3. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

The posts that I am making aren't just all facts about the movies and what nots, this also includes my feedback and how I understood the story line, so if you do not want to read the facts, then you can skip them. :)

"I'm like cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don't even belong to each other." 

- Holly Golightly, Audrey Hepburn

Movie Poster

Fun Facts about Breakfast at Tiffany's:

• Tiffany's opened its doors on a Sunday for the first time since the 19th century so that filming could take place inside the store. 
• Author Truman Capote envisioned Marilyn Monroe in the part of Holly Golightly. Monroe was originally cast as Golightly, but her drama coach, Lee Strasberg, told her that playing a call-girl was not good for her image. The film went on to be a huge success, with Monroe's replacement Audrey Hepburn receiving Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. (Sadly, she did not win)



Danish pastry, anybody?

• Audrey Hepburn hated Danish pastries, making filming the famous opening scene a bit of a chore for her. 
• Although not visible on camera, hundreds of onlookers watched Audrey Hepburn's window-shopping scene at the start of the film. This made her nervous and she kept making mistakes. It wasn't until a crew member nearly got electrocuted behind the camera that she pulled herself together and finished the scene. 
• Audrey Hepburn said the scene where she throws Cat into the rainy street was the most distasteful thing she ever had to do on film. 
• Elements of Holly's character in the original novel, such as her flirtation with bisexuality, were omitted to make the part more suitable for Audrey Hepburn. 
• George Peppard was a student of Method acting, a style Hepburn found difficult to work with. Nonetheless, the two actors remained close friends until her death. 
• Audrey felt that she was miscast as Holly Golightly in this film, although it was one of her most popular roles. 
• At a post-production meeting following a screening of the film, a studio executive, in reference to "Moon River," said, "Well, I think the first thing we can do is get rid of that stupid song." Audrey Hepburn stood up at the table and said, "Over my dead body!" The song stayed in the picture. (Feisty Audrey, I tell ya!)
• The song "Moon River" was written especially for Audrey Hepburn, since she had no training as a singer. The vocals were written to be sung in only one octave. (Oh, wow!)
• Audrey Hepburn's salary for the film was $750,000, making her the second highest paid actress (behind Elizabeth Taylor) per film at the time.
• About nine cats were used throughout the film as the role of Cat. 
• Holly Golightly is supposed to be just nineteen years old when she meets with Paul. Audrey Hepburn was thirty-one years old when playing Holly. 

Story line as understood by a fifteen-year-old girl:

Cuddling up, eh?

A young rather naive girl Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn), lives by her own on an apartment. One day, she meets her new neighbor Paul Varjak (George Peppard) while she was getting ready visiting a drug lord who she gives regular "weather reports", she became fast friends with him and she decided to later call "Fred" because he reminds her of her brother, he introduced her to 2E (Patricia Neil), his decorator. Later that night, she went by his window to find 2E leaving Paul some money and kissing him goodnight (they have an affair) and as they chatted she found out he is a writer and hasn't published anything other than one book. They fell asleep together, and Holly woke up, kind of frantic, because of her nightmare about her brother and leaves. She gave him a typewriter ribbon and invited her to her party as an apology to her behavior.

Introducing Cougar 2E

Paul later found out that Holly was in fact married to an older man, named Doc (Buddy Ebsen), and wanted Holly to go back home with him since her brother is coming back from the army. Paul reunites the two but Holly said to him that the marriage was annulled but Doc was still acting delusional. She asked Paul to accompany them to the bus station, where she told her last goodbye to Doc and said that she was planning on letting Fred live with her.

Stealing masks, Breakfast at Tiffany's style

The two spends time together, taking turns on doing stuffs they never did and eventually spending the night together again but as Paul woke, he found Holly gone, that day he ended his relationship with 2E. Holly schemes on marrying a rich Brazilian dude which upset Paul, since he finally concluded he loves her, and after Holly trashes her room because of a telegram about her brother's death, Jose was disturbed about her reaction.

Months later, Holly invited Paul to one last dinner before she leaves for Brazil but Holly was arrested because she had been used as a messenger of a drug lord, but bailed out the next day receiving a telegram from Jose that he did not want to marry her anymore. Holly let Cat, her unnamed cat, out of the rain which made Paul confront Holly, and left the cab they were riding on the way to the airport, throwing the ring (which he asked to be engraved at Tiffany's) onto Holly's lap. She then followed him and together they looked for Cat.

