The marvelous Sally from Flying Down to Hollywood, a perfectly marvelous blog (you really ought to visit her! Her blog is tons of fun.) about old movies (with some new thrown in from time to time!) has been kind enough to agree to do a guest post! Thank you, Sally!

Audrey Hepburn is easy to love; you don’t even have to know anything about her to love her. Her beauty, sexiness, and sophistication are apparent, making her easy to admire. Her appeal spans generations as the college dorms filled with Audrey Hepburn posters and photos will attest.Many of Audrey Hepburn’s roles are famous in their way and show a side to her that audiences enjoy relating to. Roman Holiday (1953), for instance, was her first major film. The princess she plays in the film is a wonderful blend of independence and romance, of responsibility and spontaneity. (Two fascinating sidenotes about this film: she won an Oscar for her role in it; Gregory Peck didn’t like the idea of playing opposite an unknown actress but, after meeting the unknown actress, fought for her to get equal billing.) Her style, vulnerability, and eccentricity in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) have helped in her icon-like status. Her spunky Jo Stockton in Funny Face (1957) proved that beauty and brains can blend together into a delightful package. This film contained such classic moments as the photograph with the balloons (shown here) and her memorable dancing, which was featured in a Gap ad.
Now, when you think of My Fair Lady (1964), it’s a slightly different story, somehow. It’s still Audrey Hepburn. She’s still elegant, beautiful, and spunky. The controve
rsy over her as a casting choice (many argued that Julie Andrews should have reprised her Broadway role as Eliza Doolittle) helped My Fair Lady to be more or less forgotten as an Audrey Hepburn classic. She was overlooked when the Academy Awards rolled around (ironically, Julie Andrews won for Mary Poppins) and today, those same college students who apply Holly Golightly to their walls forget that she was even in My Fair Lady. So, I highly recommend revisiting the film and wonder why Audrey Hepburn did not earn at least an Oscar nod, marvel at her beauty, and either laugh or groan (depending on your perspective) at the final line. And along the way, or perhaps just afterwards, I highly recommend revisiting Emma’s beautiful rendition of Wouldn’t it be Loverly?
