Peppermint Friday Review #21: Sabrina

So to end the wonderful week, we're gonna talk about a film that I love very much that stars two of my favorite people Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart and I did mention it in a post a couple of weeks ago. It was also directed by the same man who directed The Seven Year Itch which I did a review of at the start of this week. 

The story is about a girl called Sabrina (played by Audrey Hepburn) who has been in love with a guy called David Larrabee (played by William Holden) who doesn't really return the favor. Sabrina tries to commit suicide due to it, but fails but David's older brother Linus (played by Humphrey Bogart) intervenes she then goes to Paris to go to cooking school she returns home after two years and looks completely different, stunning, new attitude adjustment.

First of all the costumes are stunning, then again its hard to make Audrey look awful even when before Sabrina went to Paris she looked beautiful. But when she got back she just looked abit more groomed shall we say, and much more glamorous. Even with William Holden and Humphrey Bogart's characters looked amazing, with there character arcs and I know that they just wore suits but for the characters and the personality types they looked amazing. Thats my girly bit of the review done for a bit, but we all know

I loved Sabrina as a character, I saw allot of myself in her that she wears her heart on her sleeve which can be a bad thing, but a very human thing and thats something I love about her. Linus is so brilliant and opposite from Sabrina I actually love that they develop feelings for each other as the film goes on from the character development from Sabrina at the beginning of the film lusting after a man who clearly doesn't show the same affection back, to the end of the film where she's beautiful, graceful and a woman who knows her worth.

The script was so flawless and I loved the way they said the lines that needed to be said in that way. William Holden's character David was the perfect mix of arrogance and charm, the way I describe it is Gaston who went to finishing school and actually tried hard and completed it. In some ways this film is a mixture of Beauty and The Beast with Sabrina being Belle, David, Gaston and Humphrey The Beast, and a modern romance film that wants the characters to get together you know, like a Team David and Team Linus sort of thing. 

Now you all know this by now, I'm not a fan of chick flicks, romcoms things like that, but when it comes to Classic films that have romantic bits and are largely romantic in terms of genre, who has a Hollywood star in like Audrey, Marilyn or Veronica Lake or whoever I like the list goes on I will 100% watch that film. Billy Wilder who directed this film, is a fantastic director who is well known to direct Romantic films with an edge of Comedy to it.
                                                                       
I think you should all know that there is a 1995 remake of this film, which isn't as good as this one, even though it has Harrison Ford in but this one has Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, so who wins? Not that I don't like Harrison Ford he's brilliant but its Audrey and Humphrey. This film and story is so beautiful to watch even if you're not a huge romance fan you will still love this film, as there are some funny bits of the film which are incorporated in brilliantly by the wonderful directing of Billy Wilder. I will talk to you all next week, and have a lovely weekend!

Peppermint Friday Review #18: Angels With Dirty Faces

We are at the end of Cagney and Bogart week, and I've enjoyed it and all the film noirs even though I have to admit its been a little bit heavy, particularly this film as its pretty intense but one of my all time favorites.

The story centres around Rocky Sullivan who is played by James Cagney in his life Rocky has had a very criminalised lifestyle where he has stealed, been in prison, his lawyer who also own a casino Jim Frazier played by Humphrey Bogart tell Rocky to take the blame for the robbery he committed and spend 3 years in prison, and he will pay him $100000 the money Rocky stole on that day, he does this. Rocky then returns home visits old friends, who tell him to stay in the old parish, Rocky visits Jim's Casino and gets robbed, Rocky finds out its a group of youths who admire him. I won't say anymore but I will tell you the tension between Jim and Rocky goes from nought to one million. 

This film is very intense and amazingly modern in terms of camera technique, particularly the end scene as its the most famous of them all but also the most important one. The character of Rocky is so intriguing its even better as its Jimmy who plays him, as he is amazing at being the tough criminal guy who also is not actually that tough in the end and actually needs abit of TLC. 

Rocky's youths and kinda like his fans aswell, as they really look up to him are amazing too. They do such a brilliant job as they don't look or act like kids who have been doing acting for ages and are really stageschooly. They really are street kids which I love as it makes the film even more genuine and raw. Humphrey Bogart was amazing at playing Jim as he was so calm and concerning but the subtext of being pretty two faced. 

The character of Jim and Rocky are so modern and unique, particularly Jim as he is seen to help out Rocky but backstabbs him. For its time its so modern and different from any film before, and this is from a girl in 2017. This film was made in 1938, and its so edgy and its got dirt underneath its finger nails, people might think that Deniro is the original badass, but Jimmy and Humphrey are a whole different animal. 

This film is amazing, and not for everyone as it can get emotional and violent, but if anyone under the age of 16 watches this won't be as scared or violated than an underage person from 1938. But I could be wrong, as its completely unique to every person, but it can violent to some people. I adore this film and its so modern with its camera techniques during a time when film was just coming into its own. I will leave a link to buy it off amazon if you want as its a fantastic film that everyone should give a chance too!

Next week will be alot lighter if this week wasn't as I'm in the mood to watch a comedy and that's what I'll do! Speak to you alll soon, much love!

Cagney Vs Bogart

Because this week I've been watching a lot of Cagney films, and Bogart films. They are both charismatic and very talented in there performances and they have appeared in the same films together. I'd like to point out very quickly like I mentioned on my new 'FAQ Page' whenever I do 'Vs' posts its not a case of 'he/she is crap and he/she is the best' its either all, I like them both very much there's just one I like more than the other. That's clear? Let's go!

Both of these gentlemen have played the gangsters and both are very charming and charismatic people. Bogart and Cagney have both appeared in the same films together although these films are on the same genre, where they've mainly played gangsters, who smoke and they're usually from New York like Roaring Twenties, Angels With Dirty Faces. 

With saying that the gangster-smoking New York roles haven't been the only roles they've played although they've done it with charisma and charm, with Cagney he is much less apologetic when it comes to being a gangster and particularly when he's a gangster or villain, in Pubic Enemy I mean we can all remember that scene with him shoving that grapefruit in Mae Clarke's face? But at the same time, you can't stop watching him.

Bogart was seen as to me anyway, much less harsher but he is still seen as a tough, quiet and straight talking guy. Because his acting is much less show-offy not that Cagney shows off, but when Bogart acts he doesn't have to shove a grapefruit in a girl's face, its all in the eyes, kinda like the silent treatment in a way. But Bogart was still stern and charismatic, the similarities were Bogart was bought up in New York and so was Cagney so both of them knew about being in New York and you have to stand on your own.

Although both have played light hearted characters, Cagney was an amazing tap dancer and singer, just watch Yankee Doddle Dandy or Footlight Parade. Even in all the gangster, film noir he was in whenever he had a female to act alongside he did it brilliantly, and was just irresistible. Bogart is again such a gentlemen where he is just so charming when he was in Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn (which was one of her first films) he is so charming and kinda awkward as well, not the usual Bogart you would usually see.

I adore both of these actors, as they are so unique and at the time of them they wasn't anything like them, and I don't think there's anything like them today. I'm gonna say I prefer Jimmy Cagney, as I've watched him alot more and thats usually the reason, but also Jimmy can tap dance! and he's so eyecatching. Again I don't hate Bogart, I just prefer Cagney and have watched him longer and more, but Bogart is again very talented, and both are oozing with charisma and charm in all there roles.