Feedback of a fifteen-year-old girl:

Audrey Hepburn being fabulous

One of the best Audrey Hepburn movie EVER, she even became a fashion icon with her little black dress! (By the way Audrey Hepburn and Katharine Hepburn are not related to each other so do not be confused.) It was a really different love story and though the writer of the novella to which it was based on was not entirely pleased with Audrey's casting, for me, she did really good and Truman Capote should be happy with what happened to his novella!

Audrey singing Moon River

The script was witty and fantastic, and I like following the flow of the dialogues. The cast was kind of well-picked but what I really adored about the movie was Audrey, just her, but you know, this is my opinion. Of course, there are several scenes that I loved, as per usual: The opening of the movie, well I don't know why but it has a really good symbolism thing going on; the part where Audrey sang Moon River with a guitar in hand, well I liked her voice and though she was not the best singer, she really owns a rich voice that you wouldn't get tired of hearing; I also like the library scene and the dialogue there and I liked the ending, though I would have preferred it more if they kissed (Oh right they kissed!!!). Haha!

CAT: This is awkward.

Well, overall the movie got a 7.8 on IMDb, I am giving it an 9 (the dialogue was just fantastic!).

References:

• The movie
• IMDb
• Wikipedia
• Google Images

2. Psycho (1960)

"I think I must have one of those faces you can't help believing." 

- Norman Bates

Movie Poster

Fun Facts about Psycho:

• First ever movie on the genre of slasher films.
• Alfred Hitchcock bought the rights to the novel anonymously from Robert Bloch for only US$9,000. He then bought up as many copies of the novel as he could to keep the ending a secret. 
• One of the reasons Alfred Hitchcock shot the movie in black and white was he thought it would be too gory in color. But the main reason was that he wanted to make the film as inexpensively as possible (under $1 million). He also wondered if so many bad, inexpensively made, b/w "B" movies did so well at the box office, what would happen if a really good, inexpensively made, b/w movie was made. 
• This was Alfred Hitchcock's last feature film in black and white, filmed November 30 1959-March 1 1960. 
• During filming, this movie was referred to as "Production 9401" or "Wimpy". The latter name came from the second-unit cameraman on the picture Rex Wimpy who appeared on clapboards and production sheets, and some on-the-set stills for Psycho. 
• Alfred Hitchcock produced this film when plans to make a film starring Audrey Hepburn, called "No Bail for the Judge," fell through. 
• Walt Disney refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because Hitchcock had made "that disgusting movie, 'Psycho'." (Well, that's just mean to come from a perverted guy who puts subliminal messages on his film)
• In the opening scene, Marion Crane is wearing a white bra because Alfred Hitchcock wanted to show her as being "angelic". After she has taken the money, the following scene has her in a black bra because now she has done something wrong and evil. Similarly, before she steals the money, she has a white purse; after she's stolen the money, her purse is black. (Talk about symbolism there)
• First American film ever to show a toilet flushing on screen. (Saw this trivia on my school's bathroom)

Here's the controversial toilet flush

• This was voted the seventh scariest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly. 
• Anthony Perkins was paid US$40,000 dollars for his role, which is exactly the same amount of money that Marion Crane embezzles. (I can say he was not top billed here)
• Alfred Hitchcock originally envisioned the shower sequence as completely silent, but Bernard Herrmann went ahead and scored it anyway, and upon hearing it, Hitchcock immediately changed his mind. 
• You will get more facts about the making of Psycho on the 2012 movie (or is it 2013) Hitchcock which starred Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock. (I suggest you watch this)

Story line as understood by a fifteen-year-old:



Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), was a normal office secretary who steals $40,000 from her employee and run off to her boyfriend Sam's (John Gavin) California home where eventually she stumbles upon an old motel named Bates Motel where she stayed for the night since it was raining and well, she was kind of fatigued too, due to guilt and stuffs because that was the first time she ever did do that thing. There she met the owner Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) who she believes lives and runs the motel with his mother that does not leave the house behind the motel. She also overheard an argument between Norman's mother and him to which she told him to just abandon his mother, but he angrily said he could not do that.

Knife wielding silhouette

After finally realizing the wrongness of her doing, she then decided to drive back to Phoenix the next day, and (here comes the best part of everything) went to shower where she was butchered to death by a silhouette with a knife. Norman finds the corpse and knew that it was the doing of her mother since she was extremely upset with his attraction towards Marion, so he decided to dispose the body on a swamp like thing with the car and every evidence that Marion was ever there.

