Sabrina: A Cinderella Story With Two Princes

Plot Summary

In 1995 Barbara Benedek and David Reyfield adapted the 1954 screenplay of Sabrina. The original movie starred Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart as the two main leads. That movie was based on a play known as Sabrina Fair. Once the screenplay was finished, director Sydney Pollack was the first to sign on. He was followed by Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond. After auditioning a number of other actors, they finally signed Greg Kinnear to the movie. Kinnear was previously known for his television work, but had yet to make the jump to the big screen. Other actors in the movie included Lauren Holly, Angie Dickinson and Richard Crenna.

Ford stars as Linus, a rich man with a heart of gold. He and his brother David grew up with Sabrina, who was the daughter of their chauffeur. She loves David even though he’s a bit of a cad. He loves the life he’s made because of his money and loves the women that brings. David never noticed Sabrina, despite her best efforts. Sabrina moves to Paris and works as an intern for Vogue. When she returns to the States, she has a new look and a new personality, with which she hopes to capture David's attention.

Eventually David falls for the new Sabrina, even though he’s engaged to someone else. His brother Linus knows that if David calls off his wedding to a rich female doctor to begin dating Sabrina, her family will cancel their corporate contract and possibly ruin the family business. He starts spending a lot of time with her, hoping that she’ll fall in love with him and forget about his brother. When he realizes that he has feelings for her, he sends her away, but at the last minute changes his mind and they presumably live happily ever after.

On the Set

Sabrina was filmed primarily on the Eastern Seaboard. Glen Cove, Locust Valley and New York City were all used in the New York area. They also ventured to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. 399 Park Avenue was chosen as the location of the Larrabee Corporations and Salutation House stood in for the family mansion. They also used Point Alexandre III and other locations around Paris, France to show Sabrina’s life when she first moved.

Crew members included executive producer Lindsay Doran and Ronald L. Schwary and producers Pollack and Scott Rudin. Cinematography was done by Giuseppe Rotunno and Frederic Steinkamp did the editing. Casting was by David Rubin, production design by Brian Morris and Amy Marshall and George DeTitta, Jr. handled set decoration. Ann Roth and Gary Jones were the costume designers.

Awards and Criticisms

The remake of Sabrina was considered a flop at the box office and professional reviews were spotty at best. The score by John Williams earned the film an Academy Award for Best Original Score, while a song by Sting won for Best Original Song. Kinnear was regarded by many as the star of the film and named Most Promising Actor by the CFCA. Ford himself earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical. It took $58 million to make Sabrina and it earned just $53 million at the box office. It was released on December 15, 1995.

Resources on Sabrina include:

• All Movie : gives a review of the original movie, with pictures.
• Sabrina (1954) : gives a list of the original cast, the producers and director.
• Sabrina (1995) : lists the actors and other people who worked on the 1995 remake.
• Sabrina : discusses the plot and the release dates.
• Sabrina (1995) at Rotten Tomatoes : offers a plot outline and lists reviews of the film.
• Sabrina (1995, Sydney Pollock) : gives a plot synopsis and review of the remake.
• Sabrina : grades the movie according to user remarks and gives the plot and technical information.
• Harrison Ford’s Leading Ladies : shows pictures from the movie.
• Audrey Hepburn Fans : provides details on the original movie.
• Audrey Hepburn in Rags to Riches Story : discusses the original movie and in particular, Hepburn’s role.
• Sabrina at About : discusses the classic movie and its plot.
• Soundtrack Info : gives a complete listing of the songs used on the soundtrack.
• DVD Verdict : reviews the original movie’s release on DVD.
• Billy Wilder Theater : discusses the director’s thoughts and ideas while making the original movie.
• Sabrina (1995 Film) : gives the plot, actors and other important facts regarding the movie.