sabrina54

I like Humphrey Bogart, I like Audrey Hepburn and William Holden is fine by me. The three of them
have cranked out some timeless flicks. So admittedly, I was curious to see what all of the
hullabaloo was about with “Sabrina.” Everyone talks about it and movie studios remake it. Maybe it
was hyped too much or maybe everyone is suffering from a mass delusion. Either way, I wasn’t
thrilled or wowed. I was entertained, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t the runaway classic a lot of
people have told me about.

Bogart and Holden are brothers in the wealthy Larrabee family in New York City. Bogart plays
Linus, the responsible brother who keeps the multi-million dollar business running smoothly.
Holden is David, the playboy brother, irresponsible and with three ex-wives already. Sabrina,
played by Hepburn, is the young daughter of their chauffeur, and she has a hopeless crush on
David. To curb this, her father sends her to cooking school in Paris.

When she returns two years later, she is sophisticated and beautiful and David is smitten with her.
Unfortunately for him, he is engaged to marry the daughter of a sugar cane mogul that Linus needs
in his pocket to begin a lucrative plastics division. So, Linus decides the best way to alleviate the
situation is to begin courting Sabrina, with plans to literally deport her, and keep David away from
her. And soon a love triangle forms.

Billy Wilder, director of “Stalag 17,” really knows how to craft a story and pace it out nicely. It doesn’
t move as rapidly as it should, I found, but there is still much here to enjoy. Holden plays his cocky
self and Bogart, now in his maturity, does a very professional job bringing his straight-laced
character to the screen. Hepburn is demure and charming, but a little misguided and she comes
off often looking immature and fickle.

What bothers me the most about this movie is the complete lack of chemistry between Bogart and
Hepburn. They act well together, but as a potentially romantic pairing, there’s nothing evident
here. I guess we’re just supposed to accept this contrivance for the sake of the film. At the same
time, I often wondered why this American family looked down on Sabrina like she was some peasant
in medieval Britain. There is a lot of talk in the movie about class systems and such. It feels very
out of place.

The real treat of this film is the Larrabee brother’s father, played by Walter Hampden shortly before
his death. He’s a hilarious and cantankerous old coot with some great lines.

All in all, “Sabrina” is very entertaining and worth a watch. It’s not the statuesque classic word of
mouth painted it to be, but it is well done.