fun fact: Audrey Hepburn was personally asked by Otto Frank to play his late daughter, Anne Frank, in the 1959 film adaptation of the play "The Diary of Anne Frank" as he felt she not only physically resembled his daughter, but that Anne herself would have been overjoyed by the idea of someone like Ms Hepburn portraying her, had she survived the war. She very politely and sensitively turned it down as she felt she was a) too old & b) was not comfortable reliving that chapter of her own life out on screen.
Its amazing because Audrey and Anne were almost exactly the same age - just a month apart. After reading the diary she would be haunted by the parallels their own lives had, excepting that she survived and Anne did not. Although she did team with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony to read excerpts from the Diary for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1990.
Apparently some historians find this hard to believe. Cuz she was 11-16 during the war. I was doing research about this for my study, and their is no evidence for this. Some of the papers I read in the archive said it wasn't true. A few said that it could be explained why their was no evidence and that it could be true. It was the underground resistance, a lot was destroyed. But it's an interesting story to do research about (Not saying that it isn't true what she's saying)
Fun fact: Audrey's dress in Roman Holiday was the inspiration for the design of Princess Aurora’s/Briar Rose’s peasant outfit in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
Aurora’s initial character design was heavily based on Audrey in Roman Holiday. Alas, the powers that were felt she didn’t look mature enough. Glad they kept the bangs though 💕
@@ereagan4 Didn't she also inspire the design for Belle in Beauty and the Beast? I do know for certain that Don Bluth's design for Anastasia was half Audrey and half Meg Ryan (the character is even nicknamed Anya, the same alias used by the Princess in Roman Holiday)
@@jamestyler7697 Anya would have actually been the Russian nickname for Anastasia. For example, a girl named Tatiana might be called "Tanya," "Masha" could be used for both Maria and Mikhail, etc. Also, "Anya" could be a creative nod towards Anna Anderson, the most famous woman who claimed to be Anastasia.
I think Audrey is still an icon because of her authenticity. She was an authentic person, real, not a shallow celebrity. And plus she was an angel in this earth.
Nice thought, but quite romantic, as the Bible gives no mention, hint or reason to presume that GOD'S angels are anything but male, ie "Sons of God ;" in nature, though sexless, as procreation is unnecessary!
I disagree that she's not relatable though. There's a contradiction between the natural way she acts and her appearance that lets us in. No matter who we are. She's beauty that we aspire to, but that doesn't seem to answer her problems. She eats her pastry longingly in front of a window in a way that's very down-to-earth and familiar. Most admired actors/actresses you couldn't imagine what you'd say to them if you met them on a street somewhere. Audrey, you're sure, you would have been able to talk about anything with, and she'd never make you small or unimportant.
@@b2kzangelalwayz I'm sure there was a better way to get your point across than this. How about you explain HOW you felt this person doesn't understand what it means, to you. Plenty of other people agreed with Maurine's statements. I really don't think you can ask someone do they understand something and expect them to say "no" after they just made a whole point. So yeah, that statement is just insulting. Was that the goal?
I agree, she remains relatable because underneath the expensive wardrobe, aristocratic elegance and luxurious glamour is a kind, mischievous person with incredible charisma. You look at her genuine warm smile, and love her. A bit like Princess Diana.
@@glykera Funny, because I also wouldn't consider Princess Diana relatable. Even if she embodied the "everyone can be a princess" idea simply because she was not born royal, which apparently sufficed to some people, but I can never see myself on her. Or Audrey. I wonder what It says about me that exuding genuine kindness is not enough, but it definitely isn't when it is surrounded by so much unattainable glamour.
I agree. The clothes and settings might not be super relatable but her personality, charisma, kindness, humility, and dedication to keeping her dignity is very relatable. Her restlessness of wanting more from a stifling life in Roman Holiday, her longing for a man who doesn't even notice or care about her until she changes her style in Sabrina, her snark and defiance of dehumanization in My Fair Lady, her desperation for a better life in both My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany's, and her bravery and resourcefulness amid danger in Wait Until Dark are extremely relatable. The image obscures that.
I’ve long bemoaned the vapid interpretation of Audrey’s star persona, and I think it’s critiqued best in Gossip Girl - not the TV show but the original book series. Blaire Waldorf worships this polished, surface level image of Audrey as the ideal woman. Beautiful, elegant and untouchable. Blaire fails to realize that, in her emulation of Faux Audrey, she really couldn’t be farther from the real thing. She’s born into extreme privilege, she is selfish and vain, and only seeks to participate in humanitarian work so far as it serves her image and ego. I distinctly remember a daydream sequence in one of the books where Blaire fantasizes about throwing Godiva chocolates to starving African children as they kneel at her feet and yell in appreciation and adoration. That being said, hopefully over time people can come to appreciate Audrey for the beautiful soul that she was, and be inspired by all the good she did.
This is so true! I don't know the gossip girl books, but I feel like that image of Audrey Hepburn is very pervasive while people disregard who she was as a person. For instance, that she really really wanted to be a mother and find that kind of happiness and love. Or that elegance was a part of her even when she was at home and not dressed in the most stylish Givenchy gowns. But I guess it's sort of natural that people make famous actors into icons, and by doing that, they strip away a lot and focus on the surface.
I couldn’t love a comment more. It’s so true that people only see her as this glamorous movie star and as the Holly Golightly character, when she was such a kind and sensitive soul. I’m always surprised people don’t know her thin frame was due to malnutrition during WWII, or that she had several miscarriages before her first son, one as a direct result of an accident on a film set. I wish more people wouldn’t just scratch the surface with Audrey Hepburn, she is my favorite actress and not just because of her movies but who she was as a person.
Brittany Linson It’s so sad seeing so many young people use Audrey as “thinspo” when you know the actual reason she ended up that way. I wasn’t aware of the miscarriages, but it’s not surprising. They’re a lot more common than we’re lead to believe.
I still to this day believe Audrey should’ve won her second Oscar for wait until dark but I love her in Roman holiday it’s one of my favorite Audrey Hepburn movies. Audrey Hepburn legacy reminds me a lot of Marilyn Monroe legacy which is everyone focus heavily on the image and personal lives but forget what made them popular in their time: THEIR ACTING. Both were talented actresses of their era
Katharine Hepburn pretty much only won that year for Guess Who... because people thought this would be her swansong film after Spencer Tracy's death, little did they know she would win two more Oscars, including one on the the very next year.
Paulo Neto right don’t get me wrong Katharine was really good in guess who’s coming to dinner but that was more sentimental award for her, coming Katharine herself said the same thing. She always said in her lifetime her win for lions in the winter was her only deserved Oscar
Yes😆I had heard of Audrey Hepburn for so long and when I finally sat down, and studied her filmography and just her demeanor and gentle approach to life she iMMEDIATELY became my favorite actress in history. Sometimes “hype” is hype for a reason. She’s amazing. The last scene in “Roman Holiday”(one of my tops on my list of Audrey’s films) blew me away. The emotion that is conveyed in that scene with so few words is utter perfection.
Right?!😄It was a real moment of royal grandeur. The only princess that stacks up to Princess Ann, for me, is Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi PrinCESS of Genovia lol Audrey Hepburn literally has people out here feeling like she was the classiest thing ever in “Breakfast...”. Lula Mae was a hooker, guys. Lol Only Audrey Hepburn could do that.
Audrey was the image of class & still remains a legend of class. In every biography I’ve read on her, she was the kindest woman you could meet. She never badmouthed anyone even if they hurt her (like her 2 ex husbands cheating on her or Bogie being a pill to her during filming of “Sabrina” as examples) or were mean to her
I knew Audrey too but at first i was just don't care. One day i just remembered her name and search her name and the first thing i saw was the Dove commercial that was a CGI of her face and i thought that was weird BUT THEN I SAW THE MOVIE ROMAN HOLIDAY AND I COMPLETELY CHARMED BY HER ACTING AND HER ACCENT And the more i dig the more i love her I dunno whats happening to me Every time i say "I have to move on from that movie" but i cant and i have to watch her a couple of times hOw CaN I cUrE ThiS?! Help !! I'm obsessed now!!! HeLp mE!!!
