Sabrina (1954)

Directed and produced by Billy Wilder

Young Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn) is the daughter of the chauffeur to the wealthy Larrabee family. She lives above the garage on their Long Island estate and watches their parties, their comings and goings, and is desparately in love with the younger Larrabee son, David (William Holden). When two years in Paris transforms her into a stunning sophisticate, David suddenly takes notice. So does his older brother, Linus (Humphrey Bogart), but only because his sibling’s new romance would derail a dynastic marriage and business merger. That’s when Linus decides to derail the derailment.

Almost everything works in this classic movie. It doesn’t ‘push the envelope’ in any way, but it is fun, witty, enchanting and, in the end, says something about maturity. The story is straightforward and, to be fair, predictable. Rather different than the play by Samuel Taylor from which it is derived, Sabrina Fair, the movie offers a fairy tale in realistic garb.

If not in the story, the success, then, must be found elsewhere, and it is. The actors come first. Hepburn is extremely winning, both in her initial guise of naïve woman-child, and later as a woman of the world. She brings her character almost effortlessly to life, despite this being an early rôle for her. Bogart’s part is somewhat different than most that he plays, but he nonetheless gives it a toughness that is familiar: he is a businessman who has clearly learned how to run a commercial empire and, to judge by his family, learned it on his own. In the odd glance, the hesitation in response, Bogart’s talent demonstrates that there is more to the character than one may think. And Holden does well, too; his character is simpler to portray, yet he doesn’t make playboy David empty. He conveys intelligence, but intelligence that is hamstrung by laziness.

The chemistry among the three leads is excellent. Usually, the term refers to romantic leads. Certainly, despite the disparity in their ages, Bogart and Hepburn show their characters as having a mental and emotional bond, just as Hepburn and Holden show that their characters would actually make better pals than lovers. On the other hand, the two males convince the audience that they are brothers: stereotypically opposite, perhaps, but one can imagine them growing up together.

The other players add interest and humour. John Williams (not the composer, nor the guitar virtuoso) gives an emotional performance as a father who is trying his best to give his daughter her own future in an overwhelming environment, while Walter Hampden, as the eldest Larrabee, seems to have coasted through life, with strong opinions, but no real challenge to them, and happy to continue so.

The script, co-written by Taylor, Ernest Lehman (who also wrote North by Northwest and Westside Story) and the director, is intelligent and grown-up, something not always found in Hollywood romances. In many ways, it is about growing up; certainly all three leads change, discovering things about themselves. The dialogue is smart: Hepburn’s Sabrina is intelligent, quick-witted and knows exactly what she wants – or thinks she does. It is easy to see why the men in the film fall for her. Yet her declaration at one point that she is still a child is perfect, as it shows that she is, actually, not.

Linus incorporate’s some of Bogart’s adventurer from To Have and Have Not, his idealist from Casablanca, but clothes them in mundane business attire. Again, the script provides clues as to why the movie works: the viewer may think it ridiculous for Linus to believe he can steal his brother’s girl, yet the very fact he thinks he can suggests some impressive success in love earlier in his life, even if the stories he tells of his past are silly fictions. His is, in some ways, a Victorian persona, his belief in wealth and work being that they are mere stepping stones to decent lives for those in need. Linus genuinely believes in progress as a force of good. The Gilded Age and the Roaring Twenties would have been mere distractions to such a man, the Great Depression a challenge.

Wilder’s direction is superb. It starts with the depiction of a house-party in the Larrabee home, the balmy summer night, the full moon lighting bits of cloud (the sort of moon always on call in Hollywood), the laughter and music on the edge of Sabrina’s world. There is a blurring of fantasy and fact in the movie, as there should be in every good romance. Wilder is able to make both facets, neither stronger than the other, seem real. That is one of the secrets of Sabrina’s success.

So, while Sabrina doesn’t break new ground as a movie, it takes a most interesting route through familiar territory. The acting, writing and directing allow a depth and beauty to a story that’s been told many times, and re-told many times since – but rarely as well.