Audrey Hepburn 7-Movie Collection (Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Paramount
Release Date: October 5, 2021
Rating: Not Rated
Film: See below
 
Plot
 
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (4.5/5)
Based on Truman Capote’s best-selling novella, Breakfast at Tiffany’s captured the imagination of audiences everywhere and made an indelible impact on movies, fashion and society at large.  In director Blake Edwards’ timeless classic, Hepburn’s intoxicating New York party girl Holly Golightly embarks on a wildly entertaining, comedic adventure to find love in the big city. 
 
My Fair Lady (5/5)
Winner of eight Academy Awards®*, including Best Picture, My Fair Lady also won the Best Picture- Musical/Comedy Golden Globe® and was selected for the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.  Adapted from the Broadway stage hit, the film stars Rex Harrison as Professor Higgins, a role that earned him the Oscar® for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Audrey Hepburn as the unforgettable Eliza Doolittle.
 
Funny Face (3.5/5)
Set against the luminous backdrop of the timeless City of Lights, the classic tale filled with dazzling fashion, music and romance stars the enchanting Audrey Hepburn as a bookstore clerk turned modeling sensation and Fred Astaire as the photographer who discovers her.  Funny Face was the only pairing of the two stars and remains an irresistible love letter to Paris in the 1950s. 
 
Sabrina (5/5)
Screen legends Humphrey Bogart and William Holden are the mega-rich Larrabee brothers of Long Island, New York. Bogie’s all work; Holden’s all playboy. They have little in common...except that they’ve both taken notice of a beautiful, sophisticated young woman, possessing a delightful zest for living, suddenly in their midst — Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn).
 
Roman Holiday (5/5)
Audrey Hepburn lights up the screen in her first starring role opposite the charismatic Gregory Peck in this funny, beautiful, and intoxicating romantic comedy.  Ranked as the #4 greatest love story of all time by the American Film Institute, Roman Holiday earned 10 Academy Award® nominations^**, including Best Picture, and won Best Actress for Hepburn, Best Costume Design for legendary designer Edith Head, and Best Writing for Dalton Trumbo. 
 
Paris When It Sizzles (3/5)
Audrey Hepburn reunites with William Holden in this delightful romantic comedy, making its Blu-ray debut.  Hepburn is Gabrielle Simpson, the captivating young assistant to screenwriter Richard Benson (Holden), who has three days to finish his movie. Together, they write and revise a romance/mystery as they envision themselves in the lead roles.
 
War and Peace (2.5/5)
Tolstoy’s literary masterpiece comes to life in this epic film classic of international conflict, spectacular adventure, gripping intrigue and tragic romance set against the sweeping backdrop of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.  Directed by King Vidor, the film stars Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer.
 
My Thoughts
Released to coincide with the 60th Anniversary of Breakfast at Tiffanies, Paramount has seen fit to release a 7-Movie set of some of Audrey Hepburn’s most popular films. All of these are available already on Blu-ray except for Paris When it Sizzles and My Fair Lady is also available in 4K. Hepburn was the big thing years before I was born but through the magic of the movies we can experience her work all these years later. It’s easy to see why she was such a big star because her personality radiates off the screen and yes, she’s quite easy on the eyes.
 
I had seen and reviewed many of these titles previously on Blu-ray but it’s nice having all of them in one case. As the years have rolled on, shelf space is becoming tough to come by. Of the seven films, I like My Fair Lady the best followed closely by Roman Holiday. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is arguably her most popular film, but I put it in 4th place in this collection. The worst film of the bunch is War and Peace, which is a monstrosity of a film that is very sub-par. Given the length of the book there’s virtually no way to compress it into a movie format and make it compelling, which is probably why the Russian version release din 1966 is nearly 7 hours long!
 
The presentations on the discs vary and for the most part are representative of what you’d expect from films of this age.
 
 
Video 4/5
 
Audio 4/5
 
Special Features:
 
Breakfast at Tiffany’s

• Commentary by producer Richard Shepherd
• A Golightly Gathering
• Henry Mancini: More Than Music
• Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s: The Making of a Classic
• It’s So Audrey: A Style Icon
• Behind the Gates: The Tour
• Brilliance in a Blue Box
• Audrey’s Letter to Tiffany
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Galleries
• Digital Copy

 
 
My Fair Lady

• More Loverly Than Ever: The Making of My Fair Lady Then & Now
• 1963 Production Kick-Off Dinner
• Los Angeles Premiere 10/28/1964
• British Premiere
• George Cukor Directs Baroness Bina Rothschild
• Rex Harrison Radio Interview
• Production Tests
• Alternate Audrey Hepburn Vocals
• Galleries
• Comments on a Lady
• Theatrical Featurettes
  
  • Story of a Lady
  • Design for a Lady
  • The Fairest Fair Lady
• Trailers
• Awards
• Digital Copy

 
Funny Face

• Kay Thompson: Think Pink!
• This is VistaVision
• Fashion Photographers Exposed
• The Fashion Designer and His Muse
• Parisian Dreams
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Digital Copy

 
Sabrina

• Audrey Hepburn: Fashion Icon
• Sabrina’s World
• Supporting Sabrina
• William Holden: The Paramount Years
• Sabrina Documentary
• Behind the Gates: Camera
• Digital Copy

 
Roman Holiday

• Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on Roman Holiday
• Behind the Gates: Costumes
• Rome with a Princess
• Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years
• Dalton Trumbo: From A-List to Blacklist
• Paramount in the ‘50s
• Remembering Audrey
• Theatrical Trailers
• Galleries
• Digital Copy

 
Paris When It Sizzles

• Digital Copy

 
War and Peace

• Digital Copy

 
 
Conclusion
I’ve become quite a fan of Hepburn’s work over the years. Yes, I do have a crush on the actress and will watch anything she’s in, but thankfully, most of her work is top notch. If you’re a fan as well and don’t have these titles in your collection, be sure to pick up this set. It’s a great value.
 
 
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion F110 Subwoofer x 2
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[AVSCraig]

Nice. I have a lot of these including My Fair Lady on 4K, so this set sounds perfect for someone that has none of the films. 

[David Vaughn]

Nice. I have a lot of these including My Fair Lady on 4K, so this set sounds perfect for someone that has none of the films.

When I initially requested this, I actually thought it was a 4K set of all the movies. When it showed I was a little disappointed in that regard, but overall I think the quality is pretty good for Blu-ray. 

[bmoney]

what an undertaking!  nice work

Adittedly the only movie i ever saw w her was when i screened My fair Lady this year, and i didnt even realize it was her lol.  but i really enjoyed it.  time to start watching therest of her library since shes a stunner

[Barry]

I probably saw Breakfast at Tiffney's, now sixty years old, ten years after it came out. So it was not a product of it's time for me.  But, even then, I was offended and sadly disappointed in Mickey Rooney's racist and stereotypical representation of a Japanese man.  It was demeaning.

More demeaning was the people who  defended it and saw nothing wrong with it.  They, at that time, did not not recognize racism. There were very few Asians on screen at that time and none of them looked or behaved like Rooney.  Rooney was probably doing what the director wanted and so were the makeup people.  But I cannot watch that movie.

Hepburn was great in My Fair Lady and that gave Julie Andrews the opportunity to do Mary Poppins.  It might surprise you to know that prefer the plot of the original play, "Pygmalion" because Eliza does NOT come back to the much older and very abusive Prof. Higgins.  That is more realistic, she marries Freddy.

[AVSCraig]

Mickey Rooney's character is unfortunate, but I still like the movie.