Tonight on TV: One of the romantic comedy masterpieces

In 1961, Truman Capote was closely following a project to adapt his short story Diamonds on the Couch (“Diamonds on the Couch”).Breakfast at Tiffany’sin the original version), which was published three years earlier. He immediately thinks that Marilyn Monroe will play his heroine – Holly Golightly, a naive and whimsical diamond cutter – under the direction of John Frankenheimer.

Much to the author’s chagrin, the producers’ choice ultimately fell on Audrey Hepburn, who later won her Oscar for Roman Holiday. It is he who demands the presence of Blake Edwards, the future director of The Party and Pink Panther, a master of the past behind the camera, present in the art of dialogue and staging.

A great classic of romantic comedy (we remember the final kiss scene in the rain, the pinnacle of Hollywood romanticism) tinged with melancholy, Diamonds on the Couch retains its original spirit, especially with the boldness of the themes discussed. Thus, in the face of the seductive George Peppard, Audrey Hepburn develops a rare ambiguity that makes her eccentric character the epitome of the modern woman: both determined and fragile, both as an actress and a victim of a system that constantly hinders her quest for absolute freedom.

The actress has one of her most memorable roles, immortalized in pop culture by the signature Givenchy dress she wears in the opening sequence. And if she doesn’t win the Oscar for Best Actress for which she’s nominated, the film still walks away with statuettes thanks to Best Song and Best Score titles. moon riverwhich he performs in an iconic sequence.

Diamonds on the couch By Blake Edwards with Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal…

Tonight on Arte at 20:50.