Saturday, 12 January 2008
Audrey Hepburn
"Audrey fits none of the cliches and none of the cliches fit her" - Time MagazineInnocent, ethereal in her rare beauty, Audrey Hepburn stood alone among the actresses of her time. Into the abundance of voluptuous American girls came this gamine with an enchanting Anglo-European accent. With her big eyes, long neck, demure smile, melodious voice and perfect wardrobe, that aura of an angel on earth, she dazzled moviegoers for decades and in her later years also worked hard as a special ambassador for UNICEF. Despite her glamour, charm and elegance, Hepburn is one star who has always been seen to have real heart. Traveling to areas afflicted by famine and devastation, Hepburn worked to raise public awareness of the plight faced by children in times of crisis. Her commitment to alleviate the suffering of children was intense and genuine.
This is also what makes her so difficult to recreate. Many people have tried, but none seem to be able to match that magic that Audrey carried in every bone in her body. Every person is unique, like their fingerprints and pashminas, but Audrey has definitely proved that something so unique just can't be remade. This is both good and bad, because to have a world of exact Audrey clones running around would ruin the effect, the pure magic that was her. But it's also sad to realize that out of the 6 billion (and growing) people on the planet, there was only – and will only over be – one Audrey Hepburn.
Always modest, Audrey described herself as an actress that didn't have much technique because she never learned to act. Her own acting technique, such as it was, simply consisted of hard work, intense concentration - and instinct. She had the magic ability to bridge the gap between herself and her audience, and to make her innermost feelings instantly known and shared. Director Billy Wilder once said of Audrey: "She had not gone to acting schools, she didn't hear the word Strasberg, she did not repeat in front of the mirror. She just was born with this kind of quality and she made it look so unforced, so simple, so easy." Hepburn was incredibly charismatic. Wilder also said: "What is really needed in order to become a star is an extra element which god gives you or doesn't give you. You're born with it. You cannot learn it. God kissed on her cheek and there she was." Most of the great movie stars have their partisans as well as detractors, but with Audrey Hepburn it is difficult to find negative comments.
"Audrey Hepburn? She was a popsicle in a black shift dress," says a designer who, not surprisingly, wishes to remain nameless. After all, who would dare publicly to criticise one of the 20th century's best-loved fashion and film icons? Mary Quant called her the "most stylish woman who ever lived". Hubert de Givenchy said she was "a gift from on high". Gregory Peck called her unique, Steven Spielberg considered her an angel, and Tom Cruise recently paid his girlfriend, Penelope Cruz, the highest compliment when he compared her elegance to that of the legendary Hepburn. There is no denying that Audrey Hepburn was, possibly more than any female star before or after her, the quintessential style icon.