Breakfast at Tiffany's
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Blake Edwards
Produced by	Richard Shepherd Martin Jurow
Written by	Truman Capote George Axelrod
Starring	Audrey Hepburn George Peppard Patricia Neal Buddy Ebsen
Music by	Henry Mancini
Cinematography	Franz F. Planer
Editing by	Howard Smith
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	October 5, 1961
Running time	115 min.
Country
Language	English
Budget	$2.5 million
Gross revenue	$14 million
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a 1961 American film starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, and featuring Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, and Mickey Rooney. It was directed by Blake Edwards. The portrayal of Holly Golightly as the naive, eccentric socialite is generally considered to be Audrey Hepburn's most memorable and identifiable role. She herself regarded it as one of her most challenging roles to play, as she was an introvert who had to play an extrovert. Hepburn's singing of "Moon River" helped garner an Oscar for Best Song for composer Henry Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer. The film also featured what was arguably George Peppard's greatest acting role and the high point of his career. The film is based on the novella of the same name by Truman Capote. Breakfast at Tiffanys may refer to the following: Breakfast at Tiffanys - the 1958 novella by Truman Capote. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (664x1002, 120 KB) Summary Movie theatre poster advertisement for Breakfast at Tiffanys - © 1961 Paramount Pictures Licensing This image is of a movie poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the movie or... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Truman Capote (pronounced ; 30 September 1924 – 25 August 1984) was an American writer whose stories, novels, plays, and non-fiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffanys (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a non-fiction novel. ... George Axelrod (June 9th, 1922 - June 21st, 2003) was an American screenwriter, producer, playwright and film director. ... Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929) – January 20, 1993) was an Academy Award, Tony Award, Grammy Award, Emmy Award-winning film and stage actress, fashion icon, and humanitarian. ... George Peppard, Jr. ... Patricia Neal (born January 20, 1926, Packard, Kentucky) is an Academy Award winning American actress. ... Buddy Ebsen (April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003) was an American actor and dancer, who is best-remembered for his role as Jed Clampett in the popular television series The Beverly Hillbillies. ... Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), was an Academy Award winning American composer, conductor and arranger. ... Film cinematographer Franz Planer (March 29, 1894 - January 10, 1963) was born in Karlsbad, Austria-Hungary (now called the Czech Republic). ... Howard Alexander Smith (January 30, 1880-October 27, 1966) was a US Senator from New Jersey. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... The year 1961 in film involved some significant events. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The year 1961 in film involved some significant events. ... Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929) – January 20, 1993) was an Academy Award, Tony Award, Grammy Award, Emmy Award-winning film and stage actress, fashion icon, and humanitarian. ... George Peppard, Jr. ... Patricia Neal (born January 20, 1926, Packard, Kentucky) is an Academy Award winning American actress. ... Buddy Ebsen (April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003) was an American actor and dancer, who is best-remembered for his role as Jed Clampett in the popular television series The Beverly Hillbillies. ... Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. ... Actor Mickey Rooney speaks at the Pentagon in 2000 during a ceremony honoring the USO. Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule, Jr. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Introvert is a rock band from Miami, Florida. ... The terms Introvert and Extrovert (originally spelled Extravert by Carl Jung, who invented the terms) are referred to as attitudes and show how a person orients and receives their energy. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), was an Academy Award winning American composer, conductor and arranger. ... John Herndon Johnny Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was a popular American songwriter and singer. ... Breakfast at Tiffanys is a novella by Truman Capote published in 1958. ... Truman Capote (pronounced ; 30 September 1924 – 25 August 1984) was an American writer whose stories, novels, plays, and non-fiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffanys (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a non-fiction novel. ...

