Is it her big brown eyes, her sense of style or her natural talent for acting? There are a multitude of reasons people fall in love with the late Audrey Hepburn. This February, The Loft Cinema is using the whole month to celebrate the actress’ many charming attributes.
With a series of screenings appropriately titled “Our Fair Audrey,” The Loft plans to show four different films every Thursday night that highlight Hepburn’s talent in the romantic comedy genre. Starting with “Sabrina” (1954) on Thursday and ending with the iconic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” on Feb. 27, each of the films fits with the romantic atmosphere of Valentine’s Day.
“People always go wild for her,” said Jeff Yanc, program director of The Loft.
Yanc said Hepburn is the perfect candidate for a screening series like this, due to her massive appeal with both older and younger generations.
The Loft has screened some of Hepburn’s films in the past and noticed large numbers of patrons coming dressed as some of the actress’s most famous characters. Yanc said that he hopes that by presenting these classic films on the big screen, the theater can showcase the beauty of both Hepburn and the films.
“There is a delicateness, a frailness and innocence about her,” Yanc said. “That doesn’t exist anymore in the stars of today.”
‘Sabrina’ (1954) — Thursday
Billy Wilder’s modernized ugly duckling tale has Hepburn attracting the favor of Humphrey Bogart and William Holden in a complicated love triangle. Cast as a chauffeur’s daughter who blossoms into a Parisian fashionista, Hepburn embraces a comedic wit that leaves her leading men hopelessly lovestruck. This film features the Academy Award-winning costume designs of Edith Head, who also dressed Hepburn in her debut film “Roman Holiday” the year before this film.
‘Funny Face’ (1957) — Feb. 13
One of the films that gave Hepburn the opportunity to exercise her lifelong love of dance, this catchy musical pairs her with toe-tapping legend Fred Astaire. Perhaps best known to modern audiences from a 2006 GAP commercial that used a scene from the film of Hepburn dancing adorably in skinny black pants, “Funny Face” is an enjoyable tale of the wonderment and artificiality of the fashion world. Again characterized as a Plain Jane who transforms into a goddess of beauty, this film offers the rare opportunity for fans to hear Hepburn’s singing voice.
*‘Charade’ (1963) — Feb. 20
*Thriller, comedy, romance and satire — these are just a few genres this spy movie explores through the streets of Paris. Featuring the intoxicating chemistry of Hepburn and her co-star Cary Grant, the plot mirrors the complexity of an Alfred Hitchcock film. Hepburn plays a widow being stalked by a gang of greedy crooks. Mysterious Grant comes into the picture to rescue her from a series of traps, though none compares to how Hepburn ensnares Grant’s heartd.
‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ (1961) — Feb. 27
Arguably the most popular of Hepburn’s films, this adaptation of Truman Capote’s novella has Hepburn breaking the mold of her typically straight-laced characters by playing a free-spirited New York City call girl. A performance that earned Hepburn one of her five Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, her Holly Golightly is a fascinating combination of charm, style and disillusionment. The closer the audience gets to uncovering the identity of the character, the more anxious and trapped Hepburn’s Golightly appears.
There is a reason this film is considered the peak of Hepburn’s career, as it shows the multi-dimensionality of an actress at the top of her game. Not to mention, Hepburn’s rendition of “Moon River” will leave you in a daze.
