This is a girl's fantasy for grown-ups, and one of the best of its kind. The script, from the play by Samuel A. Taylor, is well-paced and psychologically true in a way that is not immediately obvious. The dialogue, while clearly dated and somewhat pedestrian at times, nonetheless stands up well. The sets are large, very large (director Billy Wilder loved to give us a sense of the vastness of the American corporate empire at mid-century): the Larrabee offices, the garage where Sabrina starts all the cars (I think her father, sleeping overhead really would have awaken instead of just tossing and turning), the family estate with its indoor and outdoor pools and courts. There's some pleasant diversion with old man Larrabee (Walter Hampden) and his huge cigars and olives. (The way Bogie is able to smash the little jar, swoop up the olive and land it in the mouth of the old guy in quick motion was a nice trick that surely wowed them on the set. Did Bogie cut his hand or Hampden swallow some glass?) The servants as Sabrina's cheering section and her father (John Williams) with his very correct class prejudices divert us as well.

As for "old stone face" Bogart being miscast, I don't necessarily agree, but certainly Cary Grant would have been a better match for Miss Hepburn, as we would see in Charade (1963). William Holden, on the other hand (in blond coiffeur), seemed completely at ease in a comedic role. Nonetheless, the cynical edge that lent depth to his character in, e.g., Sunset Boulevard and Stalag 17, was entirely absent here. I think a scene in which he sardonically justifies his playboy ways might have fleshed him out more.

As for Miss Hepburn, she was entirely involved, subtle, driven, nearly flawless, warm and winning. She is especially gorgeous in black and white. Bogart didn't particularly care for her, I understand, complaining about the many takes in her scenes with him. But she was nearly an ingenue, in her second important film, and he was, in his fifties, the veteran of many, many movies. Somehow they both overcame the lack of chemistry, and in a way, made their relationship "sensible" rather than heated. I think Wilder didn't mind this because he was aiming at something deeper than "happily ever after."

Of course Wilder employs a voice-over, a kind of Wilder signature, almost a joke, because as usual the device is abandoned before long. However it did allow us to hear Hepburn begin the film with the magical words, "Once upon a time..." as she describes the fairyland of her childhood, the Larrabee estate.

She this for Audrey Hepburn, who occasionally played a teenager in film, but was never one.


Audrey Hepburn is Sabrina, Timeless Romance Classic !   April 17, 2001
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Audrey Hepburn won the Best Actress Oscar (1953 for Roman Holiday) the year before. She was Hollywoods newest shining star. Sabrina was specifically for Audrey. Only her second motion picture proved her 5 star box office stardom.

This remastered DVD is from Paramounts "The Audrey Hepburn Collection". If you love the old Hollywood and the "Big Stars" you'll love Sabrina.

Audrey Hepburn (Sabrina)(Oscar winner), William Holden (David Larrabee)(Oscar winner - Stalag 17) & Humphrey Bogart (Linus Larrabee) (Oscar winner - African Queen) were perfectly cast for this timeless romantic comedy classic.

In summary: The fun begins with a chauffers young daughter (Sabrina) who is in love with employer (the Larrabee family) playboy son millionaire David (Holden) who only sees her as a child. She is sent off to Paris to a cooking & fininshing school. Sabrina meets the European rich & famous who refine and add sophistication to the maturing young woman. Upon her return home as a changed mature socialite is swooned by David unknowning it is this young daughter of a servant, Sabrina. Once this is disclosed the real romance begins. Linus (Bogart) the older brother who runs the family business dynasty has pre-arranged a business merger marriage for David. David now loves Sabrina. Linus tries to swoon Sabrina away from David who is now jeopardizing the business merger. Sabrina is still in love with David finds Linus' advances distracting, then charming & eventually a love triangle begins. The rest is history. Especially the happy ending which was the old Hollywood recipe to success.

A great movie, a great performing cast and a delightful Sabrina. Included is a "Sabrina" documentary which adds frosting to the already tasty cake.


Bogey robs the cradle again   April 25, 2005
 11 out of 15 found this review helpful

Of course, Audrey Hepburn's cradle ain't just any ol' cradle. Ms. Hepburn's solid starmaking role in "Roman Holiday" was followed by this equally solid performance as a pony-tailed Long Island teen who loves daddy's boss William Holden from afar, moves to Paris to forget about him while attending a two-year cooking school, and returns sophisticated enough to wow Holden and, ultimately, his older brother, Humphrey Bogart. It's framed as a fairy tale, a rags-to-riches Upstairs/Downstairs story, and is often quite charming and even hilarious at times.

