Audrey Hepburn: 7-Film Collection (1953-1964)

[MifuneFan]

Audrey Hepburn: 7-Movie Collection Blu-ray

Update: Paris When it Sizzles is confirmed (thanks to member whiteberry). Full list of titles below!

Paramount will be releasing a 7-film Audrey Hepburn Collection. No flms listed yet, but they did release a 7-film set on DVD prior, and it included the following:

Breakfast at Tiffany's
Funny Face
Sabrina
My Fair Lady
Paris When it Sizzles
Roman Holiday
War and Peace

So nothing new there except for Paris When it Sizzles. This also comes with digital copies, unlike many of the past Paramount releases for those films. Will update when more info comes out.

Source

[Gacivory]

Ah!!!! I almost bought a lot of these individually! This is exciting!

[El Sleezo]

Extremely into this as someone who only owns a superior edition of My Fair Lady.

[spanky87]

Hope there's a 4K remaster of Funny Face in there. The extant blu-ray is a bit of an eye sore.

[tama]

I know Sabrina has a new 4K master. Always though that ve a Paramount presents candidate. Also hoped for a UHD anniversary release of Breakfast at Tiffany's this year.

[BluProofie]

Ugh, I just want Paris When it Sizzles.

[Dragon78]

I have been waiting for Paris When It Sizzles, never say War and Peace, have the rest, but still might get the set depending on the price.

[whiteberry]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

So nothing new there except for Paris When it Sizzles.

I want Paris When It Sizzles so bad I don't mind buying yet another copy of the other movies. If it is exclusive to the set in the U.S., it might be released individually in France (Some Kind Of Wonderful and She's Having A Baby were initially exclusive to the John Hughes 5 Movie Collection in the U.S. but got released individually in France).

Trailer:

Paris When It Sizzles (1964) Official Trailer - Audrey Hepburn, William Holden Movie HD - YouTube

Audrey Hepburn and William Holden promoting Paris When It Sizzles in Paris, France on July 13, 1962:

Audrey Hepburn and William Holden in Paris 1962 - YouTube

Photo of them together at the above event:


More photos of them at the event:
https://rareaudreyhepburn.com/post/1...romoting-paris

[traths]

That's going to be a nice set but I just want Paris When it Sizzles. I have all the others.

[James Luckard]

Paris When It Sizzles is an underrated gem.

It was decades ahead of its time, which is why it was such a flop when it came out.

It's basically a Charlie Kaufman movie. It sort of deconstructs the concept of being a film. If it had come out in 2002 instead of 1962, it would have been a huge arthouse hit.

It follows a screenwriter and the temporary secretary he hires for a weekend as they finish the script he's behind on. They start imagining all sorts of scenarios, and then the film brings them to life, with Holden and Hepburn starring in each of them, expressing their growing infatuation and nervousness about it through the movie scenes they think up. It's witty, zany fun.

I will say, it demands a decent understanding of and interest in the inner mechanics of the film industry, which may also be why it wasn't a mainstream hit.

I can't recommend it highly enough, I'm amazed it has never been rediscovered.

[drush9999]

Damn I bought a 5 film Audrey set recently with 5 of those. I only want Paris When It Sizzles, hope it gets an individual release in another territory.

[WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW]

hmm a little worried no mention of Breakfast at Tiffany's UHD

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

Paris When It Sizzles is an underrated gem.

It was decades ahead of its time, which is why it was such a flop when it came out.

It's basically a Charlie Kaufman movie. It sort of deconstructs the concept of being a film. If it had come out in 2002 instead of 1962, it would have been a huge arthouse hit.

It follows a screenwriter and the temporary secretary he hires for a weekend as they finish the script he's behind on. They start imagining all sorts of scenarios, and then the film brings them to life, with Holden and Hepburn starring in each of them, expressing their growing infatuation and nervousness about it through the movie scenes they think up. It's witty, zany fun.

I will say, it demands a decent understanding of and interest in the inner mechanics of the film industry, which may also be why it wasn't a mainstream hit.

I can't recommend it highly enough, I'm amazed it has never been rediscovered.

