Moon River
Okay, so I know I said that I'd be focusing on black cinematography, well I have a few exceptions and Breakfast at Tiffany's is one. Between the aesthetics, the complexity of Audrey Hepburn's character, and the concept of love, of course I had to indulge. The film is based off of the book written by Truman Capote in 1958. The film was released three years later by Blake Edwards. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to read the book prior to watching the film but I will say that the book has a very different ending (hint: happily ever afters are only real in Hollywood).
However, with us being in quarantine/global pandemic, I found myself wanting to catch up on films that have a big significance to modern romantic comedy's and this is one of them. Breakfast at Tiffany's is what gave us films like Pretty Woman, Maid in Manhattan, and even Crazy Rich Asians. It's always interesting to go back and see how different elements of film from back in the early 1900s differ from what's on the big screen today. If you've never seen the film (available on Amazon), I highly recommend it if you're a fan of romantic comedy's (I love them!). Also, THIS POST WILL INCLUDE SPOILERS.
Film Description
The film is based in New York City where the main character is Holly Golightly (played by Audrey Hepburn). Honestly, Holly was a mixture between a hot girl and a city girl. She moved all the way from Tulip, Texas to NYC, leaving behind her husband and kids/step kids, changed her name, and started a new life. Now, Holly doesn't have a steady job or income (well, maybe income) so how was she renting an apartment in NYC? She was FINESSIN' THE MOST WEALTHY MEN IN THE CITY! She was a very popular woman around the city and used her connections to ultimately get what she wanted.
A new guy, Paul Varjak, moved into her apartment building and things changed. Paul was a struggling writer who moved to NYC to further his career, However, Paul had some strings attached to his move. He has a sugar momma. She helped him relocate and wanted him to be closer to her so it was a win-win for everybody.
Holly and Paul hit it off immediately. They became really close friends and really only confided with each other. Paul knew how Holly made her living and Holly knew about Paul's situation. Paul didn't have a problem with what Holly was doing in the beginning. It's never a problem until someone catches feelings and it definitely wasn't Holly who fell first. Paul fell in love with Holly and that made him want to change. He cut ties with his sugar momma because he knew at the end of the day, he wanted to be with Holly but Holly wasn't going for it. She was sticking to the Hot Girl manual and wasn't letting feelings get in the way of the bag. She met a rich Brazilian diplomat and decided she was moving to Brazil to live her best life with him. Paul was SICK! He tried to talk to Holly out of it but in the words of Ms. Golightly, "Never love a wild thing: the more you do, the stronger they get. Until they're strong enough to run into the woods, or fly into a tree. Then a taller tree. Then the sky. That's how you'll end up.......if you let yourself love a wild thing. You'll end up looking at the sky."
Paul retaliated by reading Holly for filth. He told her that the only person she's running from is herself. Because he knew that Holly loved him too and he was right. She loved him dearly but she was so caught up in the chasing the bag. She knew Paul couldn't keep up with her material needs/lifestyle (especially when he got a ring from a cracker jack box engraved at Tiffany's for her) but she took a chance. Click the link below to watch the closing scene from the film:
My Opinions/Commentary
Overall, I loved the movie. Holly reminds me a lot of myself. Very headstrong. doesn't love easily, but is also a hopeless romantic (trust me, it's a very complicated lifestyle). What I admire the most about the film is the complexity of the character Holly. It goes deeper than just her searching for financial stability in a wealthy man. She was obsessed with her freedom. I mean it's normal for a girl in the 1960s to prove a point that she doesn't belong to any man but clearly her personal experiences in Texas is what triggered this behavior. Could her conception of love been distorted because of the way things with her husband? I think so. I believed she shut down any idea of a "happy every after" when she arrived to NYC. It was all about how she was going to just survive and make ends met and when she met Paul he was too triggering for her. He made her face the reality of things and that's always hard. Hence a case of the Red's.
There were some things in the film that were subtle that I didn't like. One being Holly and Paul's landlord being a white man playing a character that is clearly suppose to be Japanese. It honestly pissed me off but after watching the Hollywood series on Netflix, it gave me some insight on how Hollywood works and I wasn't surprised by any of it. That's America everyone! *eye roll* Another thing I didn't like but can only blame it on time period is the narrative of a woman needing a man. I don't care if it's financially or emotionally. It's a tired misconception. I wish there were more films that give women justice in this sense. Especially black women. Black women always get treated subpar in the film industry. From not casting women of darker complexions and choosing light skin women instead, making the plot of a film always a struggle of "trails and tribulations" before getting a win *cough Tyler Perry cough cough*, to casting black women to be aggressive/bitchy. It's all tired. I can't wait for these misconceptions to disappear from the industry. That's pretty much all I got honestly. OH! Some of you may be confused about why the movie is called Breakfast at Tiffany's and you can find a hint as to why on my Instagram page @movinwithmontey.
Happy reading!
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