I have seen Sabrina many times, and it is a great movie, and never gets old, because it is one of those original romantic comedies. It will be interesting to watch it yet again to see what Billy Wilder did what he did to make it a great film
I was amazed by the cast of this movie! They are all so great! What I have noticed about Billy Wilder as a director is that I can't remember any scene with people not talking: the story is carried by dialogues more than by cinematographic elements, unlike Hitchcock's movies. Also, this movie is about love and how it can change, take people by surprise, and unhinge them: nothing is always completely black or completely white.
I agree with you Eva, every scene always has dialogues with two or more people. There are a few scenes though were there isn't dialogue, for example in the scene when Sabrina is trying to kill herself in the garage with all of the cars running. I also like how the movie is unrestricted. You always know what is going on at all times. The only thing you don't really know is the characters true feelings throughout the film. I also really like the cinematography and the lighting in some scenes. Especially in the scene where Sabrina and Linus are in the office: the dark lighting with low key highlights and the deep focus at the end of the scene. After seeing it for the hundredth time, it is still one of my favorite movies.
Yes actually you're right Erika, I forgot about this "suicide attempt scene". This movie is one of those where you know that a certain thing is going to happen but you don't know how: we guess that Sabrina will be with Linus on the boat to Paris but we wouldn't imagine that David could help his brother to be with her. Your comment about the feelings complexity is true, especially for Linus I think. When I watched the movie, I felt like Billy Wilder uses cinematographic elements (close-ups, soft lightning, nondiegetic music) in a way that makes any character look beautiful (even the old Bogart! sorry Humphrey).
I love the characters in this film, all three; Sabrina, David and Linus are interesting and engaging throughout the film. I like how although Sabrina is the object of affection she is still a stong female charater, given spunk typical of an Audrey Hepburn performance. I would also like to note the significance of Paris to this film. The beginning and ending reflect one another in that Sabrina goes to Paris to start a new chapter in her life- at the beginning going to culinary school where she matures and becomes a refined, skilled adult. At the end she is sailing off on a boat to Paris, like Eva mentioned, and I think this is symbolic of her begining another important change in her life now that she is in love with Linus.
On another note I would like to comment on an interesting face that Cary Grant was first offered the role of Linus and only after he declined was it offered to Bogart. I think this is an interesting reflection on the view Wilder had for the character. Grant is a classic choice for a romantic comedy with his quick paced and dapper vibe with a comical twist where as Bogart is most famous for more serious dramas and heavy themes. This role is an interesting change of pace in Bogarts list of films, but you can see where Wilder's initial vision for Linus as a witty leading man shines through in Bogart's performance.
Sorry it's taken me so long to post, it took me awhile to get my hands on this dvd!
As for the restricted vs. unrestricted. I agree that it is mainly unrestricted. But in relation to Linus' feelings about going to Paris, I feel as if only he knew about his plan to send her by herself. He talked to Sabrina, Fairchild, and his father about this matter, but I have to admit, I was secretly hoping that he was actually planning on going with her and just lying to look good in front of her father.
I also feel as if Sabrina gives off a Cinderella-like theme. If you really think about it, a young lower class woman who is seem as good for nothing more but work is forced to transform herself (in this case, taking cooking classes in Paris). When she returns, she is immediately more accepted, and unrecognized, by those around her. In the end, she ends up with an upper class man, which was uncommon and frowned upon at the time.
This movie is definitely a classic and has officially been added to my short list of favorite movies. :)
Also, what are the other two movies we will be watching?
