Jackson Reed
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a novella by Truman Capote published in 1958 and adapted into a major motion picture of the same name in 1961. The film was a commercial success, grossing $14 million on a $2.5 million budget. The movie stars Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, a young woman fleeing an underage marriage, becoming a sex worker, and involving herself in organised crime. The title of the film is attributed to a scene in the novella where Holly, while feeling anxious, strikes up a conversation with the narrator about how Tiffany's is the only place that calms her.
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Holly Golightly's character
Holly Golightly is the main character in Truman Capote's 1958 novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's, as well as the 1961 film adaptation. She is described as a 19-year-old blonde with a mysterious allure and a tendency to want to know everything about a person, while becoming defensive when they want to know about her. Holly has lots of secrets and suitors, and her grief and despair are themes that feature heavily in the story.
Holly is an aspiring writer who has just moved into a New York City apartment during World War II. She is said to be scatterbrained, fiercely independent, and possesses a mysterious allure that captivates those around her. She is also described as "a playgirl without scruples, a moth who doesn't quite deserve to die in a flame."
Holly's view is that the happiest place is Tiffany's, and if she had her way, she would have breakfast there every morning. This is referenced in the film when Holly is window shopping with a coffee and a bagel outside the store.
Holly Golightly is considered Truman Capote's most beloved and nuanced character. Audrey Hepburn's portrayal of Holly in the film adaptation is considered one of her most memorable and identifiable roles, with Hepburn's performance receiving rave reviews.
Breakfast at Taco Bell: Availability Across Locations
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$19.99
The film's commercial success
Breakfast at Tiffany's, the 1961 American romantic comedy film, was a critical and commercial success. The film grossed $14 million worldwide on a $2.5 million budget. It received critical acclaim for its music and Audrey Hepburn's performance and style. Hepburn's portrayal of Holly Golightly is considered to be one of her most memorable and identifiable roles. Hepburn regarded it as one of her most challenging roles, as she was an introvert required to play an extrovert. The film's music, composed and conducted by Henry Mancini, also received acclaim. The signature song "Moon River", performed by Hepburn, was tailored to her limited vocal range.
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Hepburn, and won two: Best Original Score and Best Original Song for "Moon River". In addition, Breakfast at Tiffany's received numerous other accolades. Hepburn's performance received rave reviews. Tinee Mae of the Chicago Tribune said:
> In the wrong hands, the unconventional, disorganized, sophisticated, innocent, utterly contradictory [lead] character could be a tiresome idiot. [Audrey makes her] as sweet as she is silly, as appealing as she is affected, a playgirl without scruples, a moth who doesn't quite deserve to die in a flame."
The film also helped to rejuvenate the career of Buddy Ebsen, who played Doc Golightly, Holly's ex-husband. His success in this role led directly to his best-known role as Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies.
Breakfast at Tiffany's was one of the first films featuring Hepburn to be released on home video. A 45th-anniversary special edition DVD was released in North America in 2006, and a remastered Centennial Collection version was released in 2009, which included several new featurettes. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on 51 reviews, with an average score of 7.43/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 13 critics' reviews, indicating "generally favourable" reviews.
Chick-fil-A Breakfast Hours: When to Get Your Fill
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The film's soundtrack
The film Breakfast at Tiffany's was a commercial success, grossing $14 million on a $2.5 million budget. The film's soundtrack features a score composed and conducted by Henry Mancini, with several unreleased musical compositions not featuring in the final film.
One notable piece from the soundtrack is "Moon River", which has since had over a thousand versions recorded. The song was created through a collaboration between Mancini and Johnny Mercer, who provided the lyrics. Mancini believed that Hepburn's recording of "Moon River" was the best, saying:
> Moon River was written for her. No one else has ever understood it so completely.
Hepburn herself was a fan of Mancini's work, and wrote him a letter after watching the film, saying:
> Your music has lifted us all up and sent us soaring. Everything we cannot say with words or show with action you have expressed for us. You have done this with so much imagination, fun and beauty. You are the hippest of cats - and the most sensitive of composers!
Other pieces from the soundtrack include "Carousel Cue" and "Outtake 1", which appear in deleted scenes from the film. In 2013, Intrada Records released the complete score in its original film performance, including Hepburn's recording of "Moon River".
Continental Breakfast Chairs: How Do They Work?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Holly's job as a sex worker
Holly Golightly, the protagonist of Breakfast at Tiffany's, has been the subject of much debate regarding her profession as a sex worker. While some consider her a prostitute, others, including the character's creator, Truman Capote, disagree with this label. Capote described Holly as an "American Geisha," a woman who charms and accompanies men to upscale locations with the expectation of receiving gifts or money. However, whether she engages in sexual activities with these men is left ambiguous.
In both the book and the film, Holly's work as a potential sex worker is portrayed indirectly and subtly. She is shown to be financially dependent on the men she associates with, often receiving "powder room money" or gifts like jewellery. There is also a suggestion that she may occasionally sleep with these men, but this is left to the audience's interpretation.
One key difference between Holly and the stereotypical image of a prostitute is that she does not stand on street corners or openly solicit strangers. Instead, she navigates high-end social circles and cultivates relationships with wealthy men. This ambiguity in her profession adds to the charm and intrigue of her character.
The debate around Holly's profession reflects the societal attitudes and norms of the time. Some viewers may find her behaviour and choices uncomfortable, while others see her as a symbol of female liberation and entrepreneurship, making the most of the limited opportunities available to women in that era.
Ultimately, Holly Golightly's job as a possible sex worker is open to interpretation, and her character continues to captivate audiences with her complexity and enigmatic nature.
Breakfast Cereals: Nutritional Friend or Foe?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Breakfast at Tiffany's [1961] [Blu-ray] [Region Free]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81fXKbqW1LL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
![Breakfast at Tiffany's (50th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81cBwfZ+o+L._AC_UL320_.jpg)
The novella's plot
Truman Capote's novella *Breakfast at Tiffany's* was published in 1958 and is set in the 1940s in New York City, specifically the Upper East Side. The story is narrated by an unnamed writer who recalls his early days in the city and his remarkable neighbour, Holly Golightly.
The narrator first meets Holly outside Tiffany's, where she is eating a pastry and drinking coffee, and looking into the display window. Holly explains that Tiffany's is the only place that calms her when she's feeling anxious or overwhelmed. The narrator and Holly become friends, but they later feud over a trivial matter. The narrator suspects that Holly is being watched and is approached by a man who tells him about Holly's past. He learns that Holly was born Lulamae Barnes and that the man, Doc Golightly, is her husband. Doc tries to persuade Holly to return to Texas with him, but she refuses to leave New York.
Holly learns that her brother has died in the war, and this sends her into an emotional downward spiral. She eventually meets and begins a relationship with a man named José Ybarra-Jaegar and plans to move to Brazil with him. In the novella, Holly does not end up with the narrator, and there is no love affair between them. Instead, she leaves the United States, and the narrator has no idea what happened to her, except for a photograph of a wood carving found years later in Africa that bears a striking resemblance to Holly.
The novella explores darker themes than the subsequent film adaptation, including Holly's history as an underage bride, a sex worker, and her involvement in organised crime.
Buc-ee's Breakfast: Delicious Morning Meals to Try
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The film is called Breakfast at Tiffany's because the protagonist, Holly Golightly, feels that the happiest place is Tiffany's, and if she could, she would have breakfast there every morning. In the opening scene, Holly is seen eating a pastry outside the Tiffany's store in Manhattan.
Breakfast at Tiffany's was written by Truman Capote and published in 1958. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1961.
The film adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's starred Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly.
