Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a romance movie from 1961. Starring Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly. Holly is a fun-loving girl without a care in the world. Her only goals are to marry rich and saving money for when her brother Fred returns from war. Then she meets her new neighbor, author Paul Vijack. He is a serious person. She tells Paul that she goes to the jail once a week to visit Sally Tomato. His lawyer gives her $100 a week to deliver “The Weather Report.” Paul meets Holly’s agent and learns that he transformed her from a country girl into a Manhattan socialite. Paul confronts a man lurking around who turns out to be Doc Golightly, Holly’s estranged husband. He says that Holly’s real name is Lula Mae Barnes, they got married when she was 13 and he came to take her home because her brother Fred is returning. Holly says that their marriage was annulled and that she will not be returning with him. Holly drunkenly tells Paul that she is marrying Rusty Trawler for his money but soon sees a newspaper headline stating he has already married someone else. The next day Holly and Paul spend the day taking turns doing something each has never done before. At Tiffany’s Paul has a ring from a cracker jack box engraved. Then Holly decides to pursue Jose for his money which angers Paul. Holly then receives a telegram notifying her of Fred’s death. She tells Paul that she is leaving the next day for brazil with Jose but is then arrested in connection to Sally Tomato’s drug ring. When Holly is released the next day on bail Paul is waiting with Cat and a letter from Jose explaining that he is ending their relationship because she was arrested. Holly says she will go to brazil anyway and releases Cat into the rain. Paul confesses his love for her but is frustrated with her response. He throws the engraved ring at her and goes out to find Cat. Holly realizes that she does want to love Paul. She goes out to help look for Cat. After finding Cat Holly and Paul kiss.
This movie has the most realistic love story in it that I have ever seen. Love is a choice and I think for quite a while Holly doesn’t even believe she will ever love anyone. She wants to be free to do whatever she pleases and she thinks loving someone will take away her freedom. She tells Paul to never love a wild thing. He will only get hurt. That he should never try to put a wild thing in a cage. He responds that she is already in a cage and she put herself there. He means that she is so close minded about the idea of love. When he leaves that cab, she realizes that while she has enjoyed being alone she doesn’t like being lonely. She decides she loves Paul and goes after him.
Romance is such an overdone genre of movie. There are so many love movies out there. I personally don’t enjoy a lot of them and I know a lot of people feel the same way. However, this movie is different. It is so realistic. They don’t meet in some crazy way. They’re neighbors. They don’t instantly fall in love. They become friends, they even watch each other go through other relationships but in the end, they love each other. Then the movie ends. We don’t know if they got married or if they broke up. We just watch the process of them falling in love and then it’s over. From then on out they control their story. They could decide to give up on their relationship someday or they will do whatever it takes to make sure their relationship lasts forever. This is not a stereotypical romance movie.
There has been lots of speculation that Holly Golightly was a call girl. I think regardless she is a strong independent woman and is very admirable. She left for New York very young and made a life for herself there. She has been living alone for quite a while and can provide for herself. In that time that was rare. It would have been very difficult to get a real job as a single woman. Especially since she had no degree due to the fact that she was a child bride.
The entire movie takes place in New York. The city where anything is possible. It does seem like an act of fate that Holly and Paul met and became friends. Even though they were neighbors sometimes you just don’t know people. Here in Kansas I don’t really know my neighbors. In New York people have an agenda, they rarely notice people. However, Holly Golightly was not like most New Yorkers. She just loved living there. Watching people achieve their dreams.
This movie is a reminder that nobody is perfect. Yet everyone deserves love. The potential for love finds you at the least expected time. Holly was living her life she was happy than Paul showed up. She realized that while she was happy before she was happier with him. If she left him she would never be that happy again.