I always liked Audrey Hepburn, but what made me LOVE her -- and made her a true icon in my eyes -- was her work with the UN. Much of that work actually went unheralded at the time, at least at first. She did not do charity work for the sake of her image, but for the causes themselves. She could have easily continued acting and being a Hollywood darling, but she worked full time to better the world. That is someone truly deserving of icon status.
Thank you for mentioning Audrey Hepburn’s activism! While I’ve always appreciated her grace and style, her story and her activism is what truly inspires me.
It's so interesting to me that her film career was defined by Cinderella stories, but her most famous image is from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Which I find to be sort of a failed Cinderella story. She loses the rich man at the end, and in the book she's implied to never really find contentment. I did a paper on the book a few years ago, and I find it oddly fascinating how depressing the story is. The movie makes it lighter by changing the ending and the narrator into a love interest for Holly, but it's still sad how broken Holly is as a person.
Those are GOOD points, and some great backstory on the actual book! I found this quote that may explain the popularity of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" a bit more: "Breakfast at Tiffany's - the 1961 film based on Truman Capote's 1958 novella - has become more famous for its visual shorthands, its signifiers of New York chic and fashionable femininity, than its actual story or characters." Similarly I found it interesting, that one of Marilyn Monroe's most famous and replicated outfits is from the 7 Year Itch. The marketing on that movie was on a different scale. The company really went all out with that outfit, having HUGE billboards of Marilyn's dress being blown up and making it a huge spectacle when they taped it, so much so that they didn't even use the original scenes. They had to retape on the lot later because of crowd noise when the shot it the first dozens of times live. Popular doesn't necessarily mean it's the best in all areas.
@@jenme2390 I was just thinking about Marilyn Monroe and the white dress in this context! I've only seen The Seven Year Itch once and found it an awful movie. Breakfast at Tiffany's may be a bit depressing, but I'd still call it a well made film. I can't say the same for The Seven Year Itch. Her skirt blowing up is the first image that I ever knew of Marilyn and I suspect that's true of most people with endless merchandise and parodies. However, I don't personally know anyone else who has actually watched the movie. It's interesting how our pop culture icons can endure while losing their context almost entirely.
@@Snips.Snails.Fairytales Yeah, I just watched Marilyn Monroe's full filmography this past week and when I got to Seven Year Itch I was like oh this should be good. This is iconic. Uh-uh. For me, it is one of the most egregious of the "objectification" of Marilyn Monroe and the entire premise is basically about this man trying to stop himself from cheating and fantasizing about these things. But just the WRITING. Marilyn played that TYPE of role many times and in this film I found myself asking myself who gave the green light for this. I'm so happy women have begun having a say in film making in major ways because that movie was just NOT IT. I said on another comment, but I will say it agin here. I think Breakfast at Tiffany's is seen as good BECAUSE of Audrey Hepburn, if you replaced her with anyone else, I think everyone would easily see the flaws in that film. She's just too good! lol And I think it mostly endures now simply because of her image. It translates well to our time. Thin and pretty and her iconic outfit is classy as anything. People are very shallow basically. lol
What I really think people who might be at all interested in this should do is to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's WHILE doing a marathon of Audrey's movies. Audrey was good in everything and in that makes the film look good...there's a reason a portion of actor's make millions. It's a risk to make films and studios try to mitigate risk as much as possible. "Cleopatra" almost single-handedly took down Fox Studios, for example. Breakfast at Tiffany's would have been a forgettable movie without the magic of Audrey. Other movies of hers we can put someone else in and it still would be doable. It has decent supporting characters and script and directing and all the other things that make a good movie great besides a great lead.
This is probably the only chance I'll get to talk about her, but Ava Gardner is incredibly underrated as an actress, truly holding her own against bigger names and even surpassing several. Her roles just feel human to me and I'm happy to be a fan of hers.
What I always found interesting is that Audrey seems to have become more popular as the years go by. Her and Marilyn are basically the poster children for Old Hollywood. Their faces are slapped on home goods in every other store. With my admiration for classic cinema, I've asked family and friends who lived during her lifetime what they thought about her and the general consensus is that they didn't. They can list of any number of other names, but not hers. Maybe I'm just asking the wrong people, but it seems Audrey wasn't at the forefront of celebrity during her prime, which is funny to think of how much that has changed.
In general it is funny to think of how celebrity status was just as big back then the only difference is that there is social media. There were famous people that were famous for just existing just like the Kardashian's and not because of talent. The Gabor sisters were an example of that. Not to mention the Kennedy's were considered the closest thing to American Royalty extending after JFK's death and furthering into Jackie's turn from Kennedy to Onasis. Though she knew how to act in public (even if the Kennedy's didn't). We've even had American born princesses ala Grace Kelly. Elizabeth Taylor while talented also was more known for the marriages and that diamond... We think of today's Hilton family and we've been talking about them since the classic era with Zza Zza Gabor and Elizabeth Taylor almost 50 years before The Simple Life etc...
That’s very interesting. 🙂Maybe that just attests to how “timeless“ Audrey’s material is until this day, I’m guessing. I just got through watching Marilyn Monroe’s full filmography this week. I hadn’t personally ever felt a longing to watch her movies. I think I figured out why. She’s a great actress in most of her work, but she got severely pigeonholed and “type-casted” time and time again. And mostly ever played an “object” really. And then it graduated to the “dumb blonde object”. It’s really sad. I was listening to an interview she did and all she really wanted was to be considered a good actress. Also, Marilyn’s filmography is VERY different from a lot of the other leading ladies. The first HALF is mostly small appearances(with the exception of “Ladies of the Chorus”...before she got dropped from her 1st contract with Fox) And leads don’t start until a lot further in. Maybe another reason people didn’t think about Audrey back them was because Hollywood and the world was very much so all about Men at that time. Men in leads, the man’s point of view- of life and of women, men were the directors, producers, company heads. Etc.
Marilyn Monroe is loved for her beauty by MEN; Audrey Hepburn is loved for her beauty by WOMEN. That’s the distinction and that’s relatability. Hepburn uses her beauty in her life and through her characters to create agency. She never became a tragic goddess like Monroe. (And pardon any unintended sexism, please.)
@@TheWarrrenator Oo! Thanks for the input. :) Yeah, Marilyn was DEFINITELY loved by men. Understatement. But, actually a lot of the documentaries that I was watching were pointing out, with first hand accounts of people who knew Marilyn too, that she was actually loved by both. She just made it really hard for people to hate her(if anyone "makes" it hard to do that, you know what I mean. lol). It was one of those men wanted to be with her and women wanted to BE her type of things. I'm gonna just throw this out there, Marilyn was proobbbbably murdered. If she would have had a chance to continue I think she may have had a good chance to get out of the pigenhole. She had started her own company. She literally basically boycotted her contracts a few times because it was the studio that kept her in that hole. Beauty in and of itself can sometimes be tragedy. People abuse it.
I really like Audrey in "Roman Holiday" but her best performances are in "The Nun's Story" and "Wait Until Dark". She's great in "The Children's Hour" as well, although Shirley MacLaine is the real stand out in this film.
The moment in "the Children's Hour" when she breaks down Martha's door - oof! I've heard people claim she wasn't that good an actress and I tell them to watch that moment. She has really only one thing to say - "Martha" - but runs a gamut of emotions from fear to shock to grief. Of course, those eyes also do so much of the work, such that the director didn't really need to show you what had happened.
@@CPTDoom I whole heartedly agree with everything you just said. And your description is perfect, and I wanted to say thank you, because sometimes I'm out here watching things like, does anybody else see what I just saw. lol The greatness! I would like to know who those folks think IS a good actress then, then we can have a conversation. One thing I will say is not every "great" actress is good in every role. I could name some big names that should have been recast(were probably casted for brand value)...IN MY OPINION. But Audrey I would say is not one of those folks.