On Phoenix, Sam, who was believed to be with Marion, is contacted by Marion's sister, Lila (Vera Miles) and a private detective. Arbogast the detective (Martin Balsam) traces Marion to the motel where he interrogated Norman, who lied to him in a very terrible way and refused to let him talk with his mother. He called Lila and reported everything, then got butchered by the knife wielder silhouette after attempting to go in the Bates's house. Norman then forced her mother to hide in the cellar.

Lila, after not hearing from Arbogast, called the Sheriff of the town and there she heard that Norman's mother was dead long ago. Lila and Sam, who can't get help from anyone, decided to take matters into their own hands and went to check in to the motel. After some interrogation, Norman knocked Sam out, and looked for Lila, who hid in the cellar where she found Mrs. Bates's body and screamed, then Norman appeared in his mother's clothes, wig and a knife in hand, but Sam overpowered him and knocked him out.

Say hello to Mama Bates

At the end it was revealed that Norman has somewhat of a psycho thing going on to which he thought his mother was still alive, even though she's dead and it was because of him.

Epic shot :)))

Feedback of a fifteen-year-old girl:

Being the first one of its kind, Psycho is my most favorite movie of Hitchcock and he proved to the people around him that it was not another Vertigo (which sadly starred James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story). The movie was well directed and the script was very well-written. The choice of score, too, was fantabulous (huh?).

While filming the movie, Hitchcock has got this small resentment towards Vera Miles because she got pregnant before she was supposed to be starring in Vertigo, which Hitchcock believes (I think?) as the reason why it became a connotation of bad film to him. The cast ensemble was good and I like the whole Anthony Perkins's innocent angelic looking face but I agree to Hitchcock when it comes o John Gavin's stiffness, which totally kind of a negative thing. But I love LOVE this film so very, very, very much.

She was scared, literally.

My favorite moments in the film were the shower killing scene with the epic screaming violin music, Vera Miles encounter with the corpse of Mrs. Bates and Anthony Perkins's last scene where he looks so evil and awesome.

Anyways, in this movie you will witness Hitchcock's eccentricity and exceptional talent behind the camera and his love for doing little uncredited cameos.

IMDb gave it an 8.6.

I give it a 9.90, John Gavin's fault that it is not 10.

Bates Motel, TV Series 2013

But anyways, it was a really, really good film which had some kind of sequels and stuffs ranging from TV movies, to a  remake and a TV series, Bates Motel, which starred Freddy Highmore as teen Norman. I haven't really seen the TV movies and remake because I haven't had time but I saw 2 episodes of Bates Motel and all I can say was it is quite decent, and the actress who played the non-corpse Norma Bates (the mama of Norman) was good. I suggest you watch it and tell me what you think. :)

References:

• The movie, of course
• IMDb
• Wikipedia
• Google Images

1. The Philadelphia Story (1940)

"The time to make up your mind about people is never." 

- Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn)

Movie poster

Fun facts about The Philadelphia Story:

• Katharine Hepburn asked MGM to cast Clark Gable as Dexter and Spencer Tracy as Mike before she met either of them. Both Gable and Tracy were busy with other projects, so James Stewart was cast instead. MGM chief Louis B. Mayer allowed Hepburn a $150,000 salary towards casting the other male role, a sum that Cary Grant agreed to.
• Playwright Philip Barry based the character of Tracy on Helen Hope Montgomery Scott, a Main Line Philadelphia socialite famous for throwing lavish parties at her family's 800 acre farm estate in Radnor. Filmmakers reportedly intended to shoot the film at Ardrossan (the name of the families estate), but decided against it after seeing the size and scale of the main house and the expansiveness of the estate. They reportedly thought that no one would believe that anyone could actually live like that, particularly in America in the 1940s. 
• The film was shot in eight weeks, and required no retakes. During the scene where James Stewart hiccups when drunk, you can see Cary Grant looking down and grinning. Since the hiccup wasn't scripted, Grant was on the verge of breaking out laughing and had to compose himself quickly. James Stewart thought of hiccuping in the drunk scene himself, without telling Cary Grant. When he began hiccuping, Grant turned to Stewart saying, "Excuse me." The scene required only one take. (Nasty Jimmy!)
• Katharine Hepburn starred in the Broadway production of the play on which this film was based and owned the film rights to the material; they were purchased for her by billionaire Howard Hughes, then given to her as a gift. (What a lucky girl!)
• James Stewart had no plans to attend the Oscar ceremony the year he was nominated for this film. Just before the ceremony began, he received a call at home "advising" him to slip into a dinner jacket and attend the ceremony. He did and he received the award for Best Actor. This was in the days before an accounting firm kept the Oscar voting results secret. 
• The original play was written specifically for Katharine Hepburn. Playwright Philip Barry wanted to woo the actress back to the stage after she had received disastrous reviews for the play "The Lake" on Broadway. (Lucky, lucky girl indeed!)
• Cary Grant demanded top billing and $100,000 salary - a huge amount at the time. As it transpired though, he donated his entire earnings to the British War Relief Fund. (Impressive!)
• Katharine Hepburn's swimming pool dive is the real thing. No doubles were used. (Nice!)
• The word "Philadelphia" on the Oscar that James Stewart received in 1941 is misspelled. The Oscar was kept in the window of his father's hardware store located on Philadelphia Street in Indiana, Pennsylvania. 
• The C.K. on C.K. Dexter Havens is unknown.