Alas......other show about show biz. Sunset Blvd was an interesting movie to watch. Even though it wasn't a happy ending like Sabrina, it had great cinematography, lighting, and a bizarre plot. There was a few elements in the film that were similar to Sabrina, besides having William Holden as the star in the movie. There was the issue of money and popularity: mostly with Norma because she's a hasbeen from the twenties with lots of money. Also, Norma tries to kill herself like Sabrina does. The girl, Betty, that Joe works with is like Sabrina: she has alway loved Joe's good friend, but after spending time with Joe, she falls for him instead. I really liked this one shot from underwater at the beginning of the film. You see the body clearly, but then the photographers are seen though the waves of the water in the pool. I thought that is was a good scene to start out with because it has a film noir feel to it. You start close to the end, but then you go back six months before that time.
sunset boulevard shows an interesting view on show business. instead of showing what it is like to be at the top and how everyone succeeds, Billy Wilder shows the true side that is hard to see. he shows -through excellent character development, i might add- that it takes longer to get to the top than anyone will ever stay at the top. the fact that hollywood is more about failure than success.
oh, and i would also like to agree with you on the opening shot. it somewhat reminded me of Momento which we watched last year in art of film I. we see the ending of the story up front and must flash back to get what has actually happened.
another bit that reminded me of Sabrina was that fact that Joe has these two girls in love with him. one was just an infatuation gone wrong, while the other was a love that the audience could spot before the characters themselves (such as linus in sabrina).
Sorry I am late, I had difficulties finding the movie.
I have to say: I hated Sunset Blvd. It is the most disturbing story ever! This man, Joe Gillis, is like a puppet, prisoner of what celebrity left once gone. The longer he stays, the more he is trapped, and he knows it but doesn't do anything to change it! The result: he ends up dead. Seriously, this makes me so mad...
Anyway, the cinematography is still very interesting. The first scene, like both of you mentioned, is very well managed: I like the voice as nondiegetic narrator but that is actually the voice of the dead man. I also like the shot at the very end, when Norma goes for her close-up but it never happens because it gets blurry: she will never reach the top like she used to, she is lost in her dream, she is not a star anymore.
I think that the movie Sabrina shows the beauty and the tenderness of love, while Sunset Blvd shows the obsession and selfishness of it.
I have to agree with you Eva.....the movie was a bit on the disturbing side. Also, I agree on that last shot because she is going to prison, but she doesn't know it.....the shot ends blurry and that shows she really is no longer a star.
Definitely a complete 180 turn for the ending...it is not happy like Sarbrina's story.
Just finished watching Some Like It Hot.......great film. I can see why it is one of the most famous comedies of all time time. It has the right elements: guy and his friend, the girl and her friend (in this movie, the girl's friend was actually the guy), and all the wackiness and sues that happens in between. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon played the girls so well, that is was hilarious to watch, especially when they are trying to walk in the high heel shoes. Like in Sabrina and Sunset Blvd., the film had to do with money in some way. Joe is pretending to be a million-hire , while he really has nothing at all. Over all, this a film worth watching....I can watch it again and again.
I loved Some Like It Hot!!! it was a lot of fun to watch it! Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon were great I agree. That's right, there is always something with money in those three movies: in Sabrina, money is the difference between Linus and Sabrina, but by the end, it doesn't really matter anymore. In Sunset Boulevard, money is there to assure Norma that her life as a star really existed. In Some Like It Hot, money is a way to attract women (here the woman is Sugar), to gain her love: Joe seduced her through "his" yacht and "his oil company". This could end up in a superficial love story, but at the end, Sugar realizes that she likes Joe better than money.
Just a little note: when Sugar and Joe as a millionaire meet for the first time, at the beach, Billy Wilder created a shot/reverse shot scene to emphasize the fact that they are arguing with each other, but when they finally agree and when Joe shows interest in Sugar, we see both of them on the same shot.
Yes....Eva that is very true. You see that not only in that scene, but in other parts of the movie, like when Joe and Sugar are in the bathroom on the train.....the shots sometimes go back and forth between them.
This is Ted from the class of 2008. Is there a you-tube profile for the art of film projects to go on? I am trying to show some of the guys at Purdue that one made in the style of Quentin Tarantino for art of film II but I cannot find it. If you do not remember me this should help. http://www.youtube.com/user/MenacingWithVideos
This is my seventh year teaching film, and ninth overall. I got my B.A. in journalism in 1998 from the University of Minnesota, then worked as a sports writer at The Star Tribune for awhile. I eventually went back to the U for my master's degree in English education, and started teaching in 2001.