I'll admit, I was one of those teenage girls who was originally transfixed with Audrey because of her glamourous image alone. But pretty quickly I dove into her filmography and personal background and developed a deeper admiration of her. Still love the dresses too though, haha
Roman Holiday is one of my favorite movies. It is a classic and will forever live on as one of the best movies. Audrey Hepburn, my god what an inspiration! Thank you for these, please never stop.
After learning about Audrey's Life and how she managed to overcome such Adversity and never let things bring her down, i have grown to admire this woman and her bravery. She had an incredible work ethic that led her to great success..She was and still is a great inspiration, and she was such an incredible beauty. May God Rest Her Soul.
Audrey was the actress that made me interested in classic film when I was a child. I saw her in My Fair Lady, Sabrina, and Charade and became obsessed, and my adoration of acting and film continues to this day and I give all that credit to Miss Hepburn. Such a forever icon and talent.
I love Audrey so much!!! This was such a great video. I try to have more art of older Audrey Hepburn in my home because I think that she is encapsulated so well in her 20/30s that we forget all the great work she did as an older woman and that she didn't die "young"
For me, it was her genuine goodness, innocence, & grace, her humanity. The fact that she was also "the girl next door," the fashion icon, the ballet dancer just added to the attraction. She was the "famous person" I most wanted to be like & look like. She was the "real deal" for me. A person, not an idol, worthy of admiration. People should not be worshiped. I admired her greatly for her humanity. It is wonderful that her works, on & off screen, are chronicled.
She was a wonderful being. Of course she was the prettiest, but I do firmly believe her charm comes from the sincere appreciation for like and true kindness that surrounded her and showed in her smile and in her bright eyes. I also like her more different roles, like in Children’s Hour or that movie in which she played blind (can’t recall the title). We need more icons like her.
Thank you so much for making a video on Audrey. She's my favorite actress of all time, however there's little to no video essays about her. And the rare ones only discuss her image as a fashion icon.
I met Audrey while volunteering at a UNICEF concert benefit. You just wanted to take care of her, protect her, though she was strong enough on her own thank you. No wonder she fooled the Nazi thugs. She was by far too elfin to suspect. Charming in a way that is easy to see and yet beyond all definition. A genius of feelings. You hoped she liked you, and she did.
It could,ve been a tie. They did that to Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand in 1969. Why not in 1951 since even the movie is debatable even in Best Pictures
Audrey is effortless glamour personified. That's her appeal after all these years. I think people love the more conservative lifestyle/image of Hepburn, her aloofness. People want what they can't have, and Audrey would always give off the message, "don't look at me too deeply" which makes us want her more. When you see one completely naked, it loses its sacredness. Like Brigitte Helm and Greta Garbo, only making relatively few movies, and exiting the spotlight early, heightens our desire for her. Humans are desperate searchers who want to hunt.
She was more than just her image. Thank you for bringing Audrey back with such nuance and complexity she deserves. Also, I read on IMDB that Roman Holiday is loosely based on Princess Margaret's own affair with Peter Townsend. Is there truth to that? Also, Roman Holiday is a gateway drug to classic movies. It was one of my first. Also, give yourself a break. You do amazing work.
I just love Audrey Hepburn! My favorite films with her are The Children’s Hour, The Nun’s Story, and Wait Until Dark. She was a welcome alternative to the earthy bombshells of the late 1950’s. She had elegance, grace, great range as an actress, and she was unlike anybody else at that time, and indeed ever since. Thanks for sharing this thoughtful portrait of this beautiful, one of a kind lady.
Not enough people talk about Audrey Hepburn's life outside of the image she has. It brings me so much joy when people do because her life outside of acting really had so much going on.
I was wondering what that means: the Amy Adams of her time
4 года назад+29
@@AnnaJulianaBayer it means to be a great, consistent, competent actress, usually playing good-hearted roles, recognized with Oscar nominations but not with Oscar wins
@ Thank you so much! Thinking about it, I do like her in pretty much every film she's in (but especially Arrival). I guess she's the new Leonardo DiCaprio :-)
4 года назад+2
@@AnnaJulianaBayer They're kinda reflective of each other, in age and range. Amy gets a bit overlooked because she's a more discreet public figure than Leo
The different comparisons between yourself and Audrey is I think the most personal you’ve ever gotten, and in an age where content creators are all about ‘authenticity’ and almost over-sharing, it’s kind of refreshing to see professional detachment. Although this one little joke was definitely a great departure 😂❤️
The quality of BE KIND REWIND is nothing short of excellent. You really know how to construct a compelling narrative and your genuine love of film comes through each and very time. Honestly, I think it is the love that gets me more than anything else. You share something you love and that is special. It makes it more interpersonal and not transactional. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! A fan
I think what makes it all the funnier in some way is that while Audrey had a real-life Cinderella story and was the master at playing those roles, she never actually played Cinderella. But you know who did? Leslie Caron, who also played Gigi. In that way her and Audrey were kind of filling the same niche at the same time but there was no real sense of competition between the two the way there was with so many other actresses at the time which just feels so right for Audrey Hepburn's personality of kindness and grace.
@@mmmm-co4dc She wasn't anywhere as gorgeous from a natural stand point without the bombshell make-up. The bombshell look though a great look wasn't and never will be a natural look. Audrey's make-up on the other hand was always very natural and clean. Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Deneuve, Eva Marie Saint, Julie Andrews, Janet Leigh and few others are the really only ones you can compare from to her in terms of how natural their make up was.
@@mmmm-co4dc i am not belittling Marilyn's beauty, she was pretty but she had plastic, bleached her hair and tried many different looks until she got the look we know her for. I don't want to sound rude but I think that Marilyn was sometimes overrated, and that's a pity because she had almost always the same roles, in River Of No Return she did a good job
an interesting fact about audrey hepburn is that she never did the hands in cement thing in front of grauman's chinese theatre in hollywood bc they never asked her BUT! her handprints are in front of the chinese theatre in the hollywood studios park at wdw in florida! grauman's invited her afterwards but she declined.
Roman Holiday is my go to favourite comfort movie, everything about it is perfect in my eyes, from her child like wonder and appreciation over the little things to the bittersweet ending that leaves me teary eyed every time. I saw a lot of myself in her being a boyish framed dancer too and had a big Audrey phase in my teens (watching all her films/trying to dress like her etc) and I’m so glad I had her as a wonderful and genuinely kind hearted role model to look up to.
I think she represents an effortless glamour, style, class and likability that I think any woman, regardless of our backgrounds, would like to aspire to
These archival moments with Audrey...her dignity...what a moment! I loved the content of this channel so much but I just got brought to tears by it. THANK YOU!
How being a movie star was a mere lead up to what her real contribution to society would be is what makes her so special . Being The Ultimate Size Two Beauty in an era that "stacked" toward the voluptuous (sorry, couldn't resist)is another reason she remains so enduring. LOVE your work.
Like I needed one more reason to just ADORE Audrey, and absolutely LOVE this channel. I’m always so impressed by the quality, effort (which looks effortless) and careful details that go into every video. This channel should be taught in schools as part of a Research program. The voice and tone are also superb, they inform with objectivity, which is greatly complemented by the humorous subjectivity. THANK YOU for these videos. Now I just HAVE to go watch at least 3 Audrey movies
Great video. There is so much about her in context of fashion but not a lot about her acting career which was phenomenal or even her efforts with Unicef which comes from such a real and sincere place.
Your analysis is so keen and respectful. The only problem I do have is whenever somebody brings up Bosley Crowther. His reviews were mean-spirited personal and quite honestly off the mark. A majority of the films and actors and actresses he disparage on a personal level.
I know the video is about Audrey the woman and Audrey the screen presence, but nothing highlights Hepburn's brilliance more than Funny Face - the dance sequence at the beatnik jazz club highlights how incredibly she embodied the generosity of her spirit, and that willingness to love "the outsider" is what made Hepburn so aspirational.
