MovieChat Forums > Sabrina (1995) Discussion > When compared without sentimentality -- ...

When compared without sentimentality -- remake's just better

posted 15 years ago by paramitch
53 replies | jump to latest

Some friends and I thought it would be fun to watch both Sabrinas in a double-header last weekend, to finally see which we liked better.

The verdict? While we were all a little hesitant to admit it at first, all four of us admitted to finding the 1995 remake with Ford and Ormond more fun, and ultimately a better movie.

Which makes me wonder how many of the people posting angrily about this movie toward those who love the new version better have actually (1) seen the original, and (2) let go of sentimentality when it comes to that cast to judge the old one fairly. (And please note, if you have, and you simply like the old one better, to each his own -- more power to ya.)

But, for me, looking at the original objectively, it's often surprisingly humorless and sexist. And while yes, that was a product of the times to an extent, it's that much more welcome to see Sabrina flourish in the remake as a much stronger and more independent woman. And while this does not mean I don't adore Audrey Hepburn, or Holden, or Bogart, I just never saw sparks with Bogart and Hepburn at all (or Hepburn and Holden, for that matter). I do see them in the remake, with both Ormond's leading men.

I also just find myself disliking Sabrina as a character in the old one. She's willing to kill herself for this jerk, and actually attempts it(!), and is then sent off to learn how to cook and (it's implied) clean and be a good little wifey. I don't think the attempted suicide scene is funny at all and it's very uncomfortable to watch -- and I really hate that even in her big scene near the end with Bogart, she is COOKING for him -- acting as servant, not as equal.

Whereas I love the 1995 cast, I adore Ormond and her chemistry with Ford, and I like that Sabrina is so much stronger and more interesting a character in this one. One of my favorite hallmarks of this in the new one is how she talks about the poem behind her name, and Linus kind of sneers, "Oh, about your little poem..." thinking she was named for the maiden in distress -- but no, as Sabrina replies -- she was named for the heroine who saved her. It adds yet another layer to Sabrina, who may have been a damsel in distress in the original -- but in the remake she is actually the one trying to save Linus from himself (and from a loveless, cold life).

I also think that it's much funnier than the original. Nancy Marchand is awesome in every single one of her scenes. And when Greg Kinnear sits on the glasses, or drools all over Sabrina's hand when he's on meds, or when the secretary says she packed Linus's underwear drawer ("It was like touching the shroud of Turin!") -- we all laughed out loud.

So yeah I'm one of those who feels -- absolutely -- that Sabrina not only did justice to the original, but that honestly the remake was frothier, funnier, and more romantic than the original. (ducks to avoid flying tomatoes!)

Oh, and R.I.P. Sydney Pollack. He made a wonderful film.

[–] pjgeerlings 11 years ago

I would love to compare the 1995 version with the original - but I haven't been able to sit through the original. I've tried three times now.

Magnificent chemistry in the 1995 version and I completely agree that Sidney Pollack made a wonderful film.

peace y'all ...

[–] MrAleisterCrowley 11 years ago

Nancy Marchand was truly a BRILLIANT actress -- as you note, she was outstanding in this film -- excellent comedic timing -- and her last role (sadly) in The Sopranos as Mama Soprano was a tour de force. She was apparently a very tall woman -- close to six feet tall I believe. This was often disguised in The Sopranos by having her sit when talking to Tony as Gandolfini was much shorter.

I loved her in this -- not a "beautiful" woman but an incredibly talented, smart actress, which wins over "dumb but pretty" any day for me.

I also like the remake better, which is hard to admit as I am a lifelong Bogart devotee. But I agree about the suicide scene in the first film. Not funny but awkward and painful. I found much of it awkward and sort of "off tone." I know this is sacrilege but I have never understood the Audrey Hepburn thing. Ingrid Bergman? Grace Kelly? Barbara Stanwyck (my all- time favorite actress)? Yes, yes, and yes. Audrey? I like brunettes also (I listed blondes but I am not a " blonde" guy) so it isn't her looks but I think her childlike persona always put me off. Not smart, super sassy, and sexy like Ms. Stanwyck, who practically burned holes through the film.

"If there's no 'ski' at the end of the root word, then we would just be idiots sayin' nonsense."

[–] paramitch 10 years ago

Please excuse the belated reply, but I so agree on Nancy Marchand.

Her performances were so extraordinary. For me she is one of the most important aspects of the 1995 'Sabrina' because she brings to the Larrabees this anchoring aspect. We know the boys are decent at heart because their mother is. And she's so funny in the movie! She matches the sweet, soap-bubble lightness effortlessly.

