Sabrina (1954)

Sabrina (1954), produced and directed by Billy Wilder.

On a vast Long Island estate, the chauffeur's daughter has a life-long crush on the playboy younger son of the house. After she's been to Paris and become all elegant, she has a chance with him. How far will his business-like older brother go to keep her away from him?

This has Wilder's usual bitter-sweet dark comedy, but is a weaker effort. The romantic chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn just never ignites. He is written to be a cold fish and that's an obstacle. We watch them separately: she for her luminous charm and beauty, he for unaccustomed ironic comedy.

I never noticed before: Bogart is a good listener.

Misc notes:

Available on Blu-ray. The image quality is never really excellent, but seems better in the close-ups than in the long shots. Maybe because of the prominent grain?

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