This photo has a story to tell. It is a still image from one of my favorite movies - ‘Funny Face”, directed by Stanley Donen and produced by Paramount pictures in 1957. The Internet Movie Database describes the plot summary for this film this way: “Fashion photographer Dick Avery, in search for an intellectual backdrop for an air-headed model, expropriates a Greenwich Village bookstore. When the photo session is over, the store is left in a shambles, much to salesgirl Jo Stockton's dismay. Avery stays behind to help her clean up. Later, he examines the photos taken there and sees Jo in the background of one shot. He is intrigued by her unique appearance, as is Maggie Prescott, the editor of a leading fashion magazine. They offer Jo a modeling contract, which she reluctantly accepts only because it includes a trip to Paris. Eventually, her snobbish attitude toward the job softens, and Jo begins to enjoy the work and the company of her handsome photographer.”
This photo shows Jo Stockton posing for a photo shoot in Louvre. There are many reasons why I like this particular image. The most important one is Audrey Hepburn, the actress who plays Jo Stockton. It is not enough to say that she is an amazing actress. There is something in her personality and acting, that one cannot forget the image she portraits. Billy Wilder, a prominent Hollywood filmmaker, said about her “Audrey was known for something which has disappeared, and that is elegance, grace and manners….God kissed her on the cheek, and there she was.”
Another reason why I like this image so much is the fashion used in this movie and in this photo in particular. Great French couture designer Hubert de Givenchy had made most of her clothes, not only for this film, but also for herself. In his introduction to the book “Audrey Style” by Pamela Clarke Keogh, he said “Audrey had a big personality. In her choice of her dresses, in wearing them with such elegance, chic and simplicity. In a very personal way, she created her own look – “The Hepburn Style.” She was “unique” and will always be so. The Audrey Hepburn myth exists. It is here.” I think this photo illustrates Wilder’s and Givenchy’s remarks in the best possible way. Even more than fifty years after the film’s release, this image seems fashionable and contemporary, bringing energy and excitement to its viewers.
