SABRINA (1954) ***1/2 Audrey Hepburn's such a brilliant romantic actress because she makes you care about her. About what happens to her. You want her to be treated well. That's the start of it. She's also just plain a brilliant actress, which is why she's believable (at the beginning) as discouraged and plain. C'mon, Audrey Hepburn discouraged or plain?! That's acting, my friend. Some have puzzled over the casting of the male leads, William Holden as the devil-may-care playboy and Humphrey Bogart as the boring businessman. It's stupid to wonder about casting when they both turn out so perfect. Yes, Bogey a little more so, that's part of the point. Billy Wilder's treatment of Samuel Taylor's play isn't as gentle as it feels, it just seems that way. Look at it a little bit closer and you'll see people getting jerked around a lot, and hearts broken and lives ruined (ah, who cares about Martha Hyer when Audrey's in town?)...and there's a fair amount of politics and social commentary that shines through despite Wilder's proper insistence on a presentation where everyone is good. It's all so like a fairytale, but it's also presented in a manner that engages (and defeats) cynicism, so it must be true. Yeah, sure you can see the end from the beginning, but don't they make you wonder about it just a little bit? Besides, you can see lots of endings from lots of beginnings but you can paddle towards any one you like. It's not just the great actors that are versatile, we all are.
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