Sabrina: Billy Wilder

For a movie that was supposedly an Audrey Hepburn vehicle, I will always remember Billy Wilder's Sabrina for one of Humphrey Bogart's best performances. The most fascinating part of his performance is that he isn't a very important character until the last third of the film. The first two-thirds follow Sabrina Fairchild (Hepburn), the daughter of a lowly chauffeur for the rich and powerful Larrabee family. Sabrina is deeply in love with David, the womanizing, lazy heir to the Larrabee estate. However, despite her best efforts, Sabrina cannot get his attention. But this changes once she attends a culinary school in Paris and returns as a transformed woman. David is quickly attracted to this new Sabrina. But as soon as their relationship begins to take root, his workaholic brother Linus (Bogart) falls in love with Sabrina. Linus had never been interested in romance or anything other than his work, for that matter. But something about Sabrina causes his heart to melt. The last third of the film watches as Linus and Sabrina begin to fall for each other. But Linus knows that it would be wrong to break his brother's heart. So Linus orchestrates a plot to remove Sabrina from his life despite their love...I must admit that this level of melodrama usually turns me off from a film. But for some reason I was absolutely transfixed during the last third of Sabrina. I blame Bogie and his sad, sad eyes...

8/10