I live in Minneapolis with Susan (wife, works at General Mills), Jack (son, born in August '08), and Gunnar (dog, a PBGV -- look it up).
19 comments:
I have seen Sabrina many times, and it is a great movie, and never gets old, because it is one of those original romantic comedies. It will be interesting to watch it yet again to see what Billy Wilder did what he did to make it a great film
I was amazed by the cast of this movie! They are all so great!
What I have noticed about Billy Wilder as a director is that I can't remember any scene with people not talking: the story is carried by dialogues more than by cinematographic elements, unlike Hitchcock's movies.
Also, this movie is about love and how it can change, take people by surprise, and unhinge them: nothing is always completely black or completely white.
I agree with you Eva, every scene always has dialogues with two or more people. There are a few scenes though were there isn't dialogue, for example in the scene when Sabrina is trying to kill herself in the garage with all of the cars running.
I also like how the movie is unrestricted. You always know what is going on at all times. The only thing you don't really know is the characters true feelings throughout the film.
I also really like the cinematography and the lighting in some scenes. Especially in the scene where Sabrina and Linus are in the office: the dark lighting with low key highlights and the deep focus at the end of the scene.
After seeing it for the hundredth time, it is still one of my favorite movies.
Yes actually you're right Erika, I forgot about this "suicide attempt scene".
This movie is one of those where you know that a certain thing is going to happen but you don't know how: we guess that Sabrina will be with Linus on the boat to Paris but we wouldn't imagine that David could help his brother to be with her.
Your comment about the feelings complexity is true, especially for Linus I think.
When I watched the movie, I felt like Billy Wilder uses cinematographic elements (close-ups, soft lightning, nondiegetic music) in a way that makes any character look beautiful (even the old Bogart! sorry Humphrey).
I love the characters in this film, all three; Sabrina, David and Linus are interesting and engaging throughout the film.
I like how although Sabrina is the object of affection she is still a stong female charater, given spunk typical of an Audrey Hepburn performance.
I would also like to note the significance of Paris to this film.
The beginning and ending reflect one another in that Sabrina goes to Paris to start a new chapter in her life- at the beginning going to culinary school where she matures and becomes a refined, skilled adult. At the end she is sailing off on a boat to Paris, like Eva mentioned, and I think this is symbolic of her begining another important change in her life now that she is in love with Linus.
On another note I would like to comment on an interesting face that Cary Grant was first offered the role of Linus and only after he declined was it offered to Bogart. I think this is an interesting reflection on the view Wilder had for the character. Grant is a classic choice for a romantic comedy with his quick paced and dapper vibe with a comical twist where as Bogart is most famous for more serious dramas and heavy themes. This role is an interesting change of pace in Bogarts list of films, but you can see where Wilder's initial vision for Linus as a witty leading man shines through in Bogart's performance.
Sorry it's taken me so long to post, it took me awhile to get my hands on this dvd!
As for the restricted vs. unrestricted. I agree that it is mainly unrestricted. But in relation to Linus' feelings about going to Paris, I feel as if only he knew about his plan to send her by herself. He talked to Sabrina, Fairchild, and his father about this matter, but I have to admit, I was secretly hoping that he was actually planning on going with her and just lying to look good in front of her father.
I also feel as if Sabrina gives off a Cinderella-like theme. If you really think about it, a young lower class woman who is seem as good for nothing more but work is forced to transform herself (in this case, taking cooking classes in Paris). When she returns, she is immediately more accepted, and unrecognized, by those around her. In the end, she ends up with an upper class man, which was uncommon and frowned upon at the time.
This movie is definitely a classic and has officially been added to my short list of favorite movies. :)
Also, what are the other two movies we will be watching?
Alas......other show about show biz. Sunset Blvd was an interesting movie to watch. Even though it wasn't a happy ending like Sabrina, it had great cinematography, lighting, and a bizarre plot.
