By Katy Newton
Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Yep, that movie that begins with some skinny chick in a little black dress eating a danish in front of a jewelry store at 5 a.m. That chick, as most of us should know, was the adorable Audrey Hepburn, and that jewelry store, the one with the little blue boxes, is the iconic New York staple Tiffany’s.
But what few of us know is that composer Henry Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer almost never got the chance to write the Oscar-winning tune. Breakfast at Tiffany’s almost didn’t get the chance to have posters made from it, since the filmmakers struggled to adapt Truman Capote’s novel. And perhaps the biggest shock, Audrey Hepburn was not the first choice to play the lovable Holly Golightly!
These secrets and more are revealed in Sam Wasson’s “Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.,” a behind-the-scenes look into the making of one of the most influential movies ever.
Yes, Breakfast at Tiffany’s was influential… but I’m not just talking about that dress.
The book takes a look at the bigger cultural influence of the movie. Because, let’s face it, we’re all influenced by the media. Even those crazy housewives of the ‘50s got out of the house, and once they did, they had no clue how this controversial movie would shape their views for years to come.
Another kitschy extra that Wasson adds is a list of “Holly Golightly’s New York,” which includes locations that had an impact on the movie. As if that weren’t enough, the book, as expected, has odd but fun unknown facts about the film.
Even if you haven’t seen the movie or have no clue what this review is even about, Wasson’s book will envelop you into the alluring world of movie magic and how that magic can shape the views of independent minds for years to come.
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Katy Newton is a freshman journalism major who is still waiting to have breakfast at Tiffany’s. Email her at [email protected].