Sabrina (1954)

“Once upon a time, on the north shore of Long Island, some 30 miles from New York, there lived a small girl on a large estate…”

Thus began Billy Wilder’s triumph of romantic take on the fairy tale. Sabrina, played to a tee by a very young and pretty Audrey Hepburn, is the daughter of the chauffeur to the Larabees, a terrifically wealthy and old family on the shore of Long Island, which includes the hard working and dour Linus (Humphrey Bogart) and his playboy brother David (William Holden).

Sabrina has always been in love with David, the more handsome and dashing of the two, but now, fresh from a maturation phase in Paris, Sabrina is not so sure that Linus may not be right for her. Does she go for young love or mature passion?

Actually, that was the question on everybody’s mind nearly to the final pages of Billy Wilder’s script. Since Holden and Bogart were both significant leading men in Hollywood, and because the script was being written as the film was being shot, no one knew which way Sabrina would go.

In real life, Hepburn knew which one she preferred, and she and Holden had one of the handsomest behind-the-scenes romances in Hollywood history. However, they had a major problem: she was the marrying sort, and he was already married. Oops!

This film is pretty, charming and a thorough delight which can be safely recommended for romantics at heart from 8 to 80. The bleach blond Holden cuts a particularly dashing figure in a role that seems tailor made for him. And Bogart… Well, Bogart is always a sure bet, isn’t he? (Even when filling in a role written for Cary Grant of all people.)