MOVIE REVIEW | Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Not your typical chick flick. Although funny and romantic in surface, the movie touches on sensitive topics that in 1961 (and perhaps until now) would have been taboo and difficult to discuss.

Rating: 9/10

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961 movie adaptation of the novel) has become a classic movie that it's quite difficult to go through the annals of Hollywood movies without discussing the unconventional plot, the trendy fashion statements of Holly Golightly aka Lulu Mae, and of course the subdued innuendos of sex and crime (earning for itself an R16 rating).

But what really strike me most with this film is the seeming empowerment of an individual with the character of Holly (played by Audrey Hepburn). In essence, Holly is a free spirit character who, at the age of 14, got married to a horse doctor in Texas.Later on she absconded and changed her identity into Holly Golightly. To make the long story short, she was in prowl of a rich man in New York in order to secure hers and her brother Fred's future.

Admirably, Holly defies the typical image of female movie characters as below:

Damsel in distress waiting for prince charming to rescue her;
Trophy wife waiting for a rich businessman to marry her;
Weak girl who can be bossed around and ordered by her man;
Lady waiting for the guy to come so she can make her plans accordingly

In my opinion, Breakfast at Tiffany's became a classic because it spoke of a taboo that in 1961, people would not have dared to talk about. In a way, it is groundbreaking. Not many movies would follow its footsteps of course for fear of not earning in the box office. But it is good that some movies like this are able to send out message of liberation- not just for womenhood, but also for men who are into fairness and equality.

On the other hand, there's the character of Paul Varlak (played by George Peppard), the gray eyed writer who was having an affair with a rich woman. Equally controversial, the role of Varlak presented a reality, not many are ready to accept- extra marital affair, sex for money.Varlak's character is a clear indication of how people (no matter where one is), will always have some interesting stories to tell. In the case of Varlak, his revolved around playing fire with a rich woman married to Bill. Now that I've mentioned it, I do feel that Varlak's plot would have had a strong movie on its own.

Anyhow, the ending left me quite hopeful that Holly did not end up with Varlak. And for her own good, she should have boarded that plane to Brazil and start anew, far from New York.