Funny Face (1957)
I’ve had a sentimental relationship with Funny Face for years. It’s a pretty lousy movie, with subpar songs, dance numbers that manage to make Fred Astaire look tired, and a completely unrealistic plot. So why have I seen it a dozen times? When I was younger, I would watch any movie with Audrey Hepburn in it, and since she played a fashion model, she got to wear lots of pretty clothes in this movie. When I got older, my sentiments changed. I’d been moping around the house and had popped in Funny Face for pure escapism. Halfway through the movie, my (ex)boyfriend called and we got back together. For years afterwards, I watched the movie as a “good luck” anniversary present to myself.
So, unless you’ve had exactly the same life experience, I can’t in good conscience recommend this movie. Audrey Hepburn uses her own singing voice, and it’s just dreadful. Fred isn’t even showcased, and although Audrey does come from a dancing background, it looks like she has two left feet when she’s combined with Fred. It’s very sweet that she gave up making the movie adaptation of Gigi to make this movie because she wanted to work with Fred so badly, but the end result isn’t great.
In the movie, Fred plays a photographer to Kay Thompson’s fashion magazine. Kay’s after a new look, the all-American average girl, and she sets out to find a completely unknown woman to be the star of their next issue’s spread. Audrey works in a library and is far more concerned with intellect than fashion. She hates everything Kay and Fred stand for, so when she’s captured as their next model, she resists with all her might. It’s almost insulting when Fred sings the title song to her, saying one of the most glamorous beauty icons of the century is “no Queen of Sheba”. It’s not very plausible that Audrey would agree to model, and that she would take to it so naturally. At first, she only agrees to go to Paris so she can hang out with beatniks in cafes and talk philosophy, but once she puts on a beautiful gown and steps in front of Fred’s camera, she turns into Audrey Hepburn. In other words, it’s silly. No one needs to see Fred waving his coat at an imaginary bull. And since that boyfriend of mine is very much in the past, I probably won’t put myself through this anymore.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "hung nguyen" for posting!
More Fred Astaire movies here!
More Audrey Hepburn movies here!
So, unless you’ve had exactly the same life experience, I can’t in good conscience recommend this movie. Audrey Hepburn uses her own singing voice, and it’s just dreadful. Fred isn’t even showcased, and although Audrey does come from a dancing background, it looks like she has two left feet when she’s combined with Fred. It’s very sweet that she gave up making the movie adaptation of Gigi to make this movie because she wanted to work with Fred so badly, but the end result isn’t great.
In the movie, Fred plays a photographer to Kay Thompson’s fashion magazine. Kay’s after a new look, the all-American average girl, and she sets out to find a completely unknown woman to be the star of their next issue’s spread. Audrey works in a library and is far more concerned with intellect than fashion. She hates everything Kay and Fred stand for, so when she’s captured as their next model, she resists with all her might. It’s almost insulting when Fred sings the title song to her, saying one of the most glamorous beauty icons of the century is “no Queen of Sheba”. It’s not very plausible that Audrey would agree to model, and that she would take to it so naturally. At first, she only agrees to go to Paris so she can hang out with beatniks in cafes and talk philosophy, but once she puts on a beautiful gown and steps in front of Fred’s camera, she turns into Audrey Hepburn. In other words, it’s silly. No one needs to see Fred waving his coat at an imaginary bull. And since that boyfriend of mine is very much in the past, I probably won’t put myself through this anymore.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "hung nguyen" for posting!
More Fred Astaire movies here!
More Audrey Hepburn movies here!