Which makes her work in "The Sopranos" all the more amazing. Livia practically dripped venom. She never did or said anything without deliberate intent, without calculating beforehand the harm it would do. Marchand managed to turn her statuesque self into this small crumpled-up poisonous woman, the spider at the center of the web (and the person who had created the monster side of Tony).

She was a wonderful actress, and is still missed.

On the Bogart-Hepburn aspect of Sabrina 1.0, I thought Hepburn was impossibly lovely -- a unicorn in a field of horses. So beautiful and unique! But I also feel that she was almost impossible to pair up well where both sides felt equal, if that makes sense. To me, in the first adaptation of Sabrina, she felt like his daughter. She was SO vulnerable that most leading men seemed already on the way to leading her to heartache, to me.

Whereas Ormond in the second adaptation still seemed vulnerable but she was also strong. She was not going to be destroyed by the Larrabee aspect, and it wasn't even a question. She would be sad, and would move on. I love that about her. Which makes her deserve a happy ending even more.

Cheers!

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.

[–] bosley25 11 years ago

I agree with all the observations and points that have been made here. I love how Ormond's Sabrina subtly challenges Linus's lifestyle and way of thinking when they spend time together without shouting out to the audience "THIS IS NEW FOR LINUS!"

I've always had a love/hate relationship with Audrey Hepburn and I only like Bogart in Casablanca, so maybe I'm biased against the earlier version, but I've always absolutely loved this one. Does anyone know why it wasn't a commercial success? The casting is fantastic and the screenplay is amazing. I ought to read the original original play and see how it compares.

[–] reminiscing 11 years ago

Most folks don't pay much attention to writers or directors and comment more about acting and performances. Sabrina began as a stage play if you look at the writing credits, which was subsequently made into a movie by Billy Wilder. Those were screwball comedy days, things were exaggerated for dramatic effect and that's how it was originally portrayed.

When Sydney Pollack came along, I think he wanted the remake to work for a modern audience. Thus the melodramatic element was dropped to make the story more believable. Today's audience wants to be romanced by the characters, settings and behaviors.

Rather than make a contest of film versions, let's just say Wilder's provides the context for Pollack to build upon previous success, which is why remakes are resurrected. Pollack did a lovely job. Ormond's growth into a photographer is a perfect vehicle to express the evolution of a chauffeur's daughter into a woman of the world. If you ask me, Pollack crafted a loving tribute to the story, coming up with brand new ways to get us viewers to become involved in the relationships of older men and younger women.

[–] paramitch 9 years ago

Reminiscing, I agree with your thoughts on the removal of some of the more melodramatic elements for modern audiences.

Meanwhile, I love Sabrina's evolution into photography -- as a dreamer and 'watcher' of the world (even from the trees of the Larrabee compound) it makes sense that she would gravitate to that as a way to express herself.

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.

[–] paramitch 9 years ago

Great post.

I think one of the ways the movie keeps us 'blind' is that at first we're totally focused on Sabrina. The early part of the film is from her point of view.

But at a certain point, "Sabrina" does slightly shift so that we are seeing Linus's point of view and how Sabrina is changing Linus. For me, the scene that always does this most plainly is the one on the plane -- when he's being kind of sneering ("So about your little poem...") and she's so gracious and matter-of-fact about the poem.

The play ("Sabrina Fair") is lovely although somewhat dated now -- the movie incorporated a lot of the play while keeping it fresh.

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.

[–] GretLocks 10 years ago

I've watched them both and prefer the 1995 version. Not to discredit anyone in the original movie, but the remake is just more fun to watch.

[–] paramitch 10 years ago

Thanks for chiming in! I agree. I just find the relationship more equal in the modern version (not to take a thing away from the wonderfulness of Audrey Hepburn in the original).

For me the 1995 remake is still one of the best rom-coms ever made, and a worthy addition to Pollack's body of work (wow is he still so missed).

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.

[–] GretLocks 10 years ago

I know. It's odd for me anyways, because I really do enjoy watching Bogart in other movies...Casablanca, for example and The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon and To Have and Have Not and, The African Queen. Hepburn is superb and even Holden does a great job. But, for some reason I can associate better with Ormond, Ford and Kinnear. And of course this version also enjoys the supporting acting of Richard Krenna...he's always a favorite of mine, Lauren Holly and Angie Dickinson. They act well together and make the story very entertaining to me.

I'd say I watch it...maybe once every two months. Can you believe it? It's just so re-watchable for me.

[–] paramitch 9 years ago

I agree -- the original cast was beyond reproach, and who could ask for more than Bogart, Holden and Hepburn?

It's just that, to me, the chemistry is all off. I never buy Audrey with Bogart, and even her thing with Holden doesn't feel as end-all (if adorably silly) as it does in the remake.

