Last Saturday we commemorated the anniversary of Audrey
Hepburn´s death: she died 25 years ago. Audrey Hepburn belongs to the golden
age of Hollywood and her name is linked to some of the best films in the
history of cinema: Roman Holiday, Sabrina, Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany´s, Charada, My Fair
Fair or Wait Until Dark. She died at the age of 63 but she had long given
up acting to devote her time to charitable causes, in fact, she became a UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador and this aspect of her life tells us a lot about Audrey
Hepburn, not as an outstanding actress but as an outstanding human being. When
we think of Audrey Hepburn, we also tend to think of her as an icon of fashion
thanks to the outfits that Hubert de Givenchy created for her and her
characters in some of her well-known films. Audrey Hepburn stands for elegance
and delicacy in the fashion industry as well as in the film industry and that
elegant and delicate image that she projected was inextricably linked to her
slim figure, typical of the ballerina that she trained to be. However, what
many people may not know is that her thinness – above all – was the result of a
harsh childhood during World War II in which she was deprived of food, which
led her to suffer from malnutrition. Probably, that´s why, in the last years of
her life, she devoted so much time to her work as a UNICEF ambassador and she
herself admitted to finding in her childhood memories – experiences of fear and
starvation – the reason for helping others.
Audrey Hepburn was 25 years old when she won an Oscar award, a Golden Globe
and a Bafta award for her leading role as Princess Ann in Roman Vacation.
This is one of my favourite scenes of Breakfast at Tiffany´s. The other one is
the part where Audrey Hepburn sings Moon
River . This image has become one of the most iconic images in cinema,
paradoxically, the portrayal of Audrey Hepburn is unusual because – as she is
wearing sunglasses – we are deprived of watching her famous look: her beautiful
big eyes, eyes that reminded William Wyler of a fawn (a
young deer).
