Which One?

Once upon a time, out in the "wild, wild, west," there lived a girl who loved to watch movies. It didn't matter what they were so long as they were good. There were old movies and there were new movies. There were mystery movies and there were girly movies. There were also movies that were remade.....and at 11:30 in the evening, she found herself watching one of those. The movie was Sabrina.



You all will remember my giving away a copy of Sabrina, don't you? I was shocked at the time that the majority of you had never watched the movie. While I hope that has changed, I wanted to also make you aware of the "newer" version of the movie.

Made in 1995, this version stars Harrison Ford (as Linus Larrabee, which was Humphrey Bogart's role), Julia Ormond (Sabrina Fairchild, who Audrey Hepburn portrayed) and Greg Kinnear (David Larrabee, which was played by William Holden.) The story is the exact same as the one made in 1954--with, of course, some updated changes.

A few are good ones.:

*Personally, I prefer Ford over Bogart--for this movie. I love Humphrey Bogart, but he is not a romantic lead sort of a guy. Harrison Ford could have been "Cary Grantish" (who had been slated to be in the original)

*Since the whole story line hinges on the fact that Sabrina, who had been in love with David, falls instead for Linus, it only makes sense that the viewer witness that. The original did not do this as much as the newer one did. You can tell that Sabrina is falling in love with Linus and that Linus is falling in love with her. I don't know about you, but it is nice to no have to "figure it out."

*The ending does have some cuteness that the original didn't make as obvious.

But as you might imagine, this Sabrina wasn't perfect.

* While Harrison Ford improved the role, Julia Ormond and Greg Kinnear did not. NO ONE can come close to the loveliness of Audrey Hepburn! And NO ONE can match William Holden's good looks (unless it is Rock Hudson or Montgomery Clift =) I almost hated seeing this David Larabee--which, if you ask Mom, is very different from my reaction while watching the original.

*There is a very, very unnecessary thirty second conversation between some of the servants. Since Linus doesn't go out with girls, and yet does with Sabrina, the cook and others express surprise because they thought he was....uh....gay.

*There is a lot of more "passionate" kissing, though everyone is fully clothed (in terrible '90's fashion)

So, what I am trying to tell you? I think it comes down to this--if you are looking for a movie to watch, try both versions of Sabrina. But if you choose one, stick with the original. It's more remembered in movie history