Movies at Home: Breakfast at Tiffanys, Lover Come Back and Blue Sky

 

Not sure why I had never seen this famous film before. Breakfast at Tiffany's is directed by Blake Edwards from the novel by Truman Capote and starring Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly and George Peppard as Paul Varjak, her new neighbour. It should have been great. But it wasn't. They meet almost immediately as they occupy the same apartment building in New York and strike up a sort of friendship. Lots of nonstop dialogue courtesy of George Axelrod. The story is told from Paul's point of view, twisted though it may be. She thinks she will marry wealthy Trusty Lawler, but her secret background is a letdown, and he marries someone else. 

What could have been a great rom-com is spoilt when the two stars explore places each had never been. What was supposed to be interesting I found to be just tedious. The film lost all momentum in the absence of that earlier witty dialogue. Thank goodness for the cat. And Martin Balsam as the rich O J Berman who saves the day, if not the film. Also, Henry Mancini's music won an Oscar, and his theme tune had lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

Lover Come Back is a Doris Day and Rock Hudson vehicle that was not as funny as it wanted to be. They are competing advertising executives; he is far more unscrupulous than her. But for me, the star of the show is Hudson's boss, the rich owner of the firm, played by Tony Randall. "I started at the top, the hard way." When Hudson beats the opposition to a big account, he's up before The Advertising Council. But he sweet-talks the main witness by putting her in his next campaign. But it's a fake, and you can guess how it all goes wrong. Doris Day's job is on the line, but there are many twists and turns before the end. Including the two stars waking up together to find they are married. That was too much. I was amazed at how Rock Hudson was far taller than anyone else. He's six foot five inches. Just thank goodness for Tony Randall.

I'm not sure who recommended Blue Sky, but this was a strange movie. Tommy Lee Jones plays Major Hank Marshall, who is an engineer on the American nuclear experimental programme in 1962. He is quiet and solid, the opposite of his flirtatious and volatile wife, Carly. A leading actress Oscar winner for Jessica Lange. She loved it when they were in Hawaii but was brought down to earth with a bang at their next posting in Alabama. She gives little support to her two young daughters at Fort Mathews. Their lodgings are awful until Hank gets to work. But soon Carly is up to her old tricks, this time with the camp commander when Hank is sent to the Nevada nuclear testing facility. It's here that Hank wants underground testing, but to no avail.

Back home his daughter spills the beans on his wife, and a fight sends him into custody. With her husband under sedation, it's up to Carly to invade the site with all the attendant publicity. This works as eventually Hank is released. But apart from the plot, there is nothing much here to admire. Obviously there is the performance of Jessica Lange, but this seemed very much over the top to modern audiences. 

A couple of good songs that I had not heard for years: "Baby, You've Got What It Takes" by Brook Benton and Dinah Washington, "Venus" by Frankie Avalon and "Something's Got a Hold on Me" by Etta James. The repeating haunting theme from Jack Nitzsche reminded me of Twin Peaks.