Audrey Hepburn: Movies Ranked

By Skyler Mason, Year 12

Last September, I took it upon myself to watch and rate all of her iconic films and after much thought and consideration, this is my final ranking:

1. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
2. Roman Holiday 
3. Charade 
4. Sabrina
5. My Fair Lady 
6. Funny Face

In first place, and quite predictably, comes the most watched of any of her films: Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Released in 1961, Breakfast at Tiffany’s follows the journey of an enigmatic Holly Golightly —whose character can very well be surmised from her last name— as she lives the complicated experience of being young in New York City. This movie’s high ranking comes primarily as a result of it being so emblematic of her acting career, and as an added perk, it is the film in which she has the least offensive age gap with her costar, George Peppard (the reason for including this criteria becomes more obvious later). I thoroughly enjoyed this film and completely get why it is loved by as many as it is.

In a very close second place, comes Roman Holiday, a 1953 romantic comedy. This was Audrey Hepburn’s first starring role where she played a sheltered European princess who explores Rome with the help of Gregory Peck, a charming American newsman. This movie was especially memorable in that it visited many of the recognizable locations across the city, such as the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Colosseum. Out of all of the ranked films, I found this one to have the best plot in that it felt authentic and original.

In third place, is the comedic murder mystery, Charade. In this 1963 film, Hepburn portrays a wealthy widow enveloped in the chaos that follows her husband’s murder as she becomes the target of ill-intentioned people. Overall, it was a fun and chaotic watch but I found the plot a little haphazard, resulting in it being third. In researching the movie, I actually learnt that the filmmakers failed to secure copyright protection in it’s release resulting in the movie becoming public domain. 

In fourth place is the 1954 film Sabrina, one of Hollywood’s original love triangles along with Casablanca and Gone with the Wind. This movie follows the story of a young girl called Sabrina who grows up amongst the wealthy Larrabee family because of her father’s job as their chauffeur. Upon her return from Paris, she suddenly finds herself caught between the two brothers portrayed by William Holden and Humphrey Bogart. I really enjoyed this film but I felt the personalities of the love interests were slightly lacking and her relationships could have been better developed. 

In fifth place is My Fair Lady, a 1964 adaptation of the stage musical which at the time of its production was the most expensive film shot in the United States. In this movie, Hepburn portrays Eliza Dolittle, a young girl with a thick cockney accent who on a chance encounter with a phonetics professor becomes the subject of a wager. While I can appreciate the originality of the plot, I could not get over the arrogance of the professor who maintained a rude air about him and consistently treated Eliza poorly throughout the entirety of the film, staying true to this until the very end where he asks her to retrieve his slippers. For this purpose, I can’t say this was a favourite of mine.

At the end of our list is Funny Face, a 1957 romantic musical where Hepburn takes the role of a shy bookstore clerk turned model who all the while falls in love with her photographer. While the Parisian setting and iconic photo montage with stills recognizable even today, the film was nice enough. However, the egregious age gap between Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire (30 years) was massively distracting to the plot and ruined the romance. 

Ultimately, watching Hepburn portray each of these iconic roles was, while time-consuming, highly worthwhile. To anyone remotely interested in the later years of the Hollywood Golden Age I seriously recommend giving these movies a watch—with the exception of Funny Face, you could probably skip that one.