I love it and the 1995 version definitely is what I'll turn to if I need a fairy tale. I especially love that the Larrabees aren't just ridiculously rich, they're all pretty nice people.

In the remake, this means we don't just root for Sabrina, we root for all of them to find each other. It's like a perfect little island, for me, where I want them all to be happy. (Which is why I love Sabrina's Dad's little sweet romance too -- "What, have you been watching 'Remains of the Day' again?").

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.

[–] Val-El 10 years ago

For me the 1995 remake is still one of the best rom-coms ever made, and a worthy addition to Pollack's body of work (wow is he still so missed).

Couldn't agree more and I just saw him again in the movie "Made of Honor" where he had a great character role.

PS... and how can we forget the lovely Lauren Holly?????

[–] paramitch 10 years ago

Thanks! And agreed, Lauren Holly did a really nice job here with a potential "throwaway" character. She managed to make the doctor seem sweet, committed, and not bitchy (and the right choice too).

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.

[–] apriceaboverubies29 10 years ago

Happy to see the love for the remake!

The characters in the remake have real chemistry together.

The 1954 version was ruined by casting Bogart in the lead, who had no chemistry at all with Helpburn. Come to think of it, outside of Gregory Peck and Peter Finch, Hepburn had no chemistry at all with any of her leading men, most of whom were well old enough to be her father (and very obviously showing their age).

"The flip side of fear is understanding."

[–] paramitch 10 years ago

Agreed, it's a bit strange that Hepburn was almost always cast opposite men well old enough to be her father.

Sometimes age isn't relevant and there's serious chemistry, but other times, as with Hepburn (perhaps in part because she was so tiny and seemed so fragile), that means that there's no visible connection there. For instance, I loved "Funny Face," but come on, she had no chemistry with Astaire at all. None. He looked like her grandfather.

Even in the remake of "Sabrina," Sabrina is quite a bit younger than Linus, but storywise it's okay for me, as it's a subtextual sign that Sabrina is older than she seems (she aged a huge amount in Paris, and Ormond conveys her wisdom really well) while Linus has basically never been in love before (and Ford really captures that yearning for something he actually thinks he may have missed forever).

Together, they're perfect.

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.

[–] Cali7 10 years ago

I agree, this remake is much better than the original. I might be biased for thinking so -- I grew up watching this film with my parents and will always have a soft spot for it; it's truly one of the great 90s rom coms and is definitely underrated. I recently watched both Sabrinas on Netflix after not seeing either of the films for many years and confirmed my earlier belief that the 1995 version is superior to the 1954 one. The 1995 version is just more fun and entertaining. Don't get me started on the brilliant script! And everyone in the cast was just awesome! The 1954 version, in my opinion, is actually rather boring. I found myself really trying hard to pay attention to what was going on; almost flicked it off! I also really appreciate the execution of the themes in the newer version -- themes like lonliness, finding oneself, etc. were written and portrayed in a much more compelling way than in the 1954 version.

[–] paramitch 10 years ago

Thanks for the reply!

I agree with you and think that the supporting characters help to really make this a classic romantic comedy. I love the fact that we see so much of their lives and hopes throughout so that it's not just all about Sabrina -- we see the lives of other house personnel (including Sabrina's father) pretty regularly and they are all shown to be wonderful characters in their own right.

I also love the little hints that Linus (as busy and corporate and semi-soulless as he is) is the one who knows the lives of the people he works with -- he knows all about Sabrina's plans for Europe (and her crush on David) as a kid before she runs off, and when she returns, it's Linus who instantly recognizes her and instantly asks all about her time there.

The house staff is just so much fun and you feel like there's a whole other movie just to their observations of the Larrabees. I love Becky Ann Baker especially (who makes pretty much anything wonderful) as well as the eternally underrated John Wood.

The movie feels like it was cast with care, right down to the smallest roles.

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.

[–] shoobe01 10 years ago

Agree all around. I love the remake, and I normally hate remakes. And one thing I loved was the staff. There's hardly a better scene on film to me than the first kitchen scene. Wish there was more of them.

[–] ashaodoherty 9 years ago

I agree. I like that Sabrina remake manages to update the original, while still retaining the old-fashioned romance of the original. I appreciate that people who were raised on the original will probably prefer it but the remake makes the story more relevant to a modern audience.

[–] paramitch 9 years ago

But on the plus side, it makes me hope that people will continue to discover it and be pleasantly surprised by it, as I was.

It's so much better and lovelier than I expected it to be, and I'm incredibly tough on rom-coms.

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.

[–] texasgal1976 9 years ago

The original post is great! I completely agree!! Other wonderful things about the remake:

1. A great supporting cast, from all the parents - including Sabrina's father and Elizabeth's parents and all the employees...

