Classic ‘Sabrina’ a modern masterpiece
By Julie Brown-Micko

Cooking is the most astonishing transformative art. Crack a few eggs, beat in some sugar, bake at 375˚ and you have a towering soufflé. Take a few gently warmed egg yolks, whip in some butter, a dash of lemon juice and you have Hollandaise. The proper culinary techniques can take the most humble ingredients and make them into something stupendous. But in a certain Paris cooking school, circa 1954, eggs and butter are not the only things transformed into something wonderful. So is a sweet ingénue named Sabrina.

Of course, Audrey Hepburn is pretty darn good to start with. But in Billy Wilder’s superb romantic comedy Sabrina, she goes from an awkward teen to a sophisticated woman. Her father, chauffer to the wealthy Larrabee family, sends her off to Paris to learn to cook, but also, to get her away from David Larrabee, an incorrigible, thrice-divorced playboy. At first cooking school is no help to glum Sabrina, but with the help of a kindly old French baron and a growing confidence in her own skills, Sabrina becomes a woman ready to embrace life. Returning home with a certain je ne sais quoi, David takes notice. But so does his brother Linus (Humphrey Bogart), a tough, lonely businessman.

The high-points of Wilder’s film are many, including magnificent writing and acting. The stunning young Hepburn is all angles and eyes, entirely believable as a beautiful girl struggling with the vagaries of love. She’s also impeccably dressed in Givenchy, a designer Hepburn would wear throughout her life. Sad-eyed, slump-shouldered Bogart masterfully embodies the lovelorn outsider. Holden is all golden hair, blue eyes and bright smiles—well cast as the impish bad boy. The fantastic script by Billy Wilder, Samuel Taylor and Ernest Lehman buoys everyone’s acting. It’s an old love triangle with fresh, funny lines.

Some of the best scenes take place in the cooking school (where all the women are cooking in heels, skirts and full make-up, by the way). The French chef instructs his students on the proper way to crack an egg: “Now, an egg is not a stone; it is not made of wood, it is a living thing. It has a heart. So when we crack it, we must not torment it. We must be merciful and execute it quickly, like with the guillotine.” Of course, Sabrina cannot crack her eggs properly. She has no mercy to offer since her own heart is broken. The Baron notices her watery soufflé and wisely observes: “A woman happily in love, she burns the soufflé. A woman unhappily in love, she forgets to turn on the oven.”

What’s not to like? Well, possibly William Holden’s acting, which is a little clunky. If you don’t like a slower pace to your movies, or aren’t a fan of black and white film, Sabrina might lack appeal. Otherwise, this classic movie is as timeless and enjoyable as Paris in the springtime.