The Original vs. the Adaptation: How the Distinctions in Both Versions of Sabrina Worked for Their Time Periods

By Jhazzmyn Jhane

TW: Suicide

Aside from an opulent house, the maturation of a young woman, and the act of pining after David Larrabee, do Sabrina (1954), directed by Billy Wilder and starring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and William Holden, and Sabrina (1995), directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Julia Ormond, Harrison Ford, and Greg Kinnear, have all that much in common?

The story follows Sabrina Fairchild, a young woman who has lived above the garage of the wealthy Larrabee family house with her father, the chauffeur, for years. She pines after the younger Larrabee brother, David, even during her time in Paris. David ends up in an arranged engagement by his older brother, workaholic Linus Larrabee, so that Linus can finalize a merger with the powerful Tyson family. Linus’ plan is in danger when Sabrina returns from Paris with a sophisticated new look and captures David’s attention. So, Linus must step in to protect his business deal. However, he doesn’t account for the fact that Sabrina’s charm might capture his heart.

Both movies stay true to the basic storyline, even down to some of the smaller details — like Sabrina narrating, including Godfather references, etc. However, there are distinct differences in some of the scenes and choices made that I believe speak directly to their respective time periods.

When I think of Old Hollywood movies, I think of how theatrical they can be. The characters always have specific goals and motives for their actions, and they usually have a very dramatic way of going about getting what they want. Some of the scenes in the 1954 version of Sabrina feel stirring, while scenes in the 1995 version of  Sabrina don’t take me on as big of an emotional rollercoaster, while still impacting me.

One scene that differs in each movie and would be a good example of my previous thought comes toward the beginning. David runs off from his party to meet, in a more intimate spot, with a woman he was taken with on the dance floor. Sabrina follows and watches the two of them together. There’s an attempted suicide scene after this moment in the 1954 version of the movie where Sabrina is saved by Linus. The scene is a bit triggering, especially in these times, and I didn’t feel like the topic was taken very seriously. The 1995 version decided to incorporate a scene where Sabrina tries to confess her feelings to David before heading off to Paris instead. She sees a light go on in David’s room and she makes her way there to say goodbye and share her feelings. However, Linus, in his brother’s room to drop his suspenders off, ends up hearing the confession instead. This is a nice foreshadowing of events. I personally like the decision to change that scene in the adaptation because it still drives the story without being so heavy.

One thing I noticed early on is that Sabrina (1954) includes both Mr. and Mrs. Larrabee, though Mr. Larrabee has a larger role than Mrs. Larrabee does. In the 1995 version, there’s only Mrs. Larrabee, and she has quite a bit to say about her son David’s decisions and the affairs of the family business. It’s not unusual to see a man in that kind of role. Having Mrs. Larrabee lean into that role as the head of the household is a powerful move. It shows that she can handle her business and her boys in the same way that a father could.

Both movies send Sabrina off to Paris, but for different reasons. The 1954 version of the movie has Sabrina going to Paris to take a cooking class. She’s not very good at cooking, but it sounds like she learns based on the letter she sends to her dad before returning home. She meets a Baron in her class who explains that he can tell she’s unhappily in love since she forgot to turn on the oven to bake her souffle. He says that a happily-in-love woman burns the souffle, but an unhappily-in-love woman forgets to turn on the stove. He advises her to cut her hair, too. Aside from this, we don’t get to see much else of Sabrina’s journey in Paris over the two years that she’s there. In the 1995 version, we get a more in-depth look at Sabrina’s time in Paris. Sabrina goes to Paris to work for Vogue. She sparks a romance with the photographer and becomes friends with one of her co-workers. Her bedroom wall is blank aside from a picture of David. As her time in Paris progresses, we see her start to fill the wall with papers she collects in Paris, until David’s face is almost covered by them. This shot felt symbolic of Sabrina’s adventures in Paris and how her connections and time there took her mind away from David. Of course, he’s back on her radar once she returns home. The 1995 version of the movie does a great job of showing what Sabrina’s life was like in Paris and how she developed relationships and grew in the time she was there.

Both movies take liberties in how they reach the end of the story, though many parts remain the same. Some of the scenes from the 1954 version of Sabrina were adapted to fit the 1995 version. I believe the changes worked and reflected the time. We get to see more of and from the women in the adaptation than in the 1954 version. I imagine, if the movie were done now, we’d see a few more changes implemented. I’m just glad that they kept my favorite scene where Sabrina goes to David’s party upon her return from Paris and she looks so gorgeous that all eyes are on her. The scene always feels magical. I’m a huge Audrey Hepburn stan, so I’ll always love the original Sabrina, but the adaptation with Julia Ormond did not disappoint.

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Sources:

Pollack, Sydney, director. Sabrina. Paramount Pictures, 1995. 

“Sabrina.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 15 Oct. 1954, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047437/.

“Sabrina.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 15 Dec. 1995, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114319/?ref_=tt_rvi_tt_i_2. 

Wilder, Billy, director. Sabrina. Paramount Pictures, 1954.

Meet the Writer

Communication from Georgia Tech and an M.A. in Gerontology from Georgia State. She is a poet, gerontologist, and communicator, in no particular order. She works for the Alzheimer’s Association. Jhazzmyn enjoys spending time with loved ones and taking walks.