Thank you for this! Audrey Hepburn is a legend and I love that you gave us her humble beginnings in this video. Be Kind Rewind is what makes our quarantine bearable :)
*"what' did the Germans do about it?"* A: *well the Germans didn't know about it"* this is wen the director knew he found that innocent yet mischievous princess
Great deal of information about her, her career and cultural context all in less than 20min! The clips of what newspapers and critics said that at the time was a great addition too. Only thing I’d mention, and I notice other channels of this genre do it too, is the assumption that the audience is as inundated in everything the entertainment industry puts out as they are. “Yes, THAT Colette” [screen shot of keira knightely] I am as clueless as to what that means as when I started. And bear in mind I at least know that was keira knightely so I have a starting point to research. If I were not familiar with her, which I’m sure some people aren’t, I’d just be left with “colette who?” Often I have to spend extra time looking for what the person meant or was referencing, which is tedious and it makes one feel a bit like when listening to people talk about specific interests with specific jargon that doesn’t really make the conversation accessible to everyone. Other times I just don’t have the time to investigate and therefore a bit of the video goes completely unacknowledged.
i absolutely love your video essays. i recommend your channel to everyone i meet and just want to give words of encouragement to keep grinding, because this channel is going to reach heights you can’t even imagine. much love and blessings
Excellent analysis - thank you. i am fascinated with how Audrey Hepburn's life story played a unique role in shaping her to be queen of the big screen. I miss the kind of people she was.
There's something inherently likeable about her. Even though she is unrelatable because she is so beautiful and elegant, she seems humble and oozes charisma. I just love her. She was one of a kind.
Audrey had an inescapable authenticity. Much of her career was elevated by the benefits of those who surrounded her and adored her. Her first marriage to Mel Ferrer spanned her film career and I feel helped guide the sheer breadth of work. she's had some of the most iconic appearances in every genre. Romantic Comedies with Roman Holiday/Sabrina, etc. Classical epic with War and Peace. Religious film with A Nun's Story, Western The Unforgiven. Prostitute in Breakfast At Tiffany's, Lesbian drama with '61's The Children's hour. Thrillers like Charade and wait Until Dark. Heist film with Hot To Steal A Million. Musical with My Fair Lady. My personal favorite a realistic take on the relationship movie with Two For The Road. Then there's her relationship with Givenchy and also Henry Mancini. Both one some of the greatest in their fields of all time. Mancini said something along the lines of waiting to see her first before scoring her scenes because she was the music. She worked so incredibly hard and made everything seem so effortless. A completely pure and genuinely kind person. We are truly fortunate to be able to experience her work and let her persona guide us in our every day lives.
That was a pretty fun and informative video essay. At 43, I still have a crush on Audrey and I'm glad the RUclips algorithm brought me to your channel from searching for her
It’s astonishing that a star of that era could so effortlessly convey such a generosity of spirit and boundless joy. It’s all in the eyes; there’s so much honesty there.
Hoooo boy! Found this channel at the right time! I've been sprinkling my quarantine movie repertoire with classic Hollywood films, and been mostly actress-centric in my selections! So perfect, really. Love it when the Universe conspires this way. Sometimes it gets difficult to contextualize the period specific perspectives, and I love! LOVE! The amazing research that goes into these videos. Enriches everybody's film-watching experience just beyond how well the movies hold up to current standards. Thank you so much! More power to you, and may you never tire of creating content!
fun fact: Audrey Hepburn was personally asked by Otto Frank to play his late daughter, Anne Frank, in the 1959 film adaptation of the play "The Diary of Anne Frank" as he felt she not only physically resembled his daughter, but that Anne herself would have been overjoyed by the idea of someone like Ms Hepburn portraying her, had she survived the war. She very politely and sensitively turned it down as she felt she was a) too old & b) was not comfortable reliving that chapter of her own life out on screen.
Millie Perkins still gave one of the best debut performances in that movie. So it wasn’t a total waste.
thank you for this! totally tracks with her graceful character!
Its amazing because Audrey and Anne were almost exactly the same age - just a month apart. After reading the diary she would be haunted by the parallels their own lives had, excepting that she survived and Anne did not. Although she did team with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony to read excerpts from the Diary for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1990.
A K I know that story I truly wish she would’ve played Anne Frank
Anne would have LOVED that.
"I wanted to be a dancer, I became an actress because I had to make a living" OMG her power, her iconicness
I just love her voice it’s so unique and distinct I can just listen to her talk all day long ❤️❤️
@@music18021 same it's so soothing
Ahh, the days when "actress" could be your "backup" career plan...🤔
what power? that she was not a good enough dancer to have made it in the dancing industry?
@@jackjohnson5427 Her dancing career didn't take off because of health issues she developed from surviving a famine, not a lack of talent 🙄
The director: And what about the Germans? What did they do about it?
Audrey: [gleefully mischievous] They didn't know about it
@Chrysaura And also hiding a world of pain....
I had no idea about that, her response was so good.
and oh God if they had found out.
If you weren't in love with her already, that line would do it.
Apparently some historians find this hard to believe. Cuz she was 11-16 during the war.
I was doing research about this for my study, and their is no evidence for this. Some of the papers I read in the archive said it wasn't true. A few said that it could be explained why their was no evidence and that it could be true. It was the underground resistance, a lot was destroyed. But it's an interesting story to do research about
(Not saying that it isn't true what she's saying)
Fun fact: Audrey's dress in Roman Holiday was the inspiration for the design of Princess Aurora’s/Briar Rose’s peasant outfit in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
Aurora’s initial character design was heavily based on Audrey in Roman Holiday. Alas, the powers that were felt she didn’t look mature enough. Glad they kept the bangs though 💕
@@ereagan4 Didn't she also inspire the design for Belle in Beauty and the Beast? I do know for certain that Don Bluth's design for Anastasia was half Audrey and half Meg Ryan (the character is even nicknamed Anya, the same alias used by the Princess in Roman Holiday)
@@jamestyler7697 Anastasia is so charismatic now I know why
@@ereagan4 That's truth but Aurora was finally made looking like a blonde Maria Felix. ¿Haven't you see the stills of Felix in "Enamorada"?
@@jamestyler7697 Anya would have actually been the Russian nickname for Anastasia. For example, a girl named Tatiana might be called "Tanya," "Masha" could be used for both Maria and Mikhail, etc. Also, "Anya" could be a creative nod towards Anna Anderson, the most famous woman who claimed to be Anastasia.
I think Audrey is still an icon because of her authenticity. She was an authentic person, real, not a shallow celebrity. And plus she was an angel in this earth.
Nice thought, but quite romantic, as the Bible gives no mention, hint or reason to presume that GOD'S angels are anything but male, ie "Sons of God ;" in nature, though sexless, as procreation is unnecessary!
The camera loved her.
"ON this earth."
She didn't live underground.
Wth is wrong with you?
@@jerryshunk7152 Um...I don't think they meant literally.....nobody cares about your storybook.
@@Sweetthang9 Well you obviously don't, but lying isn't promoting your posit intelligently !
Be Kind Rewind is the only thing keeping me through 2020.
The Awesamazing Eden her videos are so good.
IKR. She is a brilliant narrator!
100%
I agree 100%
seriously.
I disagree that she's not relatable though. There's a contradiction between the natural way she acts and her appearance that lets us in. No matter who we are. She's beauty that we aspire to, but that doesn't seem to answer her problems. She eats her pastry longingly in front of a window in a way that's very down-to-earth and familiar. Most admired actors/actresses you couldn't imagine what you'd say to them if you met them on a street somewhere. Audrey, you're sure, you would have been able to talk about anything with, and she'd never make you small or unimportant.
Do you understand what relatability means?
@@b2kzangelalwayz I'm sure there was a better way to get your point across than this. How about you explain HOW you felt this person doesn't understand what it means, to you. Plenty of other people agreed with Maurine's statements. I really don't think you can ask someone do they understand something and expect them to say "no" after they just made a whole point. So yeah, that statement is just insulting. Was that the goal?