Story line as understood by a fifteen-year-old girl:

The movie is about a young divorced socialite Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn), who I guess after a year of her divorce found herself to be married to a wealthy dude with a surname of George Kittredge (imagine trading your awesome surname for a surname that sounds good for a cat). Since the two were practically celebrities, a magazine owner wanted to cover the wedding and used C.K Dexter Havens (Cary Grant), his old employee and to add twist to the story, Tracy Lord's ex-husband. Dexter smuggled Macaulay Connor (James Stewart) and Liz Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) to the Lord's mansion in Philadelphia and enlisted them as family friends. After believing a lie from Dexter that her father was cheating with a prostitute, she reluctantly accepts the visitors, making up her pretend family in the process, for reputation's sake.

Ooohhh!!! Sensual.

Here's how the story got exciting, Tracy after chatting with Macaulay (I do not want to use Mike because I like Macaulay), she find him quite admirable (in short, she's crushing on him) and as the wedding neared she doubted her feelings for Kittredge as it mixed with her feelings for Dexter and Macaulay. She also doubted herself because of her being high maintenance and stuffs like that.

The night swim of Tracy and Macaulay

After taking a swim with Macaulay, both drunk, and being seen by Kittredge, whose imagination run wild, and Dexter, who punched Macaulay just so Kittredge will not be able to, a man of better shape than him, (a very funny excuse), Kittredge the Jealous demanded explanation the next day, which by the way was the marriage day, to which Tracy bluntly answered she does not want to go through the wedding because of his ill faith towards her. But of course, not wanting to disappoint the guests of the wedding, Macaulay proposed to Tracy but she declined, for Liz's sake (who I guess was Macaulay's unofficial girlfriend), and during that time Dexter suddenly asked her marriage again, and for the second time, she agreed and they all live happily ever after. Except for Kittredge, I think?

Feedback of a fifteen-year-old girl:

Movies before do not take years of production and filming and well, schedule was cramped so they do not have much time, either, but with just eight weeks of filming, The Philadelphia Story was awesome. I actually just finished watching it today, and though I think the ending was quite twisted, because there were times when you bat for Dexter and towards the end you were batting for Macaulay, which for me was unusual because I always have this thing with the first guy who made the girl fall in love (a thing that made me hate Pocahontas II, actually), but in this movie, though she did end up with the first dude, you will not be like 'What the hell?! I want Cary Grant to be who she marries' if the ending was not like the ending.

The tiptoes

There were parts where I am very impressed with, like Hepburn's dive or Grant's punch or Stewart's hiccups and manly rendition of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' or even, Virginia Wiedler's (the younger sister) tiptoes and French accent. The movie was awesome though of course, as you watch it you'll realize how poor was technology back then, but you'll get over it as the acting was impressive, the cast was perfect and the script, though it still bares a little bit of the original play's lengthy dialogues, is well-written.

Awkward!

IMDb gave the movie 8.00, well I am not IMDb and I'm gonna be rating it 9.2/10.

My dear people who read this til here, I really am glad you did and by the time you finish this, I hope you go buy or check out the movie.

References:

• The movie
• IMDb
• Wikipedia
• Google Images