Plot

Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard in Breakfast at Tiffany's

The movie follows the exploits of Holly Golightly, a young woman always on the run from herself. Lacking a stable childhood, she marries at the age of 14, has the marriage annulled, moves to Hollywood to start a film career, then suddenly leaves Hollywood for New York. Although the nature of her livelihood in New York is never explicitly stated, it is implied that she is either a call girl or, at the very least, makes a living by dating well-off men. Holly also earns an extra $100 a week by unknowingly carrying coded messages for an incarcerated mafia boss. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A call girl is a prostitute who is not visible to the general public, like a street walker, and who does not usually belong to an institution like a brothel. ...

The plot revolves around Holly's relationship with her new neighbor, Paul Varjak, a writer who has only written one book five years before, and has confidence problems of his own. He is, in fact, being maintained by a Mrs. Failenson, and in effect makes his living as gigolo - which creates the first bond between him and Holly, as being "colleagues". A male prostitute (or hustler) is a sex worker or prostitute who earns money by providing sexual services to clients. ...

The story explores the relationship between Holly and Paul, her other paramours and the resolution that occurs within Holly's own mind and between Holly and Paul. The film includes Hepburn singing the original performance of "Moon River," and the closing sequence that shows Paul's "lecture" to Holly and her self-discovery of who she really is and who makes her truly happy. The film ends with a scene in the rain. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Cast

• Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly
• George Peppard as Paul "Fred" Varjak
• Patricia Neal as Mrs. Failenson
• Buddy Ebsen as Doc Golightly
• Martin Balsam as O.J. Berman
• Orangey as Cat (trained by Frank Inn)
• Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi

Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929) – January 20, 1993) was an Academy Award, Tony Award, Grammy Award, Emmy Award-winning film and stage actress, fashion icon, and humanitarian. ... George Peppard, Jr. ... Patricia Neal (born January 20, 1926, Packard, Kentucky) is an Academy Award winning American actress. ... Buddy Ebsen (April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003) was an American actor and dancer, who is best-remembered for his role as Jed Clampett in the popular television series The Beverly Hillbillies. ... Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. ... Breakfast at Tiffanys is a novella by Truman Capote, published in 1958. ... Frank Inn (born Elias Franklin Freeman, May 8, 1916 – July 27, 2002) was an American animal trainer. ... Actor Mickey Rooney speaks at the Pentagon in 2000 during a ceremony honoring the USO. Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule, Jr. ...

The screenplay

The Oscar-nominated screenplay was written by George Axelrod, loosely based on the novella by Truman Capote. George Axelrod (June 9th, 1922 - June 21st, 2003) was an American screenwriter, producer, playwright and film director. ... Truman Capote (pronounced ; 30 September 1924 – 25 August 1984) was an American writer whose stories, novels, plays, and non-fiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffanys (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a non-fiction novel. ...

Capote, who sold the film rights of his novella to Paramount Studios, wanted Marilyn Monroe to play the role of Holly Golightly in the film. Barry Paris references a quote by Capote: "Marilyn was always my first choice to play the girl, Holly Golightly." Screenwriter Axelrod was hired to "tailor the screenplay for Monroe." When Hepburn was cast instead of Marilyn, Capote remarked: "Paramount double-crossed me in every way and cast Audrey."^[1] Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortensen;[1] June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), was a Golden Globe award winning[2] American actress, singer, model, Hollywood icon,[3] Cultural icon, beauty ideal,[4] fashion icon,[5] pop icon and sex symbol. ...

A number of changes were made to the storyline to adapt the story to fit the medium of cinema. Capote's novella included language that was toned down for the film. The character of 2E (Patricia Neal) was invented for the movie. This character, Mrs. Failenson, is called 2E because her real name is Emily Eustace. In the novella, Mag Wildwood, a model with a stuttering problem, moves into Holly's apartment after Holly falls out with the novelist upstairs. Wildwood appears briefly in the film, as a guest at the party at Holly's, with her stutter intact. And the film changed the novella's unresolved, open ending to a more conventional "Hollywood" romantic happy ending. Patricia Neal (born January 20, 1926, Packard, Kentucky) is an Academy Award winning American actress. ... Stuttering is a speech disorder in which pronunciation of the (usually) first letter or syllable of a word is repeated involuntarily. ...