Paris When it Sizzles was a lot of fun, I was surprised it was such a flop when it came out but it makes sense that it just wasn't something audiences of the day were ready for, particularly if they were after a more conventional romantic comedy using Paris as a backdrop. Tony Curtis is great too poking fun at himself in the movie(s) within the movie.

[Flapperdame16]

Could Paris when it Sizzles get a standalone release?

[Flapperdame16]

I will vouch for Paris when it Sizzles- plus on screen Bill and Audrey have great scenes!! The type writer scene where she keeps typing and he moves it away from her, their dancing scene= SWOON!

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Flapperdame16

Could Paris when it Sizzles get a standalone release?

I just hope it's actually included in this set

If it is, then I do think it will get a standalone release too.

[noirjunkie]

I'm 99.9% sure it will include Paris When It Sizzles. The only other possible option, based on her filmography, is the thoroughly reviled Bloodline, and it seems highly unlikely that the latter would be considered a more successful blu-ray release than the former.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

I'm 99.9% sure it will include Paris When It Sizzles. The only other possible option, based on her filmography, is the thoroughly reviled Bloodline, and it seems highly unlikely that the latter would be considered a more successful blu-ray release than the former.

Yep, Paris When it Sizzles has routinely been included by Paramount in Audrey collections in the past, and was released multiple times on both VHS and DVD.

Bloodline never had a US DVD, and was only released by Paramount back in the infancy of VHS, not long after the film came out, as far as I can tell.

[James Luckard]

I read an Audrey Hepburn biography years ago, and I remember it saying that Paris When It Sizzles has a really heartbreaking backstory.

Holden and Hepburn fell deeply in love filming Sabrina in 1953, but I believe his wife wouldn't give him a divorce. Anyway, they went their separate ways, both heartbroken, and he remained madly in love with her. In 1962, Paramount forced them both to film Paris When It Sizzles, to fulfill multi-picture contracts they both had.

They both knew it was a horrible idea, especially Hepburn. The combination of Holden's undiminished love for her, and his alcoholism, by then already very serious, made the production in Paris miserable for them both and a disaster for the film crew. Holden was absent from the set so much that they had to create the Tony Curtis character, not originally in the script, to enable the production to continue filming during Holden's many absences.

Oddly, absolutely none of this shows onscreen, the film is joyful and gossamer-light. The one thing that shows in the film is their obvious, genuine love for each other.

I remember the book saying that Holden once confessed in an interview, towards the end of his short life, that Hepburn had been the love of his life.

[The Mad Kiwi]

Yes! I was so hoping we'd get a set like this. I only own Roman Holiday, Sabrina, and My Fair Lady on BD (and the latter on UHD), but even if I had all the others, I'd totally buy this set for Paris When It Sizzles alone since I've been dying for that to come to Blu for years. I wonder if Paramount will take the opportunity to remaster Funny Face while they're at it. That release has gorgeous colors, but the DNR is unfortunately noticeable and was absolutely not needed on a format like VistaVision.

Originally Posted by James Luckard

I read an Audrey Hepburn biography years ago, and I remember it saying that Paris When It Sizzles has a really heartbreaking backstory.

Holden and Hepburn fell deeply in love filming Sabrina in 1953, but I believe his wife wouldn't give him a divorce. Anyway, they went their separate ways, both heartbroken, and he remained madly in love with her. In 1962, Paramount forced them both to film Paris When It Sizzles, to fulfill multi-picture contracts they both had.

They both knew it was a horrible idea, especially Hepburn. The combination of Holden's undiminished love for her, and his alcoholism, by then already very serious, made the production in Paris miserable for them both and a disaster for the film crew. Holden was absent from the set so much that they had to create the Tony Curtis character, not originally in the script, to enable the production to continue filming during Holden's many absences.

Oddly, absolutely none of this shows onscreen, the film is joyful and gossamer-light. The one thing that shows in the film is their obvious, genuine love for each other.

I remember the book saying that Holden once confessed in an interview, towards the end of his short life, that Hepburn had been the love of his life.

What's weird to me is that Hepburn has gone on record saying this was one of the most fun film shoots she ever had, but that the finished film was her least favorite in her filmography (uh...did she wipe Green Mansions out of her mind?). It taught her that the filmmaking experience doesn't always equate with the final product. I guess even with the Holden drama, she was still having a blast with the light and cheeky material.