I agree, she remains relatable because underneath the expensive wardrobe, aristocratic elegance and luxurious glamour is a kind, mischievous person with incredible charisma. You look at her genuine warm smile, and love her. A bit like Princess Diana.
@@glykera Funny, because I also wouldn't consider Princess Diana relatable. Even if she embodied the "everyone can be a princess" idea simply because she was not born royal, which apparently sufficed to some people, but I can never see myself on her. Or Audrey. I wonder what It says about me that exuding genuine kindness is not enough, but it definitely isn't when it is surrounded by so much unattainable glamour.
I agree. The clothes and settings might not be super relatable but her personality, charisma, kindness, humility, and dedication to keeping her dignity is very relatable. Her restlessness of wanting more from a stifling life in Roman Holiday, her longing for a man who doesn't even notice or care about her until she changes her style in Sabrina, her snark and defiance of dehumanization in My Fair Lady, her desperation for a better life in both My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany's, and her bravery and resourcefulness amid danger in Wait Until Dark are extremely relatable. The image obscures that.
I’ve long bemoaned the vapid interpretation of Audrey’s star persona, and I think it’s critiqued best in Gossip Girl - not the TV show but the original book series. Blaire Waldorf worships this polished, surface level image of Audrey as the ideal woman. Beautiful, elegant and untouchable. Blaire fails to realize that, in her emulation of Faux Audrey, she really couldn’t be farther from the real thing. She’s born into extreme privilege, she is selfish and vain, and only seeks to participate in humanitarian work so far as it serves her image and ego. I distinctly remember a daydream sequence in one of the books where Blaire fantasizes about throwing Godiva chocolates to starving African children as they kneel at her feet and yell in appreciation and adoration.
That being said, hopefully over time people can come to appreciate Audrey for the beautiful soul that she was, and be inspired by all the good she did.
This is so true! I don't know the gossip girl books, but I feel like that image of Audrey Hepburn is very pervasive while people disregard who she was as a person.
For instance, that she really really wanted to be a mother and find that kind of happiness and love. Or that elegance was a part of her even when she was at home and not dressed in the most stylish Givenchy gowns.
But I guess it's sort of natural that people make famous actors into icons, and by doing that, they strip away a lot and focus on the surface.
I couldn’t love a comment more. It’s so true that people only see her as this glamorous movie star and as the Holly Golightly character, when she was such a kind and sensitive soul. I’m always surprised people don’t know her thin frame was due to malnutrition during WWII, or that she had several miscarriages before her first son, one as a direct result of an accident on a film set. I wish more people wouldn’t just scratch the surface with Audrey Hepburn, she is my favorite actress and not just because of her movies but who she was as a person.
Brittany Linson It’s so sad seeing so many young people use Audrey as “thinspo” when you know the actual reason she ended up that way. I wasn’t aware of the miscarriages, but it’s not surprising. They’re a lot more common than we’re lead to believe.
here for the gossip girl reference and analysis 😭😭
Lol, I was thinking about Blaire and Gossip Girl during this video too!
I still to this day believe Audrey should’ve won her second Oscar for wait until dark but I love her in Roman holiday it’s one of my favorite Audrey Hepburn movies. Audrey Hepburn legacy reminds me a lot of Marilyn Monroe legacy which is everyone focus heavily on the image and personal lives but forget what made them popular in their time: THEIR ACTING. Both were talented actresses of their era
Katharine Hepburn pretty much only won that year for Guess Who... because people thought this would be her swansong film after Spencer Tracy's death, little did they know she would win two more Oscars, including one on the the very next year.
Wait until dark was amazing
Paulo Neto right don’t get me wrong Katharine was really good in guess who’s coming to dinner but that was more sentimental award for her, coming Katharine herself said the same thing. She always said in her lifetime her win for lions in the winter was her only deserved Oscar
AGREED!! wait until dark is probably her best performance
I LOVED wait until dark! But i do think MFL was on par too!
Yes😆I had heard of Audrey Hepburn for so long and when I finally sat down, and studied her filmography and just her demeanor and gentle approach to life she iMMEDIATELY became my favorite actress in history. Sometimes “hype” is hype for a reason. She’s amazing. The last scene in “Roman Holiday”(one of my tops on my list of Audrey’s films) blew me away. The emotion that is conveyed in that scene with so few words is utter perfection.
I highly recommend that folks watch Audrey Hepburn in “Wait Until Dark”. Amazing!
I just re-watched Roman Holiday last week and that scene floored me. I had forgotten how powerful it was.
Right?!😄It was a real moment of royal grandeur. The only princess that stacks up to Princess Ann, for me, is Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi PrinCESS of Genovia lol
Audrey Hepburn literally has people out here feeling like she was the classiest thing ever in “Breakfast...”. Lula Mae was a hooker, guys. Lol Only Audrey Hepburn could do that.
Audrey was the image of class & still remains a legend of class. In every biography I’ve read on her, she was the kindest woman you could meet. She never badmouthed anyone even if they hurt her (like her 2 ex husbands cheating on her or Bogie being a pill to her during filming of “Sabrina” as examples) or were mean to her
I knew Audrey too but at first i was just don't care. One day i just remembered her name and search her name and the first thing i saw was the Dove commercial that was a CGI of her face and i thought that was weird
BUT THEN I SAW THE MOVIE ROMAN HOLIDAY AND I COMPLETELY CHARMED BY HER ACTING AND HER ACCENT
And the more i dig the more i love her
I dunno whats happening to me
Every time i say "I have to move on from that movie" but i cant and i have to watch her a couple of times
hOw CaN I cUrE ThiS?!
Help !!
I'm obsessed now!!!
HeLp mE!!!
Remember dance, learn a new language, feed the hungry to beat up Nazis so you can make Audrey Hepburn proud.
She's charming in a way that few people are, I think.
I always liked Audrey Hepburn, but what made me LOVE her -- and made her a true icon in my eyes -- was her work with the UN. Much of that work actually went unheralded at the time, at least at first. She did not do charity work for the sake of her image, but for the causes themselves. She could have easily continued acting and being a Hollywood darling, but she worked full time to better the world. That is someone truly deserving of icon status.
Many people did and do charity work. Does that make them all iconic? What a weird thing to say.
Thank you for mentioning Audrey Hepburn’s activism! While I’ve always appreciated her grace and style, her story and her activism is what truly inspires me.
It's so interesting to me that her film career was defined by Cinderella stories, but her most famous image is from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Which I find to be sort of a failed Cinderella story. She loses the rich man at the end, and in the book she's implied to never really find contentment. I did a paper on the book a few years ago, and I find it oddly fascinating how depressing the story is. The movie makes it lighter by changing the ending and the narrator into a love interest for Holly, but it's still sad how broken Holly is as a person.
Those are GOOD points, and some great backstory on the actual book! I found this quote that may explain the popularity of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" a bit more:
"Breakfast at Tiffany's - the 1961 film based on Truman Capote's 1958 novella - has become more famous for its visual shorthands, its signifiers of New York chic and fashionable femininity, than its actual story or characters."
Similarly I found it interesting, that one of Marilyn Monroe's most famous and replicated outfits is from the 7 Year Itch. The marketing on that movie was on a different scale. The company really went all out with that outfit, having HUGE billboards of Marilyn's dress being blown up and making it a huge spectacle when they taped it, so much so that they didn't even use the original scenes. They had to retape on the lot later because of crowd noise when the shot it the first dozens of times live.
Popular doesn't necessarily mean it's the best in all areas.
@@jenme2390 I was just thinking about Marilyn Monroe and the white dress in this context! I've only seen The Seven Year Itch once and found it an awful movie. Breakfast at Tiffany's may be a bit depressing, but I'd still call it a well made film. I can't say the same for The Seven Year Itch.
Her skirt blowing up is the first image that I ever knew of Marilyn and I suspect that's true of most people with endless merchandise and parodies. However, I don't personally know anyone else who has actually watched the movie. It's interesting how our pop culture icons can endure while losing their context almost entirely.