2. A true sense of wealth displayed.

3. A very good acting job by Harrison Ford who I think holds this movie together better than anyone.

4. The viewer actually gets to watch Sabrina mature and change while in Paris and even get to see her first relationship with the photographer.

5. A true homage to the original movie while breathing new life into the story.

6. Wonderful chemistry between Ford and Ormond. I believed what they had was real.

7. A screenplay which gives each of the main three characters, Linus, Sabrina and David a true arc: Linus finally realizes that while he wants for nothing he has very little because he rarely took out the time to truly live. Sabrina matures and
abandons her girlish love of David for a more sophisticated love with Linus. David too hangs up his childish and commitment phobic ways to get married, finish something, and take over the family business.

[–] paramitch 8 years ago

Thanks!

You make some great points here as well. I especially agree with you that it's very satisfying to watch the three main characters evolve.

One of my favorite moments is when David gets Linus to hit him, and joyfully yells, "See? Told ya he loves her!" He's just so darned happy for Linus, and it's great that there's not even a hint of jealousy there in him.

I also LOVED Nancy Marchand, who was just delightful as their mother in this. I always laugh out loud at the scene where she's trying to figure out what to say to Sabrina in order to warn her away from David -- she just comes across as so nice and un-stuffy.

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.

[–] TanteWaileka 9 years ago

You are entitled to your opinion, but I also just watched both the original and the remake and there is no comparison. The ORIGINAL is VASTLY superior, albeit the remake was 'updated' for today's mythological scenarios.
You certainly can't really think Ormond was as breathtakingly beautiful as Audrey Hepburn.

I wanted to bitchslap the writer of the remake because the 'updated' dialog was crapola, mediocre dialog at best.

Life is a journey not a destination. Fear nothing.

[–] first-things-first 9 years ago

I disagree. I think the original outshines the remake. I agree that Sabrina is stronger in this version after her experience in Paris. But the (edit remove (s)) movie would have failed even more if they hadn't given her some backbone. And the '95 version clearly paints how (edit sp) predatory Linus is with Sabrina. In the '95 version, Linus was willing to sleep with her, if I remember correctly.
I found Mr. Bogart far superior to Mr. Ford, in (edit: how) he seduced her, in my opinion. Plus in this version (edit:1954) we see how Sabrina fell in love with him. Ms. Hepburn is magnificent.
In your version Linus and Sabrina do feel like a couple before they are a couple, but that's the comedic timing between the actors. Your version is a great comedy, but weak on the romance. This version has romance in spades. I do concede that in your version, Linus and Sabrina become friends first, then fall in love.

Your second life is never like your first. Sometimes it's even better

[–] rizdek 9 years ago

" In the '95 version, Linus was willing to sleep with her, if I remember correctly."

Your memory is incorrect.

[–] first-things-first 9 years ago

I wondered if I missed the mark. Thanks, and I also clarified my post a bit. I will re-read my posts sometimes to remember what I said. This one reflects that I talk faster than I write. I thank-you for that too.

My Bees! No Lisa, your Bees died days ago. Theses are their angry, mutant descendants, Homer

[–] paramitch 8 years ago

As I noted in my reply above on this, I definitely disagree that Linus was actually ever intending to sleep with Sabrina as part of his scheme.

When he passes along the "kiss" from David in that first confrontation with Sabrina, my take is that he's testing her slightly to see how she reacts (for instance, is she just playing with David to see what she can get out of it, or is she serious? etc.) But I never got the sense that Linus was actively seeking to seduce her away.

And when Sabrina reacts and is furious and insulted, he looks visibly ashamed of himself (as he should).

I do think it's pretty icky of him to do any of this, or try to buy her off, as he also does there, but that's the whole point -- the Linus at the end of the film is not the same man he was in that scene.

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.

[–] paramitch 8 years ago

I agree that Sabrina is stronger in this version after her experience in Paris. But the movies would have failed even more if they hadn't given her some backbone. And the '95 version clearly paints how pedatory Linus is with Sabrina. In the '95 version, Linus was willing to sleep with her, if I remember correctly.

Although there's a lot that's open to interpretation, I personally disagree that Linus was actually ever intending to sleep with Sabrina as part of his scheme.

When he passes along the "kiss" from David in that first confrontation with Sabrina, my interpretation is that he's testing her slightly to see how she reacts. When she is furious and insulted, he looks visibly ashamed of himself (as he should).

Meanwhile, I definitely understand your love for the original Sabrina, and of course its wonderful actors. I don't enjoy it as much as the remake, but certainly agree that it's a beautiful film.

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I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not.