Amanda Goes to the Movies: The Audrey Hepburn Edition

You may remember that I headed to Austin last summer to see The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) at the Paramount Theater, and I dragged my mom along with me. Well, yesterday we made the trip again, this time with my sister in tow. Our goal was a Breakfast at Tiffany's and Charade double feature.

Once again, I fell in love with the Paramount, and with the streets of Austin, and with the grounds of the State Capitol. If I lived in Austin, I could see myself walking down to the Capitol and just sitting on one of the benches, or under a tree, with a good book. I challenge anyone to show me a more beautiful capitol - for a state, a nation, or anything - than the Texas Capitol building and its grounds.

Breakfast at Tiffany's was first on the agenda after we found the parking garage and walked to the theater. I didn't see how many people were downstairs, but the balcony was packed. As you might imagine, most of the audience was comprised of women. I spoke briefly with one of the ushers, and she said that there were maybe thirteen men in the audience for Breakfast. I figure it must be true love if a man sits through that movie with his girl.

The main attraction for my group was seeing Charade, a movie that is well-loved in this family. We came early enough for Breakfast because, well, we had three passes so it was free, and also my mom had never seen it. As for myself, I had only seen it once, and I was curious to see what I would think of it after a second viewing.

I'm loathe to say that Breakfast at Tiffany's is overrated because I don't get it. And I don't think that anyone has a right to proclaim a movie overrated unless they do "get it." Also, I find the word "overrated" to be very overrated. Despite the fact that I don't really "get" the movie, it fascinates me. I'm fascinated by the fact that other people are fascinated by it, and I'm fascinated by the hairstyles. When I first saw the movie last year, most of my attention was on Audrey Hepburn, but yesterday I found myself watching George Peppard. Holly Golightly may be Audrey's most famous role, but I preferred George's character and performance. I think my main problem with Breakfast is that it draws so much attention away from Audrey's other movies.

There was a break between movies so that the members of the audience could head to the snack bar, wash hands, or, in the case of about half the audience, exit the theater completely. While I was slightly outraged by the hypocrisy of those who left (everyone claims to love Audrey but they only watch Breakfast at Tiffany's and don't bother themselves to stay and see Charade, which not only pairs her with Cary Grant (!!), but is also, in my opinion, the better movie of the two), my main sensation was relief. You see, it was the better half of the audience that stayed for Charade. These were the people who laughed at all of the right moments, were silent at the right moments and also refrained from takings three or four trips to the snack bar in the middle of the film.

As you've probably guessed by now, I love Charade. In fact, it's my second favorite Audrey film, right after How to Steal a Million. After all Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn together can't be anything but perfection, right? Add in Walter Mathau, James Coburn, the delightful Jacques Marin (who was also in How to Steal a Million), and director Stanley Donen, and what more could you want? I mean, besides having them all over for a cocktail party, of course.

During Charade we were joined by a friend (the same friend who generously gave us the passes), and afterword we all walked down the street to a local pizza place. I wish I could remember the name of the place - it was so good. It was family owned, and the man who owned the place, as well as the employees, were all very nice. And the prices were reasonable - $15 for a large pepperoni pizza. Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to go back some time so that I can remember the name of the place. I'd hate for all this free advertising to go to waste.

After pizza we walked around the grounds of the Capitol, and then we headed home. We didn't get home until about 11:00 pm, so it was actually a twelve-hour trip, and it was worth every glorious minute. There's a chance that we might even go back again this summer for another movie, which almost seems like too much to hope for, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Going to the Paramount is something that I look forward to all year long, and going twice in the same year would be like dancing with Fred Astaire. Simply the tops!