@@Snips.Snails.Fairytales Yeah, I just watched Marilyn Monroe's full filmography this past week and when I got to Seven Year Itch I was like oh this should be good. This is iconic. Uh-uh. For me, it is one of the most egregious of the "objectification" of Marilyn Monroe and the entire premise is basically about this man trying to stop himself from cheating and fantasizing about these things. But just the WRITING. Marilyn played that TYPE of role many times and in this film I found myself asking myself who gave the green light for this. I'm so happy women have begun having a say in film making in major ways because that movie was just NOT IT.
I said on another comment, but I will say it agin here. I think Breakfast at Tiffany's is seen as good BECAUSE of Audrey Hepburn, if you replaced her with anyone else, I think everyone would easily see the flaws in that film. She's just too good! lol
And I think it mostly endures now simply because of her image. It translates well to our time. Thin and pretty and her iconic outfit is classy as anything. People are very shallow basically. lol
What I really think people who might be at all interested in this should do is to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's WHILE doing a marathon of Audrey's movies. Audrey was good in everything and in that makes the film look good...there's a reason a portion of actor's make millions. It's a risk to make films and studios try to mitigate risk as much as possible. "Cleopatra" almost single-handedly took down Fox Studios, for example. Breakfast at Tiffany's would have been a forgettable movie without the magic of Audrey. Other movies of hers we can put someone else in and it still would be doable. It has decent supporting characters and script and directing and all the other things that make a good movie great besides a great lead.
www.thevintagenews.com/2017/02/15/truman-capote-never-wanted-audrey-hepburn-to-play-holly-in-breakfast-at-tiffanys-his-choice-was-marilyn-monroe/#:~:text=Contact%20us-,Truman%20Capote%20never%20wanted%20Audrey%20Hepburn%20to%20play%20Holly%20in,his%20choice%20was%20Marilyn%20Monroe&text=Breakfast%20at%20Tiffany's%20is%20undisputedly,comedy%20films%20of%20all%20times.
This is probably the only chance I'll get to talk about her, but Ava Gardner is incredibly underrated as an actress, truly holding her own against bigger names and even surpassing several. Her roles just feel human to me and I'm happy to be a fan of hers.
What I always found interesting is that Audrey seems to have become more popular as the years go by. Her and Marilyn are basically the poster children for Old Hollywood. Their faces are slapped on home goods in every other store.
With my admiration for classic cinema, I've asked family and friends who lived during her lifetime what they thought about her and the general consensus is that they didn't. They can list of any number of other names, but not hers. Maybe I'm just asking the wrong people, but it seems Audrey wasn't at the forefront of celebrity during her prime, which is funny to think of how much that has changed.
In general it is funny to think of how celebrity status was just as big back then the only difference is that there is social media. There were famous people that were famous for just existing just like the Kardashian's and not because of talent. The Gabor sisters were an example of that. Not to mention the Kennedy's were considered the closest thing to American Royalty extending after JFK's death and furthering into Jackie's turn from Kennedy to Onasis. Though she knew how to act in public (even if the Kennedy's didn't). We've even had American born princesses ala Grace Kelly. Elizabeth Taylor while talented also was more known for the marriages and that diamond... We think of today's Hilton family and we've been talking about them since the classic era with Zza Zza Gabor and Elizabeth Taylor almost 50 years before The Simple Life etc...
That’s very interesting. 🙂Maybe that just attests to how “timeless“ Audrey’s material is until this day, I’m guessing.
I just got through watching Marilyn Monroe’s full filmography this week. I hadn’t personally ever felt a longing to watch her movies. I think I figured out why. She’s a great actress in most of her work, but she got severely pigeonholed and “type-casted” time and time again. And mostly ever played an “object” really. And then it graduated to the “dumb blonde object”. It’s really sad. I was listening to an interview she did and all she really wanted was to be considered a good actress. Also, Marilyn’s filmography is VERY different from a lot of the other leading ladies. The first HALF is mostly small appearances(with the exception of “Ladies of the Chorus”...before she got dropped from her 1st contract with Fox) And leads don’t start until a lot further in.
Maybe another reason people didn’t think about Audrey back them was because Hollywood and the world was very much so all about Men at that time. Men in leads, the man’s point of view- of life and of women, men were the directors, producers, company heads. Etc.
interesting take!
Marilyn Monroe is loved for her beauty by MEN; Audrey Hepburn is loved for her beauty by WOMEN. That’s the distinction and that’s relatability. Hepburn uses her beauty in her life and through her characters to create agency. She never became a tragic goddess like Monroe. (And pardon any unintended sexism, please.)
@@TheWarrrenator Oo! Thanks for the input. :) Yeah, Marilyn was DEFINITELY loved by men. Understatement. But, actually a lot of the documentaries that I was watching were pointing out, with first hand accounts of people who knew Marilyn too, that she was actually loved by both. She just made it really hard for people to hate her(if anyone "makes" it hard to do that, you know what I mean. lol). It was one of those men wanted to be with her and women wanted to BE her type of things. I'm gonna just throw this out there, Marilyn was proobbbbably murdered. If she would have had a chance to continue I think she may have had a good chance to get out of the pigenhole. She had started her own company. She literally basically boycotted her contracts a few times because it was the studio that kept her in that hole. Beauty in and of itself can sometimes be tragedy. People abuse it.
The reason why I think Audrey still lives on is also her humanitarianism,she truly was a kind woman
This is without question of the best channels on RUclips,
Nah joe Rogan is...
I'm a classic movie fan, but there's just something about this channel that turns me off.
@@AdeleCeleste Then why are you lurking here like a gremlin?
@@AdeleCeleste me too
Completely agree.
I really like Audrey in "Roman Holiday" but her best performances are in "The Nun's Story" and "Wait Until Dark". She's great in "The Children's Hour" as well, although Shirley MacLaine is the real stand out in this film.
agreed. I'd have easily handed her the Oscar for "The Nun's Story."
The moment in "the Children's Hour" when she breaks down Martha's door - oof! I've heard people claim she wasn't that good an actress and I tell them to watch that moment. She has really only one thing to say - "Martha" - but runs a gamut of emotions from fear to shock to grief. Of course, those eyes also do so much of the work, such that the director didn't really need to show you what had happened.
@@CPTDoom I whole heartedly agree with everything you just said. And your description is perfect, and I wanted to say thank you, because sometimes I'm out here watching things like, does anybody else see what I just saw. lol The greatness!
I would like to know who those folks think IS a good actress then, then we can have a conversation. One thing I will say is not every "great" actress is good in every role. I could name some big names that should have been recast(were probably casted for brand value)...IN MY OPINION. But Audrey I would say is not one of those folks.
@@AKoooooooo the nun's story still affects me to this day that I am writing a sort of fan fiction continuation
@@charmedprince same, actually. I literally think about the open door at the end all the time. Very powerful stuff.
I'll admit, I was one of those teenage girls who was originally transfixed with Audrey because of her glamourous image alone. But pretty quickly I dove into her filmography and personal background and developed a deeper admiration of her. Still love the dresses too though, haha
I literally screamed when I saw the title
YOU DONT KNOW HOW LONG IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
When Audrey Hepburn walks to the stage to receive her Oscar and turns the wrong way ... even that is so charming it made me melt
I think people love her, because she is literally beautiful inside and out.
Roman Holiday is one of my favorite movies. It is a classic and will forever live on as one of the best movies. Audrey Hepburn, my god what an inspiration! Thank you for these, please never stop.
After learning about Audrey's Life and how she managed to overcome such Adversity and never let things bring her down, i have grown to admire this woman and her bravery. She had an incredible work ethic that led her to great success..She was and still is a great inspiration, and she was such an incredible beauty. May God Rest Her Soul.
Audrey was the actress that made me interested in classic film when I was a child. I saw her in My Fair Lady, Sabrina, and Charade and became obsessed, and my adoration of acting and film continues to this day and I give all that credit to Miss Hepburn. Such a forever icon and talent.
