Fifth Avenue, 5 AM
by Sara
I must have been hiding under a rock. How could I, number one fan of Audrey Hepburn (and her alter ego Holly Golightly) NOT know there was a new book out about the making of the classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s??
June 22 heralded the release of Fifth Avenue, 5 AM: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman. While the title makes it sound a bit preachy, the reviews are raving and the brief synopses I’ve read sound incredibly intriguing. The book deals with the controversies that surrounded the making of the film (in the original Truman Capote story, Holly Golightly is a blatant call girl), how to turn the screenplay into something “Hollywood,” (Paul Varjack was gay in the book!), Mickey Rooney playing an Asian man, casting decisions (Capote originally wanted Marilyn Monroe, the decade’s sex symbol, to play the lead role)… the list goes on and on.
In a review found on Amazon.com: “Wasson’s words carry the reader from pre-production to on-set feuds and conflicts, while also noting Hepburn’s impact on fashion, Hollywood glamour, sexual politics, and the new morality.” I can’t wait to go get this book today!