Production

Originally producers Martin Jurow and Richard Shepherd had picked John Frankenheimer as the director, but as production began they replaced him, fearing that Frankenheimer would make the film "too dark". John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film director. ...

Kim Novak was approached to play the role of Holly Golightly, but she turned it down, for fear of being typecast as a scared sex kitten. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

It has been rumored that the film's on-location opening sequence, in which Holly gazes into a Tiffany's display window, was extremely difficult for director Blake Edwards to film. Although it was simple in concept, crowd control, Hepburn's dislike of pastries, and an accident that nearly resulted in the electrocution of a crew member are all said to have made capturing the scene a challenge. However, Edwards, in an interview given for the 45th anniversary DVD, said that the sequence was captured rather quickly due to the good fortune of an unexpected traffic lull despite the location in the heart of Manhattan. Tiffany Blue seen here on a Tiffany gift box. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Sign warning of possible electric shock hazard An electric shock can occur upon contact of a humans body with any source of voltage high enough to cause sufficient current flow through the muscles or hair. ...

Hepburn introduced the film's signature song, "Moon River", by Henry Mancini, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Sung by Hepburn herself, it was written to her singing range based on the vocal solos she had performed in 1957's Funny Face. According to Mancini and Edwards, a studio executive hated the song and demanded it be cut from the film; Hepburn, who was present when this proclamation was made, responded to the suggestion by standing up and saying, "over my dead body." Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), was an Academy Award winning American composer, conductor and arranger. ... John Herndon Johnny Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was a popular American songwriter and singer. ... Funny Face (TV series). ...

Wisp-thin Hepburn as Holly, carrying a cigarette holder, is considered one of the iconic images of 20th century American cinema. The film rejuvenated the career of 1930s movie song-and-dance man Buddy Ebsen, who had a small but effective role in this film as Doc Golightly, Holly's ex-husband. His success here led directly to his best-known role as Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies. A cigarette holder is a slender tube in which a single cigarette is held for smoking, as opposed to the cigarette case which holds many cigarettes for the purpose of carrying. ... Buddy Ebsen (April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003) was an American actor and dancer, who is best-remembered for his role as Jed Clampett in the popular television series The Beverly Hillbillies. ... For the 1993 film, see The Beverly Hillbillies (film) The Beverly Hillbillies was an American television program about a hillbilly family transplanted in Southern California. ...

Many critics consider the film's sole blunder to be Caucasian Mickey Rooney's "yellowfaced" performance as Holly's bucktoothed, stereotyped Japanese neighbor, a point of contention raised in the 1993 film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, and on the March 17, 2008 episode of The Colbert Report. In the 45th anniversary edition DVD release, producer Richard Shepherd repeatedly apologizes for this, stating "If we could just change Mickey Rooney, I'd be thrilled with the movie." Edwards does not apologize for the portrayal, although he does say he would cast someone else if he had the chance. He does, however, indicate that he would not cast Peppard in the lead male role of the film if he were to do it over again. Actor Mickey Rooney speaks at the Pentagon in 2000 during a ceremony honoring the USO. Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule, Jr. ... Katherine Hepburn in Dragon Seed Yellowface is the practice in cinema, theatre, and television where East Asian characters are portrayed by white actors, often while wearing heavy makeup in order to approximate Asian or Oriental facial characteristics. ... Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a highly fictionalized biographical film about Bruce Lee. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... The Colbert Report (IPA ) is an American satirical television program that airs from 11:30 p. ...

In the commentary on the anniversary edition DVD, producer Richard Shepherd says that 9 different cats were used for the role of "Cat".

