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Audrey Hepburn and Older Men

posted 8 years ago by CountJohn
5 replies | jump to latest

She was frequently cast with older leading men and a lot of people have thought she was best with them (the famous film critic David Thompson said she made men her own age seem "clumsy") but to me that's not the case. I think she nearly always blossomed on the rare occasion she got to act with a star closer to her own age. Look at her with Peppard in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Holden in Sabrina, Peter O'Toole in How to Steal a Million, and Albert Finney in Two for the Road. Even Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday was comparitively close to her age.

Conversely, movies where the chemistry doesn't work were generally with much older men, namely Bogart and Cooper. She and Fred Astaire were funny together in Funny Face, but I didn't really buy any romantic chemistry/sexual tension. Same situation with Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady, and on top of that Henry Higgins was most likely implied to be gay. It did work out with Cary Grant in Charade, though.

It's really a pity she didn't get to work with some of the younger male stars of her generation. Montgomery Clift was almost the male version of her and certainly would not have seemed "clumsy". There could have been an opposites attract type thing with Marlon Brando. I could see her in a movie in the mid-late 50's where Richard Burton plays an angry young man who breaks her heart. The roles practically write themselves.

Any thoughts?

[–] WhWm 8 years ago

One of the reasons I like Audrey Hepburn so much is because she was in movies with 3 of my favorite leading men (William Holden, Gregory Peck and Cary Grant). She was good in Breakfast in Tiffany's and worked well with Peppard. I am a female and watch romantic comedies to see DUDES. I like the older ones most. I am much younger than Redford and Beatty but I still like the older stars better. They were more masculine and had more "heart" to me even though Warren Beatty, Robert Redford and Burt Reynolds are certainly better than what we currently have today.

I am curious. I do not see Monty Clift as the male version of Audrey Hepburn at all. How did you arrive at this conclusion?

[–] CountJohn 8 years ago

Bump since this forum needs more going on.

[–] ElizabethJoestar (946) 4 years ago

I completely agree. While I think she had good chemistry with Cary Grant in CHARADE, the older man thing tended to come off more as creepy in the other movies.

I think she had the best romantic chemistry with George Peppard in TIFFANY'S and Peter O'Toole in HOW TO STEAL A MILLION, both men much closer to her age. Gregory Peck, though kind of older, was at least still a believable enough romantic interest in ROMAN HOLIDAY.

One closer to her age co-star I don't see mentioned is Anthony Perkins, who played opposite Hepburn in GREEN MANSIONS. While that movie isn't terribly good, they played off one another well from what I can recall.

[–] snepts (11123) 4 years ago

Audrey played opposite the very handsome James Garner in The Children's Hour.
They were a couple but were very modest in displays of affection.
Sexual chemistry? Hard for me to say.
Really good film, though. Very unusual for AH, and an unusual film overall.
And how about that one where she played a Blind Woman? That's a trip of a film.

[–] ElizabethJoestar (946) 4 years ago

Ah yes, WAIT UNTIL DARK-- actually my favorite of her movies! I've seen it a ridiculous number of times. It's such a strange kind of movie for Hepburn to be in, but it works so, so well.

There her character was paired with Efrem Zimbalist Jr, who was only 11 years older than Hepburn. Honestly though, in that movie she has more chemistry with Richard Crenna, who plays the most sympathetic of the criminals out to con her. He was only three years older.

Btw, I forgot about Garner, but yes, he was also closer to her age and very cute at the time. I recall them having decent chemistry, though I've only seen the movie once because it made me cry so much.