Adaptations: Breakfast at Tiffany's

 

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of those films that has permeated society to a point where people are aware of it, even if they’ve never seen it. Also, it’s arguably Audrey Hepburn’s most notable film, though my favorite Hepburn film is Charade (because Cary Grant!), but Breakfast at Tiffany’s is just fun. 

I actually didn’t know that Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a novella by, Truman Capote for a long time, so I was curious to see how it compared to the film and read it last year. I went into the book knowing the movie deviated  a bit from the original text, but the premise is the same. Holly Golightly is a complicated character. She’s young, attractive, mysterious and seems to make every man she meets fall in love with her. The book is told from the perspective of  “Fred”, a man who lives in Holly’s building. There is also this idea that wealth and society cannot buy happiness at the core of both. However in the movie, Holly and Fred’s developing relationship is the central romance of the plot it’s a happier tale.  

This is one of those times where for me, I prefer the movie. The book has it’s own charm, but it’s less playful and more morose. The ending of the movie deviates a lot from the book, and that plot change makes sense for the movie and the original ending makes sense for the book. I’m always in the mood to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s when it’s cold outside - perhaps because I watched it on repeat during a snow storm once. This movie is colorful, quirky, and glamorous. Also, it’s Audrey Hepburn and she’s iconic. Let’s all admit that we partially watch her movies because of the clothes she wears...

This is one of those times that really emphasizes that books and movies are two different mediums and when a book is being adapted to the screen, the film isn’t always trying to be the book. I think that’s what trips a lot of people up when it comes to adaptations. I say this in almost every post I do discussing books and their adaptations but, the film will never be a carbon copy.  Also, movies and tv shows typically reach a wider audience than the original text and depending on who is creating the adaption, what platform is hosting or releasing the film, and what period in time the adaption is created, will have an effect on the changes that are made. For example, could you image what Game of Thrones or Outlander would not have in it if they weren’t originally released on HBO or STARZ? These platforms pretty much show any and everything, where as something being released on a network right after the news will be a bit more careful. Side note: Can’t wait to discuss Season 1 of Outlander and compare it to the first book. I need to reread the book first though because I think the differences between the two are really fascinating. 

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the film (1961), though only released a few years after the book was published (1958), made changes to the plot that pleases the cinema-going audience more, even if it’s a bit cheesy. Sometimes that’s what you need - a little extra fluff to briefly distract you from the chaos in the world. 

Have you read and watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s? How did you feel about the changes that were made?