There was a few elements in the film that were similar to Sabrina, besides having William Holden as the star in the movie. There was the issue of money and popularity: mostly with Norma because she's a hasbeen from the twenties with lots of money. Also, Norma tries to kill herself like Sabrina does. The girl, Betty, that Joe works with is like Sabrina: she has alway loved Joe's good friend, but after spending time with Joe, she falls for him instead.
I really liked this one shot from underwater at the beginning of the film. You see the body clearly, but then the photographers are seen though the waves of the water in the pool. I thought that is was a good scene to start out with because it has a film noir feel to it. You start close to the end, but then you go back six months before that time.
the other movies we are watching are Sunset Boulevard, and Some Like It Hot
sunset boulevard shows an interesting view on show business. instead of showing what it is like to be at the top and how everyone succeeds, Billy Wilder shows the true side that is hard to see. he shows -through excellent character development, i might add- that it takes longer to get to the top than anyone will ever stay at the top. the fact that hollywood is more about failure than success.
oh, and i would also like to agree with you on the opening shot. it somewhat reminded me of Momento which we watched last year in art of film I. we see the ending of the story up front and must flash back to get what has actually happened.
another bit that reminded me of Sabrina was that fact that Joe has these two girls in love with him. one was just an infatuation gone wrong, while the other was a love that the audience could spot before the characters themselves (such as linus in sabrina).
Sorry I am late, I had difficulties finding the movie.
I have to say: I hated Sunset Blvd. It is the most disturbing story ever! This man, Joe Gillis, is like a puppet, prisoner of what celebrity left once gone. The longer he stays, the more he is trapped, and he knows it but doesn't do anything to change it! The result: he ends up dead. Seriously, this makes me so mad...
Anyway, the cinematography is still very interesting. The first scene, like both of you mentioned, is very well managed: I like the voice as nondiegetic narrator but that is actually the voice of the dead man. I also like the shot at the very end, when Norma goes for her close-up but it never happens because it gets blurry: she will never reach the top like she used to, she is lost in her dream, she is not a star anymore.
I think that the movie Sabrina shows the beauty and the tenderness of love, while Sunset Blvd shows the obsession and selfishness of it.
I have to agree with you Eva.....the movie was a bit on the disturbing side.
Also, I agree on that last shot because she is going to prison, but she doesn't know it.....the shot ends blurry and that shows she really is no longer a star.
Definitely a complete 180 turn for the ending...it is not happy like Sarbrina's story.
Just finished watching Some Like It Hot.......great film. I can see why it is one of the most famous comedies of all time time. It has the right elements: guy and his friend, the girl and her friend (in this movie, the girl's friend was actually the guy), and all the wackiness and sues that happens in between. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon played the girls so well, that is was hilarious to watch, especially when they are trying to walk in the high heel shoes. Like in Sabrina and Sunset Blvd., the film had to do with money in some way. Joe is pretending to be a million-hire , while he really has nothing at all.
Over all, this a film worth watching....I can watch it again and again.
I loved Some Like It Hot!!! it was a lot of fun to watch it! Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon were great I agree.
That's right, there is always something with money in those three movies: in Sabrina, money is the difference between Linus and Sabrina, but by the end, it doesn't really matter anymore. In Sunset Boulevard, money is there to assure Norma that her life as a star really existed. In Some Like It Hot, money is a way to attract women (here the woman is Sugar), to gain her love: Joe seduced her through "his" yacht and "his oil company". This could end up in a superficial love story, but at the end, Sugar realizes that she likes Joe better than money.
Just a little note: when Sugar and Joe as a millionaire meet for the first time, at the beach, Billy Wilder created a shot/reverse shot scene to emphasize the fact that they are arguing with each other, but when they finally agree and when Joe shows interest in Sugar, we see both of them on the same shot.
Yes....Eva that is very true.
You see that not only in that scene, but in other parts of the movie, like when Joe and Sugar are in the bathroom on the train.....the shots sometimes go back and forth between them.
This is Ted from the class of 2008. Is there a you-tube profile for the art of film projects to go on? I am trying to show some of the guys at Purdue that one made in the style of Quentin Tarantino for art of film II but I cannot find it. If you do not remember me this should help.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MenacingWithVideos
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