Same, but in my case it was Roman Holiday..when I was 5 y.o. and right after that I found my mom's books about her and they were my first read as well
*Audrey.
The squidward comparison had me WHEEZING
Same! 😂😂😂
I love Audrey so much!!! This was such a great video. I try to have more art of older Audrey Hepburn in my home because I think that she is encapsulated so well in her 20/30s that we forget all the great work she did as an older woman and that she didn't die "young"
For me, it was her genuine goodness, innocence, & grace, her humanity. The fact that she was also "the girl next door," the fashion icon, the ballet dancer just added to the attraction. She was the "famous person" I most wanted to be like & look like. She was the "real deal" for me. A person, not an idol, worthy of admiration. People should not be worshiped. I admired her greatly for her humanity. It is wonderful that her works, on & off screen, are chronicled.
She was a wonderful being. Of course she was the prettiest, but I do firmly believe her charm comes from the sincere appreciation for like and true kindness that surrounded her and showed in her smile and in her bright eyes. I also like her more different roles, like in Children’s Hour or that movie in which she played blind (can’t recall the title). We need more icons like her.
Do you mean "Wait Until Dark"? I think she played a blind woman there.
@@bananawal8215 Yes! Thank you
;hhhhhhvvvvvv bhhhhhvh
“Ava Gardner Places Third, Tops Women”
i would like to see it
If the rumour about her and Lana Turner is true, at least one person did. :)
Carelessly dropping her baby in the trashcan over a weekend ,
god this comment made me snort out loud
I'd gladly let her step all over me.
@@Trixtah “are you in the sewing circle.” 😂
Thank you so much for making a video on Audrey. She's my favorite actress of all time, however there's little to no video essays about her. And the rare ones only discuss her image as a fashion icon.
I met Audrey while volunteering at a UNICEF concert benefit. You just wanted to take care of her, protect her, though she was strong enough on her own thank you. No wonder she fooled the Nazi thugs. She was by far too elfin to suspect. Charming in a way that is easy to see and yet beyond all definition. A genius of feelings. You hoped she liked you, and she did.
My own personal snort/laugh of the century just happened at the "we escape...into Gotham 800 times apparently."
I’d (still) LOVE a video on the 1951 Oscars - Bette Davis vs Gloria Swanson vs Judy Holliday !!
You are forgetting Gloria Swanson. I don’t think the academy voters could decide between Bette and Gloria, so they didn’t!
rosemary franzese there was also the fact that Ann Baxter was nominated for best actress for all about eve as well
rosemary franzese I brought up Gloria Swanson in my comment! lol
It could,ve been a tie. They did that to Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand in 1969. Why not in 1951 since even the movie is debatable even in Best Pictures
Audrey Hepburn singing “Moon River”. Perfection!
Audrey is effortless glamour personified. That's her appeal after all these years. I think people love the more conservative lifestyle/image of Hepburn, her aloofness. People want what they can't have, and Audrey would always give off the message, "don't look at me too deeply" which makes us want her more. When you see one completely naked, it loses its sacredness.
Like Brigitte Helm and Greta Garbo, only making relatively few movies, and exiting the spotlight early, heightens our desire for her. Humans are desperate searchers who want to hunt.
She was more than just her image. Thank you for bringing Audrey back with such nuance and complexity she deserves. Also, I read on IMDB that Roman Holiday is loosely based on Princess Margaret's own affair with Peter Townsend. Is there truth to that? Also, Roman Holiday is a gateway drug to classic movies. It was one of my first. Also, give yourself a break. You do amazing work.
@@elitsagospodinova7241 Edited thank you!
I just love Audrey Hepburn! My favorite films with her are The Children’s Hour, The Nun’s Story, and Wait Until Dark. She was a welcome alternative to the earthy bombshells of the late 1950’s. She had elegance, grace, great range as an actress, and she was unlike anybody else at that time, and indeed ever since. Thanks for sharing this thoughtful portrait of this beautiful, one of a kind lady.
You have a great taste, i love those movies too, but they rarely get mentioned. I wish they were more often discussed.
I knew about Leslie Caron’s background a but still didn’t realize how similar to Audrey she was.
She even starred as the lead in the movie version of Gigi :)
And Caron's beau in "Lili" is Mel Ferrer, who ended marrying Hepburn in real life.
I know everyone keeps saying it but this channel is SO underrated. Absolutely amazing presentation and immaculate research and tone every time.
The public remains in love with Audrey because her on screen transformations mirror her real life transformation. She is/was a survivor.
Not enough people talk about Audrey Hepburn's life outside of the image she has. It brings me so much joy when people do because her life outside of acting really had so much going on.
“Deborah Kerr, the Amy Adams of the 1950s” MAAM I WHEEZED
I was wondering what that means: the Amy Adams of her time
@@AnnaJulianaBayer it means to be a great, consistent, competent actress, usually playing good-hearted roles, recognized with Oscar nominations but not with Oscar wins
@ Thank you so much! Thinking about it, I do like her in pretty much every film she's in (but especially Arrival). I guess she's the new Leonardo DiCaprio :-)
@@AnnaJulianaBayer They're kinda reflective of each other, in age and range. Amy gets a bit overlooked because she's a more discreet public figure than Leo
@ How?
I love that your videos not only educate me about an actor's career but also place their work in the context of their contemporaries. Sterling work!
Audrey is truly relatable to those of us who were skinny and shy in high school and she gave us hope we could be beautiful swans too!
The different comparisons between yourself and Audrey is I think the most personal you’ve ever gotten, and in an age where content creators are all about ‘authenticity’ and almost over-sharing, it’s kind of refreshing to see professional detachment. Although this one little joke was definitely a great departure 😂❤️
The quality of BE KIND REWIND is nothing short of excellent. You really know how to construct a compelling narrative and your genuine love of film comes through each and very time. Honestly, I think it is the love that gets me more than anything else. You share something you love and that is special. It makes it more interpersonal and not transactional. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! A fan
Audrey is not relatable, shes aspirational.
“The Amy Adams of the 1950s.” Oof. I wish I didn’t know EXACTLY what you meant by that!
More like Winona Ryder.
Mark Ant let’s throw Saoirse in there as well!
Deborah Kerr is amazing in Michael Powell & Emiric Pressburger's "The Life And Death of Colonel Blimp"
@@markant9534 Winona Ryder was the Audrey Hepburn of the 90's
BKR, you should do a video on the “It Girl” phenomena in Hollywood.
I’ve been waiting for another video. This is a good topic
be kind rewind posting this right after i watched "roman holiday" feels like fate!!
I think what makes it all the funnier in some way is that while Audrey had a real-life Cinderella story and was the master at playing those roles, she never actually played Cinderella. But you know who did? Leslie Caron, who also played Gigi. In that way her and Audrey were kind of filling the same niche at the same time but there was no real sense of competition between the two the way there was with so many other actresses at the time which just feels so right for Audrey Hepburn's personality of kindness and grace.
Never realized how young all the nominees were that year. Makes me feel so unaccomplished 😌
Audreyyyy! Arguably the most gorgeous actress that ever came out of Hollywood.
Have you seen Marylin Monroe ???????
@@mmmm-co4dc yes, the original comments still stands
@@mmmm-co4dc She wasn't anywhere as gorgeous from a natural stand point without the bombshell make-up. The bombshell look though a great look wasn't and never will be a natural look. Audrey's make-up on the other hand was always very natural and clean. Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Deneuve, Eva Marie Saint, Julie Andrews, Janet Leigh and few others are the really only ones you can compare from to her in terms of how natural their make up was.
@@mmmm-co4dc i am not belittling Marilyn's beauty, she was pretty but she had plastic, bleached her hair and tried many different looks until she got the look we know her for. I don't want to sound rude but I think that Marilyn was sometimes overrated, and that's a pity because she had almost always the same roles, in River Of No Return she did a good job
Julie Christie? Michelle Pfeiffer? Barbara Streisand? Are they not ringing bells to you?
an interesting fact about audrey hepburn is that she never did the hands in cement thing in front of grauman's chinese theatre in hollywood bc they never asked her BUT! her handprints are in front of the chinese theatre in the hollywood studios park at wdw in florida! grauman's invited her afterwards but she declined.
