Review #155: 'Sabrina' (1954)

Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn) is a beautiful and shy lower-class girl whose father (John Williams) works as a chauffeur for the rich Larrabee family. She watches the elegant and lavish parties from afar and is head-over-heels in love with playboy David (William Holden). Attempting to commit suicide, the more business-minded brother of David, Linus Larrabee (Humphrey Bogart) intervenes and saves her. Her father decides to send her off to Paris on a cookery course where she arrives back re-invented, capturing the eye of David. Linus has set up the marriage between David and the daughter of a potential business partner, and so tries to sabotage their relationship while falling for Sabrina himself. And so begins a love triangle between two rich brothers and the girl they always ignored.

This is a familiar fairytale story of an 'ugly duckling' who is given the chance to show who she really is to the people that have failed to recognise her previously. How this film manages to tackle it from a seemingly fresh perspective speaks volumes about the sheer genius of director Billy Wilder, who is undoubtedly one of the greatest film-makers from the Golden Age of Hollywood. It achieves in equal measures an air of magic and sweetness of which can only be found in the 'golden oldies', with three truly great comedic performances from the lead trio.

Yes, it is wholly unbelievable that rich boys David and Linus would fail to recognise someone as astoundingly beautiful as Audrey Hepburn until she puts on some expensive earrings and a nice dress. But that is a minor quibble that one must expect from a romantic comedy. It is instead a film to sit back and enjoy. As strong as all three leads are, I felt this was Bogart's film. Most of my laughs came from his strange obsession with his company's newly designed plastic that he advertises to anyone who will listen. Having only seen him in hard-boiled noirs, it was nice to see him flexing his comedy muscles.

In an age where production companies shit out one soulless rom-com after the other that seem to serve no purpose other than to fill corporate pockets and earn some easy money for some B-list actor, it's reassuring to know that there was once a time when scriptwriters and directors alike would put genuine heart and talent onto screen and page, and create a romantic comedy that can be genuinely entertaining and truly heartfelt.

Directed by: Billy Wilder

Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, John Williams

Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie