Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn and the making of Breakfast at Tiffany's: Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's - Softcover

Sam Wasson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1781310807 ISBN 13: 9781781310809

Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd, 2013

Synopsis

Before Breakfast at Tiffany’ s Audrey Hepburn was still a little-known actress with few film roles to speak of; after it – indeed, because of it - she was one of the world’ s most famous fashion, style and screen icons. It was this film that matched her with Hubert de Givenchy’ s “ little black dress” . Meanwhile, Truman Capote’ s original novel is itself a modern classic selling huge numbers every year, and its high-living author of perennial interest.
Now, this little book tells the story of how it all happened: how Audrey got the role (for which at first she wasn’ t considered, and which she at first didn’ t want); how long it took to get the script right; how it made Blake Edwards’ name as a director after too many trashy films had failed to; and how Henry Mancini’ s soundtrack with its memorable signature tune ‘ Moon River’ completed the irresistible package.
This is the story of how one shy, uncertain, inexperienced young actress was persuaded to take on a role she at first thought too hard-edged and amoral – and how it made Audrey Hepburn into gamine, elusive Holly Golightly in the little black dress - and a star for the rest of her life.

About this title

Review:

'Gossipy, glamorous and detailed account of the making of the Hollywood classic.'

'A fabulous read, not just for fans of Breakfast at Tiffany's or Audrey Hepburn, but anyone interested in classic vintage film and fashion.'

‘...[There is ] a tidal wave of behind-the-scenes insights in this chatty, highly enjoyable book...’

‘ Crammed with irresistible tidbits...[Wasson's] book winds up as well-tailored as the kind of little black dress that "Breakfast at Tiffany's" made famous.’

‘ There’ s a liveliness to Wasson’ s whiz-bang account of the shooting of this famous film’

‘ ...[There is ] a tidal wave of behind-the-scenes insights in this chatty, highly enjoyable book...’

'This sparkling gem of a book is packed full of insights.'

'Slipping down as easily as a row of tall martinis, Sam Wasson's account of the making of Blake Edwards' 1961 film is enough to cause a little rush to the head. Written with a sparkle that wouldn't find its author ostracised at a tê te-à -tê te on a banquette at La Cô te Basque,  5th Avenue, 5AM,  mixes frivolity with a good glug of socio-political analysis... Studded all over with gossip and glamour, Golightly would probably approve.'

‘ Sam Wasson delivers an especially shiny diamond with this insightful look at just how the stars aligned for Ms. Hepburn (knits in set) to play Ms. Golightly (sells her body to the night).'

'A fabulous read, not just for fans of Breakfast at Tiffany's or Audrey Hepburn, but anyone interested in classic vintage film and fashion.'

'Giving the reader a beguiling bird's-eye perspective that lends 'Tiffany's' fresh immediacy, the book offers the perfect companion to the film.'

'Gossipy, glamorous and detailed account of the making of the Hollywood classic.'

From the Back Cover:

Audrey Hepburn is an icon like no other, yet the image many of us have of Audrey—dainty, immaculate—is anything but true to life. Here, for the first time, Sam Wasson presents the woman behind the little black dress that rocked the nation in 1961. The first complete account of the making of Breakfast at Tiffany's, Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. reveals little-known facts about the cinema classic: Truman Capote desperately wanted Marilyn Monroe for the leading role; director Blake Edwards filmed multiple endings; Hepburn herself felt very conflicted about balancing the roles of mother and movie star. With a colorful cast of characters including Truman Capote, Edith Head, Givenchy, "Moon River" composer Henry Mancini, and, of course, Hepburn herself, Wasson immerses us in the America of the late fifties before Woodstock and birth control, when a not-so-virginal girl by the name of Holly Golightly raised eyebrows across the country, changing fashion, film, and sex for good. Indeed, cultural touchstones likeSex and the City owe a debt of gratitude to Breakfast at Tiffany's.

In this meticulously researched gem of a book, Wasson delivers us from the penthouses of the Upper East Side to the pools of Beverly Hills, presentingBreakfast at Tiffany's as we have never seen it before—through the eyes of those who made it. Written with delicious prose and considerable wit,Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. shines new light on a beloved film and its incomparable star.

About this edition

• Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1781310807
• ISBN 13: 9781781310809
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256