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Audrey Hepburn
Book by Kidney, Christine
96 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 6, 2021
This delightful book is undoubtedly in the correct series for Audrey Hepburn was very definitely an 'Icon of our Times' and the 100 photographs or so within its covers prove the point.
Audrey Hepburn had a stellar career and acted with many of the top leading men of the day - as well as occasionally having a dalliance with some of them! Born in Belgium of a Dutch mother and and an English father, she began her acting career in musical theatre, a run in London's West End in 'Sauce Piquante' was one of her early ventures as a dancer. 'I worked like an idiot', she later said of this period in her life. And Bob Monkhouse who was also in the revue said of her, 'Her appearance was so adorable you held your breath while she smiled and batted her eyes.' Musical star Jessie Matthews commented, 'She just had to be a star given the right breaks.'
As a dancer she trained with the great Marie Rambert but was considered too tall to tour with Rambert's Sadler's Wells Ballet company, so, having been noticed by the film studios she went into films with 'Laughter in Paradise' being one of her early films. Although the part was a small one, she was noticed again and the studio was keen to hang on to her. And it did!
After she had been acting in films for a short time, photographer Cecil Beaton met her and he described her as having 'a new type of beauty: huge mouth flat Mongolian features', adding, 'Her enormous potential cinema success seems to have made little impression on this delightful human being.'
Gregory Peck was one of her first major leading men and he later said of her, 'She's a very funny lady ... I have always thought that she should have played more comedy ... It's not that she hasn't had a great career ... but I wish she had been allowed to do a few broad comedies along the way.' Alec Guinness in 'The Lavender Hill Mob' followed and in 1953 in 'Sabrina' she was alongside Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. It was then that she adopted Hubert de Givenchy as her style guru and he was to serve her faithfully for many years.
She married Mel Ferrer in 1954 and in 1956 she played in King Vidor's epic 'War and Peace' [Linda and I went to see the full length version of this film over two days one Christmas period at a cinema in Chelsea] and the director said of her 'It was of course inconceivable to have anyone other than Audrey Hepburn as Natasha. She has a rhythmic grace that is a director's delight.' And in 'Funny Face' she became one of the partners who danced with the great Fred Astaire.
She is well known as Holly Golightly in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' from which there is a famous still of the movie with her and George Peppard examining jewellery in Tiffany's and, interestingly, it was a shot that the producers wanted to cut from the film. Fortunately it wasn't cut and it has since become one of the most famous scenes from the film.
She once said, 'I'd do anything to play Eliza Doolittle' and she got her wish as Julie Andrews was overlooked for the part in 'My Fair Lady'. Cecil Beaton designed her costumes for the film and won an Oscar for doing so but Audrey, despite being one of the favourites to win one herself for her role as Eliza did not do so. Ironically it went to the lady who was overlooked, Julie Andrews, for her role in 'Mary Poppins'. Audrey was nominated five times by the Academy, for her roles in 'Roman Holiday', 'Sabrina' 'The Nun's Story', 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and 'Wait Until Dark', winning best actress in the first mentioned of the five films in 1954.
This is an excellent book and it captures many shots, some of them candid, of one of the greats of cinema history.
Audrey Hepburn had a stellar career and acted with many of the top leading men of the day - as well as occasionally having a dalliance with some of them! Born in Belgium of a Dutch mother and and an English father, she began her acting career in musical theatre, a run in London's West End in 'Sauce Piquante' was one of her early ventures as a dancer. 'I worked like an idiot', she later said of this period in her life. And Bob Monkhouse who was also in the revue said of her, 'Her appearance was so adorable you held your breath while she smiled and batted her eyes.' Musical star Jessie Matthews commented, 'She just had to be a star given the right breaks.'
As a dancer she trained with the great Marie Rambert but was considered too tall to tour with Rambert's Sadler's Wells Ballet company, so, having been noticed by the film studios she went into films with 'Laughter in Paradise' being one of her early films. Although the part was a small one, she was noticed again and the studio was keen to hang on to her. And it did!
After she had been acting in films for a short time, photographer Cecil Beaton met her and he described her as having 'a new type of beauty: huge mouth flat Mongolian features', adding, 'Her enormous potential cinema success seems to have made little impression on this delightful human being.'
Gregory Peck was one of her first major leading men and he later said of her, 'She's a very funny lady ... I have always thought that she should have played more comedy ... It's not that she hasn't had a great career ... but I wish she had been allowed to do a few broad comedies along the way.' Alec Guinness in 'The Lavender Hill Mob' followed and in 1953 in 'Sabrina' she was alongside Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. It was then that she adopted Hubert de Givenchy as her style guru and he was to serve her faithfully for many years.
She married Mel Ferrer in 1954 and in 1956 she played in King Vidor's epic 'War and Peace' [Linda and I went to see the full length version of this film over two days one Christmas period at a cinema in Chelsea] and the director said of her 'It was of course inconceivable to have anyone other than Audrey Hepburn as Natasha. She has a rhythmic grace that is a director's delight.' And in 'Funny Face' she became one of the partners who danced with the great Fred Astaire.
She is well known as Holly Golightly in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' from which there is a famous still of the movie with her and George Peppard examining jewellery in Tiffany's and, interestingly, it was a shot that the producers wanted to cut from the film. Fortunately it wasn't cut and it has since become one of the most famous scenes from the film.