Now, it's really not the age difference that bothers me so much. In fact, Billy Wilder's script and direction wisely guide this relationship in such a way that it's easy to see how the maturing young lady becomes disenchanted with Holden's carefree playboy character and sees the advantages of hooking up with Mr. Responsible instead--and part of the pleasure of "Sabrina" is watching Bogey himself play a Mr. Responsible, a business tycoon, a role intended for Cary Grant. My only real problem with this film is that I just don't sense any chemistry between Hepburn and Bogart, not at all like that of Bogey and Bacall or, indeed, if Cary Grant had shown up in the role of the older brother after all.

With this sole reservation, I recommend "Sabrina" because it succeeds in its goal: Light romantic comedy with some social commentary, one of Wilder's strongest genres over the years. It's an added bonus to see such familiar faces as Nancy Culp (TV's "Beverly Hillbillies"), Ellen Corby (TV's "The Waltons"), and Francis X. Bushman (one-time "King Of the Movies" in the silent era) sprinkled throughout the cast. I wouldn't list it as one of the best films to feature Hepburn, Bogey, or even Holden, but it's far from one of the worst.


"...But now, Father, the moon is reaching for ME!"   May 23, 2001
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

And with that dreamy-eyed wonder which so easily danced in Audrey Hepuburn's face, we too, feel compelled to see her win the heart of flighty playboy David...but why is stiff-lipped brother Linus getting in the way?

Director extraordinaire William Wilder gracefully weaves another tale of "ugly duckling morphs into beautiful swan," yet, we don't feel like we've seen it quite like this. The film is charmingly comedic, yet never slapsticky like the recent remake. The production is highly viewable, and the marvelous clothing is eternally stylish on the three leads of Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and William Holden--all of them, Oscar winners, and Hepburn herself a nominee for this performance.

The tale shows a young whippersnapper chauffeur's daughter (Hepburn) hopelessly enamored with the younger son of her father's employer. Charming David (Holden) is a misguided, misdirected, fun-loving playboy who never wants for female attention, and could scarcely give young Sabrina the time of day. In hopes of ending this futile, unrequited love, Sabrina's father sends her to study culinary arts in Paris.

During her tenure at the school, she not only learns how to cook (some funny moments there involving eggs and souffle), but how to be a woman worthy of capturing a man's attention. The new, sophisticated, and sauve Sabrina instantly captures David's attention upon her arrival, but now Linus, the older, settled, finacial wizard brother, is involved in the mix--and his reasons don't quite seem like love...or is it only because he doesn't know how to love?

Who will Sabrina end up with? Will she find joy with either brother? Will she feel she was "reaching for the moon"?

Besides being a story of a young woman's coming of age, the film also shows the class struggle and resentment between the poor and rich. "There is a front seat, a back seat, and a window in between," Sabrina's chauffeur father firmly states. By Sabrina's flirations with the sons, we are left to wonder if she will forever be seen as part of the "hired help", and not a family member.

See this classic, and don't bother to see the remake--it only pales in comparison. You won't even notice the black and white cinematography as all three stars glow so brightly.


DESERVES A TEN!!!   September 18, 2003
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

My appreciation for this movie has sky-rocketed this last week. I recently watched the new Sabrina with Harrison Ford... it didn't even compare! This version is much much better! I've read the review for this movie... some think Bogart was too old for this movie or that the interplay between Hepburn and Bogart wasn't good. I definitely disagree! The chemistry between Audrey and Bogart is fantastic... the screen just sparks with it! I'm not sure of the behind the screens of this movie... some say that Bogart and Hepburn didn't work well together... all I know is that is produces something between them that is incomparable! Only couples like Cary Grant & Katharine Hepburn, Lauren Bacall & Bogart can produce this much chemistry on the screen!

I love the story of Sabrina...
Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) is the plain looking daughter of a chauffer. She falls in love with the playboy son, David (William Holden), of the wealthy people her father serves. David doesn't notice her... Her father sends her off to a cooking school in Paris and there she becomes transformed into a dazzlingly gorgeous young lady. She comes home stunningly beautiful and catches the eye of the playboy son, David. Linus (Bogart) has worked out a merger with this company and rich family who owns sugarcane plantations. Part of the deal is that David is marrying their daughter. So Linus has to draw Sabrina away from David, because he's already engaged... and Sabrina falls in love with Linus... I won't give the end away... I'll just say it's worth the watch... It leaves you satisfied. Sometimes you watch a movie and at the end you are like... "So?" ... It didn't end well... Well this is not one of those movies! I love this movie to death! The best Actors, music, and chemistry! A definite watch!