Sabrina

1954 Audrey Hepburn film starring Humphrey Bogart and James Holden

A whimsical, nonconventional fairytale about an idealist young woman and her love for the younger son of her father’s employer, David Larrabee, until his brooding older brother Linus intervenes.

The film begins with Sabrina Fairchild attempting to kill herself by carbon monoxide poisoning in the garage of the Larrabee estate, after seeing David (her crush since childhood) involved with another woman. Linus, David’s much older brother, saves her and takes her back to her father, Thomas, who is the Larrabee’s trusted chauffeur.

The film cuts to Sabrina in culinary school in Paris, where she has been studying for 2 years. She writes a letter to her dad stating how much she loves Paris and that she has matured. She ran away to get over David, but it is clear in her letters that she simply cannot. She is a hopeless romantic in the worst way.

“A woman happily in love, she burns the soufflé. A woman unhappily in love, she forgets to turn on the oven.“

David is sent to pick up Sabrina (and her dog she named David) from the airport to bring her home, where Thomas and the staff eagerly await her arrival. He does not know who she is, but is absolutely mesmerized by her. When they arrive and everyone greets her by name, it is then David realizes she is a grown up Sabrina Fairchild, and despite being newly engaged, invites her to a ball that evening.

After the family catches sight of Sabrina dancing with David at the ball after leaving his fiance, Elizabeth Tyson, to stand alone, Linus takes matters into his own hands. He knows David will meet Sabrina for champagne in an unoccupied area of the estate. He conveniently places champagne glasses on David’s chair which causes him injury and unable to see Sabrina. Linus goes instead.

He finds Sabrina waiting patiently in her beautiful dress. She is skeptical and asked if he was sent by the family to deal with her. He denounces her accusation and asks her to dance with him. He then gives her a kiss “from David” and says his infamous line “It’s all in the family.” They continue to dance intimately and Sabrina looks perplexed.

With David‘s approval, Linus continues to take Sabrina out to entertain her, for dinners and sailboat rides. Of course, David is completely unaware of the chemistry between the two as he is still recovering. Unbeknownst to Sabrina, who is naive and sweet, Linus tells his father of his plan to woo Sabrina and ultimately send her off to Paris, so David can marry Elizabeth and the merger to go through between the two wealthy families.

He tells Sabrina Paris is for lovers, and he only stayed once for a few minutes on business. She tells him he has to go back and enjoy it. The two get so close, she takes a seat at the head of the table at the conference table in his office and spins around.

As they dance after a very romantic dinner, Linus admits that David has a very lovely girl and he wishes he were him. Sabrina doesn’t know what to say. As they return back to the estate, it becomes apparent that she is hesitant to go back to David and has feelings for Linus.

During their next encounter, Linus surprises Sabrina with 2 tickets to Paris. Ecstatic, she admits her feelings for him. Consumed with guilt, Linus admits he wasn’t going to take her to Pairs, he was going to send her, alone. ”I’m ashamed to say I enjoyed every minute of it.”

“Goodnight Mr. Larrabee. I’m sorry I can’t stay to do the dishes.”

David greets Linus with a direct punch to the face after knowing what’s been going on under his nose. Linus announces that he no longer cares about the merger and gives David the extra ticket to meet Sabrina on the ship. Later, in a meeting meant to close the merger when Linus breaks the news of it no longer happening, David enters the boardroom and demands Linus aboard the ship instead and meets his true love.

Linus greets Sabrina on the ship for a happy ending. <3

Xoxo