Most of the exteriors were filmed in New York City, except the fire escape scenes and the scene at the in end in the rain where Holly puts Cat out of the cab and then Paul and Holly look for Cat. All of the interiors, except for portions of the scene inside Tiffany & Company, were filmed on the Paramount studio lot in Burbank. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

One of three dresses designed by Givenchy for Hepburn for possible use in the movie sold at auction by Christie's ^{[2][dead link]} on December 5, 2006 for £467,200 (~US$800,000), about seven times the reserve price.^[3] Givenchy (pronounced ) is a French brand of clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics. ... is the 339th day of the year (340th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. ... Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), was an Academy Award winning American composer, conductor and arranger. ... The Academy Award for Best Song is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are songwriters and composers. ... John Herndon Johnny Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was a popular American songwriter and singer. ... Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), was an Academy Award winning American composer, conductor and arranger. ... Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929) – January 20, 1993) was an Academy Award, Tony Award, Grammy Award, Emmy Award-winning film and stage actress, fashion icon, and humanitarian. ... The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. ... Hal Pereira was an American art director and production designer educated at the University of Illinois and brother of architect William L. Periera. ... Art director Roland Andersons first Oscar nomination (the first of 15 but no Oscar-win) was for his first film in 1933, A Farewell to Arms. A frequent collaborator with Cecil B. deMille - he worked on Cleopatra (1934), The Buccaneer (1938) and North West Mounted Police (1940) - as well... The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ... George Axelrod (June 9th, 1922 - June 21st, 2003) was an American screenwriter, producer, playwright and film director. ...

Other awards

• John Addison won the Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album or Recording or Score.
• George Axelrod) won the Writers Guild of America for Best Written American Drama.
• Blake Edwards was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures.

John Addison (1920-1998) was a British composer. ... The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media has been awarded since 1988. ... George Axelrod (June 9th, 1922 - June 21st, 2003) was an American screenwriter, producer, playwright and film director. ... The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and television industries in the United States. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Director Guild of America building on Sunset Boulevard. ...

DVD availability

Standard DVD release cover

Breakfast at Tiffany's was one of the first Hepburn films to be released to the home video market in the early 1980s, and is also widely available on DVD. On February 7, 2006, Paramount released a 45th anniversary special edition DVD set in North America with featurettes not included on the prior DVD release: This is a DVD cover. ... This is a DVD cover. ... The home video business rents and sells videocassettes and DVDs to the public. ... is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Audio Commentary - with producer Richard Shepherd
• Breakfast at Tiffany's: The Making of a Classic - a making-of featurette with interviews by Edwards, Neal, the "laughing/crying" woman from the party, and Sean Ferrer, Hepburn's son.
• It's So Audrey! A Style Icon - a short tribute to Hepburn.
• Brilliance in a Blue Box - a brief history of Tiffany & Co.
• Audrey's Letter to Tiffany - an accounting of Hepburn's letter to Tiffany & Co. on the occasion of the company's 150th anniversary in 1987.
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Photo Gallery

Musical adaptations

In 1966, David Merrick produced a Broadway musical of the same name starring Mary Tyler Moore as Holly Golightly. The troubled production closed after four previews. David Merrick (November 27, 1911 - April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer and director, associated with both musicals and dramas, brilliant successes and embarrassing fl ops. ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Studio recording Breakfast at Tiffanys is one of the most notorious flops in the history of Broadway musicals. ... This article is about the actress. ...

In 2004, a new musical adaptation of the film made its world debut at The St. Louis Muny.

