Sabrina (1954)

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Samuel A. Taylor (play)
Billy Wilder (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

October 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

. . . the chauffeur's daughter who learned her stuff in Paris!

Plot:

A playboy becomes interested in the daughter of his family's chauffeur. But it's his more serious brother who would be the better man for her.

Plot Keywords:

Chauffeur | Beautiful Woman | Playboy | Carbon Monoxide Poisoning | Telephone Booth

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Linus Larrabee
Audrey Hepburn	...	Sabrina Fairchild
William Holden	...	David Larrabee
Walter Hampden	...	Oliver Larrabee
John Williams	...	Thomas Fairchild
Martha Hyer	...	Elizabeth Tyson
Joan Vohs	...	Gretchen Van Horn
Marcel Dalio	...	Baron St. Fontanel
Marcel Hillaire	...	The Professor
Nella Walker	...	Maude Larrabee
Francis X. Bushman	...	Mr. Tyson
Ellen Corby	...	Miss McCardle

Also Known As:

Sabrina Fair (UK)
Sabrina (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Sabrina (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Glykeia mou Sabrina (Greece) [el]
Kaunis Sabrina (Finland) [fi]
Sabrina (Spain) [es]
Sabrina (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Sabrina (Denmark) [da]
Sabrina (Brazil) [pt]
Sabrina (Sweden) [sv]
Sabrina (Finland) (video title) [fi]

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Spain:13 | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #16882, General Audience) | West Germany:12 (bw) | Australia:PG (cable rating)

Filming Locations:

Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Although Edith Head won an Oscar for costume design, most of Audrey Hepburn's wardrobe was by Hubert de Givenchy. In fact, Hepburn chose her own clothes to wear from de Givenchy's collection. This was her first time working with the French designer, and he would become her costumer of choice for most of her career.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After Sabrina tells Fairchild that the moon is reaching for her, we see a shot of the moon through the trees at the Larrabee party. Directly above and to the right of the moon, you can see the strings and holes of that backdrop.

Quotes:

Sabrina Fairchild: Maybe you should go to Paris, Linus. It helped me. Have you ever been there?
Linus Larrabee: [thinks] Oh yes. Once. For thirty-five minutes.
Sabrina Fairchild: Thirty-five *minutes*?
Linus Larrabee: Changing planes. I was on my way to Iraq on an oil deal.
Sabrina Fairchild: Oh, but Paris isn't for changing planes, it's for changing your outlook! For throwing open the windows and letting in... letting in la vie en rose.
Linus Larrabee: [sadly] Paris is for lovers. Maybe that's why I stayed only thirty-five minutes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Going Shopping (2005)

Soundtrack:

Shadow Waltz

A Fine Cast & A Well-Crafted, Worthwhile Story

A lot of things work together to make this an entertaining and satisfying picture. With Billy Wilder's story-telling skill, Audrey Hepburn's unsurpassed charm, plenty of talent in the rest of the cast, and a worthwhile story, there is a lot of credit to go around.

The story is based the kind of interesting but slight premise that Wilder handles masterfully, and as a result the story is filled with both funny moments and thoughtful moments, all of which work well. There is a variety of well-chosen settings, always interesting but never pretentious.

Bogart and Holden both play their roles flawlessly. The two of them make an interesting combination with Hepburn, and it works even better than you could hope. John Williams also plays the proper English chauffeur as few others could have. There are also a number of good moments for the others in the supporting cast.

With all the other strengths, it may still be Hepburn's picture most of all.

In "Sabrina", she has a role that allows her quite a variety of scenes as her character grows and changes. It plays to all of her strengths, and makes Hepburn herself the most appealing aspect of an enjoyable and well-crafted picture.