Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 27, 1993 TAG: 9301260279
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
AN EVENING WITH AUDREY
When Audrey Hepburn died last week, it marked the end of a certain kind of post World War II elegance. Cool, aloof and poised, yet witty and fresh.Her popularity was simple and inexplicable. Though she was a good actress, her range was was not wide, and her unusual beauty didn't lend itself to gritty realism. Neither did her carefully controlled voice. But despite those limitations - if they really are limitations - moviegoers loved her. It's the same appeal that Henry Fonda and Bette Davis had. People enjoyed spending time with them at the movies.
Hepburn chose her roles well, appearing in only a few genuinely bad movies, and in her best work, she was part of a solid collaborative effort. For Audrey Hepburn, that collaboration often involved excellent music, intelligent scripts, the best directors and solid supporting casts. Here are a few personal favorites and a complete videography.
For my money, "Charade" may be the best romantic suspense movie ever. All the right elements are perfectly balanced: an inventive plot, Parisian locations, engaging characters, crisp direction by veteran Stanley Donen, terrific Mancini music and inspired casting. In their supporting roles James Coburn, George Kennedy, Walter Matthau and Ned Glass could have stolen the film from most stars. But not Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. The film belongs to them.
"Charade" is one of those movies that gets better every time you watch it.
\ "Wait Until Dark" is more of a pure suspense movie. The premise is simple - blind woman trapped in her apartment by vicious killers - and Hepburn was so good in the lead that she was nominated for an Oscar. Variations on this plot have been tried in thousands of suspense and horror films, but it's seldom been used so effectively. Again, this one is worth watching more than once, even when you know exactly what's going to happen.
\ "They All Laughed" is a curious little Peter Bogdonovich film that never found wide distribution, or much of an audience. It features an ensemble cast in a loosely constructed story about the romantic lives of some detectives in New York City. It is, at best, only partially successful, but the scenes involving Hepburn and Ben Gazarra are memorable. They underplay their roles, and easily walk away from their younger and flashier co-stars.
King Vidor's "War and Peace" is a big, splashy Hollywood epic that probably doesn't do justice to Tolstoy's novel. I've always liked this version, though, mostly for the three stars, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer and Henry Fonda; and the unabashed gaudiness of the production.
Hepburn won her first Oscar in 1953 for what may be her best film, "Roman Holiday." Again, the chemistry was flawless. Director William Wyler was in top form, and Dalton Trumbo's story about a princess on the run who falls for a newspaper man was just right for Hepburn and Gergory Peck.
She worked with Wyler again in "How to Steal a Million," a clever caper comedy. She and co-star Peter O'Toole have to share the screen with three terrific character actors, Charles Boyer, Eli Wallach and Hugh Griffith. This one is completely frivolous and completely delightful. (The cassette is out of distribution now, but you can find it in some stores.)
It's been more than 20 years since I've seen "Two For the Road," but I remember it as a fine example of the spirit of experimentation that exploded in the mid-1960s. It's a romantic comedy/drama, again directed by Stanley Donen and co-starring Albert Finney.
\ "My Fair Lady" was one of the last successful big-budget Hollywood musicals. When it was made (1964) some people criticized the casting of Hepburn over Julie Andrews, who'd starred as Eliza Doolittle on stage and certainly could have done well on screen. But why rewrite movie history? Combine the Lerner and Loewe songs with George Cukor's stylish direction and the snappy interplay between co-stars Hepburn and Rex Harrison and you've got the glossiest of Hollywood escapism.
Do yourself a favor. Go out to your favorite video store this weekend and find a copy of one of these.
New releases
Diggstown: ***
Stars James Woods, Lou Gossett Jr., Bruce Dern. Directed by Michael Ritchie. Warner. 97 min. Rated R for violence, strong language.
This combination conman comedy and boxing tale didn't catch on at the box office last year. It should do better on home video. One element of the plot does go too far for a light comedy, but any movie that celebrates cheating, lying, irreverence and contempt for elected officials can't be all bad.
Single White Female: ***
Stars Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh. Directed by Barbet Schroeder. Columbia Tristar. Rated R for graphic violence, nudity, sexual content, language. 107 min.
This is the best of the recent crop of thrillers about insane female murderers. It's psychologically complex, unusually well acted, and director Schroeder gives even the weirdest plot turns a sense of grim New York reality. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Bridget Fonda are excellent. Definitely not for kids.
Raise the Red Lantern:
Stars Gong Li, Ma Jingwu, Jin Shuyuan. Directed by Zhang Yimou. (Orion) Rated PG.
Story about a young woman who becomes the fourth wife of a powerful landowner, may be a feminist manifesto. Or a fable about the evils of the ancient feudal system. Or a stinging political satire of contemporary China's factionalization. It's a film of great beauty, and one that uses thatbeauty to reflect badly on the human capacity for cruelty.
- Newsday
\ Audrey Hepburn videography\ \ Always (1989, MCA/Universal)\ Bloodline (1979, Paramount)\ Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961, Paramount)\ Charade (1963, MCA/Universal)\ The Children's Hour (1962, MGM/UA)\ Funny Face (1957, Paramount)\ Love in the Afternoon (1957, Foxvideo)\ My Fair Lady (1964, Foxvideo)\ The Nun's Story (1959, Warner)\ Paris When It Sizzles (1964, Paramount)\ Robin and Marian (1976, RCA/Columbia)\ Roman Holiday (1953, Paramount)\ Sabrina (1954, Paramount)\ They All Laughed (1981, LIVE)\ Two for the Road (1967, Foxvideo)\ The Unforgiven (1960, MGM/UA)\ Wait Until Dark (1967, Warner)\ War and Peace (1956, Paramount)