A DESERTED NEW YORK DEVOID OF PEOPLE, BATHED in warm hues of early morning sunshine. e fairy-tale melody of the song Moon River begins flow- ing as a yellow city cab stops in front of 727 Fifth Ave- nue. e car door opens and Audrey Hepburn emerg- es wearing a beautiful black dress, the embodiment of grace and style. She stops in front of the window dis- play of Tiffany’s store. Extracting breakfast and coffee from her handbag, she nibbles on Danish pastries, takes a sip of her coffee, and ambles along Fifth Avenue into a life that doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to that perfect moment of serenity and beauty. is idyllic scene that opens the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s was filmed exactly 60 years ago, on 2 nd Octo- ber, and was screened a year later, also in October, at a premiere performance that changed pop culture, but al- so fashion, forever. A little black dress, long gloves, sun- glasses, pearls around the neck, and even an extravagant cigarette holder… Who hasn’t copied the unsurpassed style of Holly Golightly and paused in front of Tiffa- ny’s to fantasise about what’s inside and at least enjoy the sight of all that splendour free of charge, while, of course, nibbling on a croissant and sipping coffee? True, Tiffany finally got fed up of people dropping crumbs in front of the window display and opened a cafe on the fifth floor of the famous Manhattan store three years ago, where you can now really enjoy breakfast at Tiffa- ny’s, but also lunch and dinner. And do so surrounded by Tiffany’s turquoise tones. at’s nice, but it’s still more charming on the street, in front of the window display. Interestingly, for those who never watched the film or who’ve forgotten, in the film Holly herself explains why she eats breakfast in front of Tiffany’s: “it calms me down right away, the quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there, not with those kind men in their nice suits, and that love- ly smell of silver and alligator wallets. If I could find a real-life place that made me feel like Tiffany’s, then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name,” says Holly. Of course, we’re all seeking that little piece of hap- piness that’s ours alone, but let’s return to the film and some of its interesting details. For example, Truman Ca- pote, whose novel formed the basis for Breakfast at Tif- fany’s, imagined and described Holly as a nineteen-year- old blonde! He had in mind his friend Marilyn Monroe, who nevertheless didn’t want to star in the film because she was advised by Paula Strasberg to avoid taking on the role of “a friend of the night”. Capote said that Par- amount Pictures “cheated him in every way” when they hired Audrey, who was actually 31 at the time! Nor was George Peppard the first choice for the role of Paul. Director Blake Edwards wanted Steve McQueen, who was prevented by another contract, then Tony Cur- tis, who the producers didn’t want, and in the end Pep- pard was the one left. According to sources from the set, the actor annoyed everyone, especially the director, who literally got on his knees and begged for him not to be hired. Peppard also got on Audrey Hepburn’s nerves,
Predsednik Paramaunta je tražio da se Moon River izbaci iz filma, ali je Odri rekla – samo preko mene mrtve / The president of Paramount Pictures asked for Moon River to be cut from the film, to which Audrey responded “only over my dead body”
who claimed that he was pompous and full of himself! e film wouldn’t have become what it is if it weren’t for Givenchy, who created the dress for Audrey that sold at auction in 2006 for almost a million dollars. Hepburn and Givenchy had previously collaborated on the films Sabrina, Funny Face and Love in the Afternoon, and they remained very close friends until the end of her life. ere’s really no end to the interesting titbits about the film, but we can also say that Tiffany opened its doors on a Sunday for the first time, that 40 guards were on duty during filming, but also that the beautiful song Moon River, which Mancini took a month to write, was almost left out of the film! After watching the film for the first time, the president of Paramount Pictures asked for it to be cut, to which Audrey responded “sure, but only over my dead body!” Do we need to remind you that Moon River won an Oscar for best original song? And let’s conclude by going back to the start. at first scene in front of Tiffany’s represents the aspiration and quest for serenity and stability, which doesn’t dif- fer from that which we also strive for as viewers. at’s actually what Breakfast at Tiffany’s is: a good place to lose oneself in magic, to take a break from life and relax, before returning to all the challenges of everyday life.
Culture » Kultura | 75
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