😮 That is interesting. I didn’t know that.
Roman Holiday is my go to favourite comfort movie, everything about it is perfect in my eyes, from her child like wonder and appreciation over the little things to the bittersweet ending that leaves me teary eyed every time. I saw a lot of myself in her being a boyish framed dancer too and had a big Audrey phase in my teens (watching all her films/trying to dress like her etc) and I’m so glad I had her as a wonderful and genuinely kind hearted role model to look up to.
She has THAT THING... so charming that makes me smiling to a computer screen without noticing while i watch her.
I think she represents an effortless glamour, style, class and likability that I think any woman, regardless of our backgrounds, would like to aspire to
These archival moments with Audrey...her dignity...what a moment! I loved the content of this channel so much but I just got brought to tears by it. THANK YOU!
She was a magnificent person. My favorite of her movies was Charade.
This video has made me cry a lot. Thanks for your time, consideration and passion.
How being a movie star was a mere lead up to what her real contribution to society would be is what makes her so special . Being The Ultimate Size Two Beauty in an era that "stacked" toward the voluptuous (sorry, couldn't resist)is another reason she remains so enduring. LOVE your work.
Stopped everything I was doing when I got this notification
Like I needed one more reason to just ADORE Audrey, and absolutely LOVE this channel.
I’m always so impressed by the quality, effort (which looks effortless) and careful details that go into every video.
This channel should be taught in schools as part of a Research program.
The voice and tone are also superb, they inform with objectivity, which is greatly complemented by the humorous subjectivity.
THANK YOU for these videos. Now I just HAVE to go watch at least 3 Audrey movies
Great video. There is so much about her in context of fashion but not a lot about her acting career which was phenomenal or even her efforts with Unicef which comes from such a real and sincere place.
I love that Audrey Hepburn spent her life working to help those suffering from the war and hunger she knew as a child! Such a class act!
Your analysis is so keen and respectful. The only problem I do have is whenever somebody brings up Bosley Crowther. His reviews were mean-spirited personal and quite honestly off the mark. A majority of the films and actors and actresses he disparage on a personal level.
What a pleasure...seeing a new video from Be Kind Rewind pop-up in my notifications😊
I know the video is about Audrey the woman and Audrey the screen presence, but nothing highlights Hepburn's brilliance more than Funny Face - the dance sequence at the beatnik jazz club highlights how incredibly she embodied the generosity of her spirit, and that willingness to love "the outsider" is what made Hepburn so aspirational.
Thank you for this!
Audrey Hepburn is a legend and I love that you gave us her humble beginnings in this video.
Be Kind Rewind is what makes our quarantine bearable :)
*"what' did the Germans do about it?"*
A: *well the Germans didn't know about it"* this is wen the director knew he found that innocent yet mischievous princess
Exactly! That smile that broke through. Irresistible.
I love that you did a video on Audrey Hepburn so well done!! I would recommend Two For the Road definitely one of her stronger characters.
Great deal of information about her, her career and cultural context all in less than 20min!
The clips of what newspapers and critics said that at the time was a great addition too.
Only thing I’d mention, and I notice other channels of this genre do it too, is the assumption that the audience is as inundated in everything the entertainment industry puts out as they are.
“Yes, THAT Colette” [screen shot of keira knightely]
I am as clueless as to what that means as when I started.
And bear in mind I at least know that was keira knightely so I have a starting point to research. If I were not familiar with her, which I’m sure some people aren’t, I’d just be left with “colette who?”
Often I have to spend extra time looking for what the person meant or was referencing, which is tedious and it makes one feel a bit like when listening to people talk about specific interests with specific jargon that doesn’t really make the conversation accessible to everyone.
Other times I just don’t have the time to investigate and therefore a bit of the video goes completely unacknowledged.
i absolutely love your video essays. i recommend your channel to everyone i meet and just want to give words of encouragement to keep grinding, because this channel is going to reach heights you can’t even imagine. much love and blessings
Excellent analysis - thank you. i am fascinated with how Audrey Hepburn's life story played a unique role in shaping her to be queen of the big screen. I miss the kind of people she was.
Yas, this is one of the best channels on RUclips! I love when you come out with new content!!
SO happy you've finally done a vid about Audrey! Thank you
Roman Holiday is timelessly charming. Watched it while flying this year and I was so smitten. Great Romantic Comedy.
i am glad you talked about Leslie Caron. An American in Paris is my favorite film and I have tried to see all the Leslie Caron films i can.
ah! i’ve been waiting for an Audrey Hepburn video for so long, looks great so far!
Your content is some of my very favorite on all of RUclips. Thank you for making such wonderful, thoughtful, well-researched videos.
It seems like genuine Cinderella story like this would make a really great biopic.
"The Amy Adams of the 1950s" is the single best description of Deborah Kerr I have ever heard.
Out of curiosity, what does that mean exactly? Lol
@@hofhofandaway multiple oscar nominee, never the winner.
@@TheBooklover1848 Oh lol thanks!
There's something inherently likeable about her. Even though she is unrelatable because she is so beautiful and elegant, she seems humble and oozes charisma. I just love her. She was one of a kind.
The only youtuber who matters blessed us today ✨
Audrey had an inescapable authenticity. Much of her career was elevated by the benefits of those who surrounded her and adored her. Her first marriage to Mel Ferrer spanned her film career and I feel helped guide the sheer breadth of work. she's had some of the most iconic appearances in every genre. Romantic Comedies with Roman Holiday/Sabrina, etc. Classical epic with War and Peace. Religious film with A Nun's Story, Western The Unforgiven. Prostitute in Breakfast At Tiffany's, Lesbian drama with '61's The Children's hour. Thrillers like Charade and wait Until Dark. Heist film with Hot To Steal A Million. Musical with My Fair Lady. My personal favorite a realistic take on the relationship movie with Two For The Road.
Then there's her relationship with Givenchy and also Henry Mancini. Both one some of the greatest in their fields of all time. Mancini said something along the lines of waiting to see her first before scoring her scenes because she was the music.
She worked so incredibly hard and made everything seem so effortless. A completely pure and genuinely kind person. We are truly fortunate to be able to experience her work and let her persona guide us in our every day lives.
I've been waiting for you to get to one of my favourite actresses and one of my favourite movies! It did not disappoint!
I love Audrey so much and im so happy you are doing a episode about her, I love your style of videos.
That was a pretty fun and informative video essay. At 43, I still have a crush on Audrey and I'm glad the RUclips algorithm brought me to your channel from searching for her
i've been waiting for this one because audrey hepburn is my favourite actress of all time and i just love roman holiday
It’s astonishing that a star of that era could so effortlessly convey such a generosity of spirit and boundless joy. It’s all in the eyes; there’s so much honesty there.
"Deborah Kerr, the Amy Adams of the 1950s"
Uf
Glad I’m not the only one who caught on that phrase.
Accurate.
Ooof
Can someone please explain the connection?
Hoooo boy! Found this channel at the right time! I've been sprinkling my quarantine movie repertoire with classic Hollywood films, and been mostly actress-centric in my selections! So perfect, really. Love it when the Universe conspires this way.
Sometimes it gets difficult to contextualize the period specific perspectives, and I love! LOVE! The amazing research that goes into these videos. Enriches everybody's film-watching experience just beyond how well the movies hold up to current standards.
Thank you so much! More power to you, and may you never tire of creating content!
I'd love to hear your take on Julie Christie's win for Darling (in part because Doctor Zhivago sent her into superstardom).
great analysis of hepburn's appeal to her audience. you nailed it. this channel is one of the most low-key, intelligent ones on youtube.
This channel is amazing. Thank you, please keep these coming!
This is one of the top videos I have been waiting for! "Roman Holiday" is in my top 3 favorite movies ever!