy, but I sense in all these stills of Hepburn and Bogart that she was just not comfortable with the roles they were playing opposite of each other.

And I further think that some of the candid shots taken on the set further reveals her discomfort. One of these is above.

And, if you think I am hallucinating, compare the candid shots of Bogart with Miss H to the ones below with William Holden and Miss H.  I think you’ll see what I mean!

If Audrey H wasn’t enjoying William Holden’s presence, I will eat my hat.

Her confidence with him shows through in the film and in publicity stills.

William Holden played the role of Humphrey Bogarts’s younger brother in the movie. He is much more believable as Miss H’s innamorato, for Holden was only 11 years her senior.

But, whatever.  It was what it was.  We have another great black and white film on which to gaze at the beautiful, sylph-like star.

Let’s take a look at her in various moments in the film:

In her role as young Sabrina before her trip to Paris.  She helps her dad, the chauffeur, wash a car.  She has one eye on her unrequited love object, the character played by William Holden.

Ready for a game of indoor tennis in a Givenchy ballgown below.

Waiting for a ride at the Long Island train station after her 2 year sojourn of culinary training in Paris.

 

Tres chic, mademoiselle!

Giving new elegance to a Manhattan boardroom:

The current television show, Mad Men, could well have used the boardroom from Sabrina as a role model for set design.  I bet they did.

My favorite part of the movie are the scenes of her at the Paris culinary school!

Maybe I love them just because they show the Eiffel Tower in a snowfall out the cooking school window.  Nah.  It’s because of Audrey.

I mean, look at her!

Once again, Edith Head had the pleasure of overseeing the costumes for Sabrina, as she did for Roman Holiday and Funny Face. However, the film includes gowns designed by the famed French couturier, Hubert de Givenchy, seen here:

It is said that Miss Hepburn personally chose the dresses she wore in the movie from Givenchy’s choices.  Both the designer and Miss H were mutually enchanted with each other, thus beginning a lifelong association.

In fact, Monsieur de Givenchy would specially design a perfume for his glamorous friend and muse, Audrey, in 1957. He named it L’interdit, which means “forbidden” in French. The fragrance became the House of de Givenchy’s first cult scent. The scent has a delicate, floral, powdery aroma, with notes of rose, jasmine, violet and, at the heart, a blend of woods and grasses. The sophisticated classic scent is as elegant and lovely as its original wearer.

But Miss Head won an Oscar for Sabrina, whether or not her role was as large in its production as assumed.

Whatever the real stories behind the making of the film were, we have the vehicle for more Audrey Hepburn, and that is good enough for me!

One last look at the radiant star:

Au revoir!