Cultural references

• In 1995, the Texas band Deep Blue Something had a hit with a song called "Breakfast at Tiffany's." The song was inspired by Hepburn's performance in the film Roman Holiday, but the author, Todd David Pipes, thought that one of Hepburn's other films would make a better song title.^[4] The song reached the top five in the United States and number one in the United Kingdom.
• The band Jets to Brazil takes their name from the poster seen in Holly's apartment.^[5]
• The Japanese toy company Jun Planning produced a doll based on Holly Golightly, for the March 2006 Pullip doll.^[6]
• The song "Let Me Entertain You" on the Queen album Jazz references the movie with the line "We'll Breakfast at Tiffany's, we'll sing to you in Japanese, we're only here to entertain you."
• In the 1993 film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Bruce Lee and his girl friend, Linda Emery, watch the film at the theater, but Linda suggest they leave midway after she notices that Bruce is upset at the stereotypical depiction of an Asian man portrayed by Mickey Rooney.
• Lisi Harrison's 9th Clique story is called Bratfest at Tiffany's.
• The iconic image of the movie was once duplicated by Shinya, the male drummer of a Japanese band, Dir en grey.
• On Google Calendar, the example event is "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
• Another film starring Hepburn, Paris, When It Sizzles (1963), references Breakfast At Tiffany's indirectly when Holden describes the classic character of the "prostitute with a heart of gold".
• On episode 605 of Seinfeld, entitled "The Couch", George joins a book club and has to read Breakfast at Tiffany's. However, George tries renting the movie instead so he doesn't have to actually read it.
• Episode 302 of CSI: New York, "Not What It Looks Like", features a trio of women who dress as Holly Golightly and rob a jewelery store.
• In The Simpsons episode "I'm with Cupid", several of the men are spying on Apu at Springfield's Tiffany & Co. Instead of buying a diamond like they expect, he comes out with a croissant. Chief Wiggam says "Aw, that's right, they have breakfast at Tiffany's now."^[7]
• Episode 104 of Gossip Girl, "Bad News Blair", opened with a dream sequence recreation of the film's opening scene. Blair Waldorf is dressed as Holly, and she exits a taxi cab with coffee and pastry in hand. She stares up at a store, but instead of Tiffany's and Co., it's Henri Bendel. In the Gossip Girl book series, Blair Waldorf is also portrayed as a younger version of Audrey Hepburn, looking up to her as an idol. She also frequently watches Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Deep Blue Something is an American rock band best known for its hit single Breakfast at Tiffanys. ... Breakfast at Tiffanys is a song by American rock band Deep Blue Something, released in 1995 on their album Home. ... Roman Holiday is a 1953 romantic comedy. ... Jets to Brazil is an American rock band. ... Pullip is a doll created by the Korean company Chunsang Chunha and marketed by JUN Planning of Japan. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1972 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor, with bassist John Deacon joining the following year. ... Jazz is a 1978 album by English rock band Queen. ... Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a highly fictionalized biographical film about Bruce Lee. ... Bruce Lee (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng; Cantonese Yale: Léih Síulùhng; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Chinese-American martial artist, philosopher, instructor, and martial arts actor widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the 20th century and a... Linda Lee cadwell. ... Lisi Harrison was born on July 29, 1970 in Toronto, Ontario. ... Bratfest at Tiffanys is the 9th book in the bestselling Clique series by Lisi Harrison. ... This article is about the drummer of the band Dir en grey. ... Dir en grey is a Japanese band formed in 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div. ... Google Calendar, previously code-named CL2, is a contact- and time-management web application offered by Google. ... Paris - When It Sizzles is a 1964 romantic film comedy made by Richard Quine Productions and Charleston Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. ... Seinfeld is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989 to May 14, 1998, running a total of 9 seasons. ... The Couch is the 91st episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. ... CSI: NY (working title CSI: New York) is an American police procedural television series which premiered on September 22, 2004. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Im With Cupid is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons tenth season. ... For the Japanese womens magazine, see Croissant (magazine). ... Gossip Girl is an American television teen drama based on the popular novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. ... Bad News Blair is the fourth episode of the CW television series, Gossip Girl. ... Blair Cornelia Waldorf, or simply known as Blair Waldorf, is a main character in the best selling Gossip Girl book series. ... Henri Bendel is an upscale womens specialty store, established in New York City in 1896. ... This article is about the book series. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 339th day of the year (340th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Breakfast at Tiffany's at the Internet Movie Database
• Breakfast at Tiffany's at Allmovie
• Breakfast at Tiffany's at the TCM Movie Database
• Breakfast At Tiffany's On The Cast Album Database