That legendary opening shot of Breakfast at Tiffany's. I mean: What a beautiful and lasting image. Audrey Hepburn is dressed up and wearing pearls, standing in front of the famous jewelry shop, sipping coffee and eating a croissant. This is probably the definite image of Audrey Hepburn that has stuck with the general public, that has been printed and re-printed over and over again, and that, in a way, has defined her legacy - even although you could make a good argument that she might have been miscast in this film, and that on paper someone like, say, Marilyn Monroe would have made a ton more sense as Holly Golightly. But somehow, Audrey made this society girl (*cough, cough*), which is so far away from her own image, her definite character, plays her light as a feather while giving hints of an ever-present underlying sadness in her, and does it so well that I wouldn't want to see anybody else in the part. Not even Marilyn.

Breakfast at Tiffany's allows Audrey to be funny, to be romantic, and certainly to be glamorous, and she shines on all accounts. The film works as a romance, but it also has a few hilarious moments, perfectly directed by Blake Edwards - most notably the ever escalating party scene that is filled with wonderful sight gags. And obviously, it has Moon River, one of the great movie songs that fits the tone of this film so well.

Overall, Breakfast at Tiffany's is so delightful and Audrey is so irresistible, that I am willing to forgive the film everything. Yes, even the fact that it changed the perfect, bittersweet ending of Truman Capote's novella to a more traditional Hollywood Happy End. Well, make that almost everything, because obviously: Shame about Mickey Rooney. But otherwise, this is perfect.

Blake Edwards films ranked