The 1961 film Breakfast
at Tiffany's is regarded as a classic by many which solidified the presence
of Audrey Hepburn as a celebrated actress and set the tone stylistically for
1960s cinema. It's score is considered to be the greatest by legendary composer
Henry Mancini and the wardrobe immortalized the little black dress as a staple
of women's formal wear. While these features add to the enjoyment of the film, Breakfast at Tiffany's is at its soul a
character study with a central theme. Individualism, self improvement and the
ultimate need for acceptance among others are the motivators for protagonist
Holly Golightly. It is important to understand these driving forces to better
understand the film and ultimately enjoy it.
The opening scene of the film is an empty Fifth Avenue in
New York City on an early morning. A lone taxi pulls up and drops off its
passenger, a woman wearing a black dress carrying a paper bag. The camera then
is stationed behind her looking up at the building she stands in from of. The camera
sees the name above the doorway, Tiffany & Co. She walks towards the closed
jewelry store and peers into the windows admiring the jewelry, while eating a
pastry and drinking a cup of coffee. Eventually there is a view of her from the
perspective of the interior and the audience sees this is Audrey Hepburn's
Holly Golightly looking quizzically at the merchandise. She then walks away,
turns a corner and the score that was playing cuts out. This is an iconic
introduction that captivates viewers, but more importantly it defines Golightly
and her goals.
This is Fifth Avenue, a busy street in an especially busy
part of town, yet she is alone. Isolation can be identified right away from the
desolate scene of her and her taxi. The fact that she is on the outside looking
in at the expensive jewelry is also indicative of a person who desires wealth
and true acceptance among the wealthy, but does not presently have either. The
look on her face of deep thought when looking into the store adds to her wonder
of what it must be like to have such lovely things. Golightly's dress itself is
decadent, but later scenes will show how destitute she is despite her great
wardrobe. Within this sequence, the audience can get an idea of what the rest
of the film will be about.
For a brief summary, Breakfast
at Tiffany's follows call girl Holly Golightly from the perspective of
Paul, her infatuated neighbor, in her quest for a better life. This includes
trying to court wealthy suitors despite a lack of emotional attachment and
bushing off authentic love because it does not suit her goal. In the end, Holly
realizes that her ways are wrong and that love is more powerful than financial
security. She can be viewed as unscrupulous, as her career choice is less that
savory and she cares little of other people's emotions. Upon further review,
these can be seen as defense mechanisms and ultimately she is a good person
trying to accomplish the American Dream the best way she can. This brings up
the topic of individualism, something that Americans pride themselves in having
that sets themselves apart from the rest of the world.
Holly is an embodiment of the next generation of
individualism since the 1950s postwar idealism was drawing to an end. In 1950s
pop culture, there was a need to stress the importance of family and hard work
to support said family. The 1960s were to be different and Breakfast at Tiffany's defines this with Holly. Like Ward Cleaver,
she is the breadwinner for her household and tries her best to succeed, taking
random jobs for extra cash and seeking a permanent lover so she can retire from
her career. The difference is that Holly has no family, except for a pet cat she
feels does not belong to her. She also does not have a stable source of income
doing something reputable for a company, instead finding work on her own as an
escort. Besides Holly's belief in hard solo work, her individualism is found on
her opinions of love. Her distain for the wealthy men she pursues shows that
she cares little of others and their feelings. This is an extreme take on
Rand's objectivism, but it is still relevant. Holly looks out only for herself
and does not care who she hurts in the process. People not belonging to anyone,
as Holly puts it, is as individual as a person can get. Comparing being in a
serious relationship to being caged is what defines her emotionally.
Self improvement is another theme of Breakfast at Tiffany's, which runs into individualism and having
goals but is different. Anyone can look beautiful and get a rich husband by
looking in the right places relentlessly, but Holly goes an extra step to appear
more stately. Dressing well despite having little money is one way to look at
home among the rich, as is taking French lessons to both learn a new language
and speak English more eloquently. When she catches the eye of a Brazilian
millionaire, she learns Portuguese and takes an interest in the culture of
South America. Steps are taken to wane out of her career and exemplify an ideal
future millionaire's wife. Developing one's self to embody an ultimate goal
before achieving it is a great confidence booster and can give the appearance
of equality among those trying to be impressed. Despite individualism and
isolation being seen in this film, there is need of acceptance which the self
improvement shows.
While Holly works on her own and seems to care only about
herself, she does need the assistance of others. Her clients are the ones that
give her income, she needs to appear notable to get others to accept her and
she of course will need to marry someone to ultimately be secure. These are all
examples not only of how Holly needs to rely on others, but of how true
individualism is impossible in modern society. Holly's need for emotional and
financial assistance mirrors the needs people have for acceptance in reality
despite the faces they put on. She realizes this at the end of the film,
discovering that no man is an island and happiness is more important than lofty
goals. This is not to say that love and success are complete opposites, but
rather that following one's heart to may be better than a disappointing future
that appeared great.
The final message of this film is that individualism and
free will define people, but in the end nothing is stronger than the simply joy
of companionship. This is what makes Breakfast
at Tiffany's a classic and remembered for so long. Aspects like costumes,
cinematography and music all contribute to a great final project, but a film is
only as strong as the story it tells and how well the actors do this. In this
case, Breakfast at Tiffany's exceeds
expectations and delivers a great story emotionally performed that makes
audiences think about various aspects of society and their lives. Looking
beyond events of films and into the minds of characters unlocks messages meant
for viewers, something that is overlooked in the present day.
