Sabrina - Audrey Hepburn in a Bubbly Romance

If a bottle of great champagne were to become a woman, it would be Audrey Hepburn. And that’s pretty much what happens in Sabrina, a sweet little Cinderella story from Billy Wilder about the fortunes of a chauffeur’s daughter. With none of the director’s customary cynicism or dark humor, Sabrina is a nice bit of bubbly, with legendary leading man Humphrey Bogart in a surprisingly light role.

Sabrina Fairchild lives over the garage at the Larrabees’ palatial Long Island estate. She’s grown up watching the lavish parties and balls from a nearby tree, and nurturing a monstrous crush on David, the younger Larrabee heir and ne’er-do-well playboy (William Holden).

Her proper British father (John Williams) disapproves, and packs her off to Paris to learn to cook, like his dear, departed wife. Sabrina, in girlish despondence over David, starts all eight of the family cars in a silly suicide attempt, but the all-business older son Linus (Bogart) comes to the rescue.

So, off she goes to Paris for a couple of years. Turns out cooking is not her strong suit, but elegance, sophistication and charm are right up her alley. Home she comes with a chic haircut, a smart suit, and an apricot poodle named "David." She’s stunning, and her return threatens to derail the family’s plans to get David (the human) to settle down with a nice rich girl in a Long Island family merger. Even nose-to-the-grindstone Linus can’t help but notice the radiant creature little Sabrina has become.

It’s not hard to see where this is going, but it’s an enjoyable trip nevertheless. Suffice it to say all concerned manage to eke out a happy ending.

Sabrina was the second major Hollywood film role for Hepburn, following her smashing success opposite Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday. Although well into her 20s, the delicate beauty could play a younger girl quite convincingly, and she does. The only thing that’s hard to believe is that a woman of such taste and intelligence would fall for David and the tired routine she’s seen him use on other girls again and again.

And she sings! Most famously, “La Vie en Rose,” but I find her rendition of “Yes, We Have no Bananas” on the family sailboat to be the real show-stopper.

Holden does a nice job with his thankless role as the family lightweight, although his character does get the chance to redeem himself later on.

Bogart is amazing. He felt he was completely wrong for the part, and he almost was. He looks - and is - so much older than Hepburn that their relationship comes perilously close to creepy. But his light, dry touch with the role, as if he can hardly believe it himself, saves the day. You can’t help rooting for him.

As with all Billy Wilder films, there’s crisp, clever writing and deftly drawn minor roles. The servants who see Sabrina as their Cinderella. The kindly older man (again, almost-but-not-quite creepy) who takes her under his wing in Paris. The stereotyped cooking-school French chef. Everybody turns in a nicely tuned performance.

The only hint of Wilder’s usually sharp social commentary in this effervescent movie comes in Linus’ earnest declarations that the role of business in America is to provide good jobs and security to workers, and advancement for all humankind. Now, that’s nostalgia.

Sabrina is not nearly as funny as Wilder’s classic screwball comedy Some Like It Hot, which was voted the funniest movie of all time by the American Film Institute. Nevertheless, it's a lovely romantic comedy, flawlessly directed by one of Hollywood‘s greatest.

The Backstory

The film marked the beginning of two important relationships for Hepburn. One was with the French designer Givenchy, who created the stunning ball gown she wears on her return from Paris. He created looks for Hepburn for the rest of her life, most famously the iconic black evening dress she wears in the first scene of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The star and her favorite designer set style trends for years.

Sabrina also marked the start of Hepburn’s passionate, much-publicized affair with costar William Holden. Her relationship with Givenchy lasted quite a bit longer.

A box-office hit, Sabrina was remade in 1995 with Harrison Ford as Linus, Julia Ormond as Sabrina, and Greg Kinnear as David.

Certainly not the best film to come from Wilder or any of its three stars, but it’s not a waste of an evening, either. Enjoyable and entertaining, and fun for those used to seeing Bogie as a hard-boiled private eye.

Recommended for you:

If you liked Sabrina, you may like The Apartment, Some Like it Hot, Breakfast at Tiffany's, or other Billy Wilder films.

'Sabrina' at a Glance:

Year: 1954, Black and White
Director: Billy Wilder
Running Time: 113 minutes
Studio: Paramount