With two biographies under my belt, it feels like Audrey is an old friend. I have learned detail after detail on almost all aspects of her life: adolescence, early stage work, first films, height of fame, marriages, motherhood and humanitarian work. It is without a doubt that Audrey is the most iconic of film stars, but with learning more on who she was, the reasons behind this label of "icon" were beginning to change.
I ventured out of the library and onto the web, eager to find out more, and ready for a briefer source, I decided to read a New York Times article from a few years ago entitled, "Audrey the Thorough-bread." It focused on her fame and what made her the icon she was and still is. The author explained how the allure behind Audrey wasn't due to her "girl next door" image-which was the label most actresses were going for. No, Audrey was sophisticated, classy and seemingly flawless to to American audiences. While other stars were gaining their extra fame from having flaws; a sob-story childhood, bad judgment in men, attempting to suicide, Audrey was famous for the sole reason that she was who she was- beautiful, talented, and keen. She was "unspoiled by Hollywood," her problems never being used as a tool to catapult her status. The article really showed me how different Audrey was for her time- she did have issues, issues in her marriage and with her estranged father, but neither was a public matter, and especially used as a strategy to get attention. Audrey contrasted greatly with the typical film star. This served as a great piece to really let me see who Audrey was as a star, but left me wanting more. The biographies had shown me the life story of a star, and of the amazing things about Audrey, a few stood out, and one was most definlty her reaction and life with fame. Audrey was someone beyond the fame, while most stars were not.
Audrey rose to fame fairly quickly, but retired from major films in the early 70s, to focus on her marriage and motherhood. However, the last years of her life were solely dedicated to helping others. I decided to investigate this on her page on the UNICEF website. Her first mission was to Eithiopia in the early 80s, and it was the first of many. She traveled all over the world: helping kids off the streets in Ecuador, starting projects to end abuse against women in third world countries, and even visiting a polio vaccine site. Her work took her to Washington where she testified before Congress and launched the first State of the World; Children report. Her work accumulated into one of the highest honors of all time- The Presidential Medal of Honor which was awarded to her in December of 1992.
The page on Audrey through the UNICEF database really informed me on the work she did, and gave a more focused view on her humanitarian work. It is amazing to think that one person did this in one lifetime. The details on her work as an ambassador were followed by a brief bio, filled with the same information of the two other books I read.Yet, I soon found myself intrigued more by her humanitarian work than her film work, and for a simple reason. Everyone knows Audrey as a film star, and attribute her icon status to her acting ability, sense of fashion, and classy persona-all of these are true, and I once thought that it was because of those sole reasons that she was considered an icon. However, once I learned more and more about who she was as a PERSON not a star, I found that there was more than these common reasons. I found her class away from the cameras and her refusal to make a mess of herself for attention iconic. I found her humanitarian efforts and ever-giving heart to be iconic. Yes, she lit up the screen, making anyone fall in love with the movie in a second, but it is easily missed that her life outside of the movies, who she was as just Audrey a girl, not Audrey the film star made her TRULY iconic.
I ventured out of the library and onto the web, eager to find out more, and ready for a briefer source, I decided to read a New York Times article from a few years ago entitled, "Audrey the Thorough-bread." It focused on her fame and what made her the icon she was and still is. The author explained how the allure behind Audrey wasn't due to her "girl next door" image-which was the label most actresses were going for. No, Audrey was sophisticated, classy and seemingly flawless to to American audiences. While other stars were gaining their extra fame from having flaws; a sob-story childhood, bad judgment in men, attempting to suicide, Audrey was famous for the sole reason that she was who she was- beautiful, talented, and keen. She was "unspoiled by Hollywood," her problems never being used as a tool to catapult her status. The article really showed me how different Audrey was for her time- she did have issues, issues in her marriage and with her estranged father, but neither was a public matter, and especially used as a strategy to get attention. Audrey contrasted greatly with the typical film star. This served as a great piece to really let me see who Audrey was as a star, but left me wanting more. The biographies had shown me the life story of a star, and of the amazing things about Audrey, a few stood out, and one was most definlty her reaction and life with fame. Audrey was someone beyond the fame, while most stars were not.
Audrey rose to fame fairly quickly, but retired from major films in the early 70s, to focus on her marriage and motherhood. However, the last years of her life were solely dedicated to helping others. I decided to investigate this on her page on the UNICEF website. Her first mission was to Eithiopia in the early 80s, and it was the first of many. She traveled all over the world: helping kids off the streets in Ecuador, starting projects to end abuse against women in third world countries, and even visiting a polio vaccine site. Her work took her to Washington where she testified before Congress and launched the first State of the World; Children report. Her work accumulated into one of the highest honors of all time- The Presidential Medal of Honor which was awarded to her in December of 1992.
The page on Audrey through the UNICEF database really informed me on the work she did, and gave a more focused view on her humanitarian work. It is amazing to think that one person did this in one lifetime. The details on her work as an ambassador were followed by a brief bio, filled with the same information of the two other books I read.Yet, I soon found myself intrigued more by her humanitarian work than her film work, and for a simple reason. Everyone knows Audrey as a film star, and attribute her icon status to her acting ability, sense of fashion, and classy persona-all of these are true, and I once thought that it was because of those sole reasons that she was considered an icon. However, once I learned more and more about who she was as a PERSON not a star, I found that there was more than these common reasons. I found her class away from the cameras and her refusal to make a mess of herself for attention iconic. I found her humanitarian efforts and ever-giving heart to be iconic. Yes, she lit up the screen, making anyone fall in love with the movie in a second, but it is easily missed that her life outside of the movies, who she was as just Audrey a girl, not Audrey the film star made her TRULY iconic.