Funny Face (1957)

This is an odd and appealing little movie.

It is a musical from an era when they were losing audiences. It features the king of such things at the time, an aging Fred Astair, at 58 and substantially heavier than his prime. He has relatively few dance numbers and none of those are clever or graceful.

Instead, this whole thing is cleverly engineered to exploit the rather unique traits of Audrey Hepburn. She was in the middle of a remarkable career based more on simple charm than presence at acting. When charm dominates the thing, you have to be extraordinary. Who else can you place in this category? Clara Bow and Louise Brooks, probably. Judy Garland when singing.

There's no one like this today, hasn't been for decades. Perhaps we filter them out, as we demand other qualities. Still, it is worth watching her to see just what it is that makes her so mesmerizing. Her face is oddly misproportioned, with a shallow jaw, heavy brow and commanding nose over that huge mouth. Its almost a caricature of a face, so that when she smiles, she lights up the whole screen.

And it seems to be more genuinely in her character than when Julia Roberts does a similar thing with a similar face. She has three faces against which she cast all her poses, all of them open to us. Smiling, crying or concerned and listening. Its an amazing limited vocabulary, though one more than Kate Hepburn managed to wring a career from.

I think this and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" may be her best films because it is as if they were grown especially for her abilities, to endear us to her through her face.

The setup in Tiffany's is complex, a call-girl in a movie who creates her own movie. This is more straightforward. She is discovered by a fashion photographer who -- in the body of the movie -- photographs her in all sorts of romantic settings. The beginning is just in getting her to Paris for this. The end is just the standard love, distance, reconciliation drill. But that second act is terrific: he places her in scenes to photograph. We see the setup with terrific clothes, the actual shooting process and then the final print. I guess eight or nine times.

Regular tedg readers will know I'm a student of folding in films. Here's an example. The point of this movie is to get us to fall in love. So while we watch beautiful, romantic photography, we have a surrogate in the film who does the same. As he watches and falls in love, so do we. A simple and effective narrative device.

Hey, and the subplot involves her fascination with the philosophy of empathy. get it?

Oddly, this conflates beatniks, philosophy and the French, which in my experience have little to do with one another. No matter, the result is an excuse for Audrey to perform -- without Fred -- the dance highlight of the film. Who would have suspected that such a gaunt frame, grown for static poses would come across so effectively in a modern routine that intends to poke fun at itself.

You must see this for the exploitation of an odd and unique face. And that dance in the beatnik club.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Fmovies: FUNNY FACE is notable as a colourful '50s-era music teaming the talents of two of the best-known stars of all time, Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn. In this film, whose story feels like an earlier version of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, Astaire and Hepburn consummate a May-December relationship when they're brought together by chance.

Hepburn stars as one of those unbelievable mousy characters - here a bookshop assistant - who's transformed into an ultra-glamorous model when she goes to Paris for a photo shoot. Astaire is the top-of-his-game photographer, and much of the film gets by on their easy charm.

Of course, there are there requisite song-and-dance numbers to enjoy, and a storyline that's never too heavy or too much. In all, it's just right, and old hand Stanley Donen brings plenty to the production with his assured direction. A very good-natured and pleasing effort.

Outstanding. Beautiful. Classic. What a real lady!!!

The photo sequence in Paris has never been topped. Such a 10+ movie, I can just watch it over and over. Those are kind of strange adjectives and comments from me, especially since I'm a Sci-Fi, action, fantasy kind of movie fan.

This makes me wonder, will we ever have another Audrey?? Maybe an actress who is even close? To think that she thought she had: 1. A square face, 2. A big nose and 3. Big feet. That just shows how human and natural she really was..........

What a surprise for me to find this movie. I had never even heard of it untill it came out on DVD. S'Marvelous!!

Funny Face fmovies. This is a rare bird indeed, a Hollywood musical that succeeds as parody as well as musical entertainment, featuring the best song and dance man of all time, Fred Astaire, and the Hollywood establishment darling, Audrey Hepburn, who was always magnificent despite being pampered and fawned over by the media moguls. Unlike Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire's dancing seemed natural. Astaire spent as much time learning his steps as Kelly, but the viewer always got the idea that Kelly had learned the steps whereas Astaire appeared to be inventing as he shuffled along. Astaire's early movies were made during the age of the crooner, yet his singing could not be pigeonholed into that category. Like his dancing, his singing flowed naturally and freely.

The story to "Funny Face" is a simple one, a musical variation on Shaw's Pigmalion which was already a hit musical "My Fair Lady," turned into another Audrey Hepburn vehicle a few years after "Funny Face." What makes this movie stand out is the spellbinding choreography by Astaire, Et.Al., Ray June's cinematography, George Gershwin music, such as the title song, the direction of Stanley Donen, and the Paris fashions by Hubert de Givenchy. The colors are breathtaking. Note the incredible images of the opening dance "Pink." The sights of Paris have never appeared more intriguing. And who would have thought a song and dance in a photographer's dark room could be so delightful?

One of my favorite numbers from "Funny Face" is the hilarious yet imaginative parody of modern dance performed by Audrey Hepburn in a Paris cabaret. The parody can also be interpreted as poking harmless fun at Gene Kelly's ballet-style dancing in "An American in Paris." This scene shows the versatility of the multi-talented Hepburn. Teaming her with the also multi-talented Astaire makes for a winning combination. Why the hoopla about their age differences? Do film reviewers not live in the real world anymore?

This is a much better musical than many of the more touted ones of the 1950's. If you're not careful, this little screen gem may slip past you.

This snappy musical teams an ageing Fred Astaire with the young and lively Audrey Hepburn, puts them in Paris with a lovely Gershwin score, and piles on the slush to create romantic confection that really is irresistible.

Audrey is at her best here, whether singing (in her own voice) ‘How Long Has This Been Going On?', dancing wildly around a café, or looking like a mannequin in the fabulous frocks. Kay Thompson is on hand too, with her own fabulous number, ‘Think Pink' about the trials and tribulations of being a fashion magazine editor.

It probably works best with the misty filters and the dreamy sequences, though. And Audrey is serenaded by Fred dancing beneath her window, like the dashing prince who comes to rescue Rapunzel. Musical corn perhaps, but addictive nonetheless.

As long as you do not take the premise or the characters or the plot too seriously, this is an enjoyable movie with an interesting pairing of Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn, plus an excellent supporting performance by Kay Thompson and some good-looking settings and scenery. The musical numbers are pleasant, if rather on the light side. Stanley Donen has the right touch in keeping things together without making the seams show too often.

Hepburn is cast in a somewhat unexpected role, as a drab intellectual store clerk who gets involved with Fred Astaire's (much older) photographer character. Audrey is so charming that's it's very difficult to think of her as a wallflower, and while Astaire is as energetic as ever, there are more than a couple of occasions on which the relationship doesn't really look believable, despite the best efforts of the two stars. The plot isn't supposed to be anything weighty anyway, so perhaps that's the price you have to pay for a rather different pairing.

Kay Thompson provides many of the best moments. Sometimes the satire of trendy philosophy comes off well, at other times it gets a little dull. Not to be forgotten are the colorful and interesting settings and backgrounds, which set off the story and music fairly well. It's sometimes a strange combination, but as lighter entertainment it all works well enough.