She once said, 'I'd do anything to play Eliza Doolittle' and she got her wish as Julie Andrews was overlooked for the part in 'My Fair Lady'. Cecil Beaton designed her costumes for the film and won an Oscar for doing so but Audrey, despite being one of the favourites to win one herself for her role as Eliza did not do so. Ironically it went to the lady who was overlooked, Julie Andrews, for her role in 'Mary Poppins'. Audrey was nominated five times by the Academy, for her roles in 'Roman Holiday', 'Sabrina' 'The Nun's Story', 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and 'Wait Until Dark', winning best actress in the first mentioned of the five films in 1954.
This is an excellent book and it captures many shots, some of them candid, of one of the greats of cinema history.
June 25, 2015
Wonderful photos of a true icon. A true personification of beauty
December 8, 2020
Audrey Hepburn, Icons of Our Time published by Pulteney Press is a beautifully produced picture book of Audrey. There are many photographs I haven’t seen of the star before, especially her early days including one with her jumping over a log with a dog on a lead. And another with her barefoot on a golfing green clowning around.
The photographs are the highlight with just small captions accompanying every second one. At first, I thought the captions would be just fluff but soon realised they were a potted history of the star. There is mention of why the Sadlers Wells Ballet Company didn’t chose Hepburn to tour with them – “she was considered too tall and lacked the stamina, probably a result of the deprivations of the war.”
There are photographs of her as a dancer in a revue call called Sauce Tartare and also others from her days as a model.
So far very reverential and then suddenly there is mention of an affair after her marriage to Mel Ferrer (who once famously putting a fork into her arm to make her get her elbows off the table. This was done in front of most of the cast of Breakfast at Tiffany’s). The affair was with her Sabrina co-star William Holden. I do admit that I haven’t read a full biography of the star but had never heard a whisper of this. I believe it’s true, though, seeing a marvellous photo on page 31 of her and Holden looking with deep affection at each other and clowning around.
There is also a mention of another affair in 1959. This is with the scriptwriter Robert Anderson who wrote The Nun’s Story.
Another marvellous photo is of Audrey with Cary Grant on the set of Charade and then mention of a third affair with Albert Finney during the filming of Two for the Road in 1967. This was at a time when Audrey’s marriage to Ferrer was increasingly unhappy. According to Stanley Donen: “She was so free, so happy. I never saw her like that…I guess it was Albie.”
Wait Until Dark was a difficult production and Audrey didn’t make another movie for ten years. Ferrer and Hepburn separated in 1967 and in 1968 Audrey married Andrea Dotti. This marriage would not be a success, but it would give her a son like her marriage to Ferrer. In 1980 Audrey met Robert Wolders who would be her partner for the rest of her life. Five stars for all the wonderful photos.
The photographs are the highlight with just small captions accompanying every second one. At first, I thought the captions would be just fluff but soon realised they were a potted history of the star. There is mention of why the Sadlers Wells Ballet Company didn’t chose Hepburn to tour with them – “she was considered too tall and lacked the stamina, probably a result of the deprivations of the war.”
There are photographs of her as a dancer in a revue call called Sauce Tartare and also others from her days as a model.
So far very reverential and then suddenly there is mention of an affair after her marriage to Mel Ferrer (who once famously putting a fork into her arm to make her get her elbows off the table. This was done in front of most of the cast of Breakfast at Tiffany’s). The affair was with her Sabrina co-star William Holden. I do admit that I haven’t read a full biography of the star but had never heard a whisper of this. I believe it’s true, though, seeing a marvellous photo on page 31 of her and Holden looking with deep affection at each other and clowning around.
There is also a mention of another affair in 1959. This is with the scriptwriter Robert Anderson who wrote The Nun’s Story.
Another marvellous photo is of Audrey with Cary Grant on the set of Charade and then mention of a third affair with Albert Finney during the filming of Two for the Road in 1967. This was at a time when Audrey’s marriage to Ferrer was increasingly unhappy. According to Stanley Donen: “She was so free, so happy. I never saw her like that…I guess it was Albie.”
Wait Until Dark was a difficult production and Audrey didn’t make another movie for ten years. Ferrer and Hepburn separated in 1967 and in 1968 Audrey married Andrea Dotti. This marriage would not be a success, but it would give her a son like her marriage to Ferrer. In 1980 Audrey met Robert Wolders who would be her partner for the rest of her life. Five stars for all the wonderful photos.
July 31, 2010
this biography was great from start to end , holding great photos of her films , portraits and posters. Giving a great background check before explainning her walk to fame.
March 25, 2012
Great book for every Audrey fan.
July 13, 2025
Note to safe check the book before you read or you might mind pages ripped/ missing (fuck you bezo’s)
But other than that I still think Audrey Hepburn is one of the best actresses
But other than that I still think Audrey Hepburn is one of the best actresses
January 31, 2016
Great for a Audrey fan, I really enjoyed this book that's been on my coffee table for far to long and I'm glad I have finally took the time to read it.
The only reason I did not vote this 5 stars was because I enjoyed the text content and would have liked a little more.
The only reason I did not vote this 5 stars was because I enjoyed the text content and would have liked a little more.
May 22, 2013
Beautiful book!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews