An Audrey Hepburn Special

Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Henry Mancini… I have never been too secretive over my love for all three. Charmed by the class and elegance of the Old Hollywood magic, I have drawn many inspirations, in my life and my work, from this period. One prime source has always been the Breakfast at Tiffany’s soundtrack, my discovery of which was a key turning point in my music education. It was one of the first movie scores that I felt truly impressed by, and as a teenager, I had it on repeat, alongside much of Mancini’s work naturally. A combination of fun and sophistication, the music was so unique and memorable to me, in comparison to what I had heard from other composers. And in many ways, outside of the wonderful world of ballet, I have never found another body of work that has quite struck me in the same way.

Where’s the Cat?

You would think, after all these years of listening to this music over and over again… on CD, vinyl, Spotify, even an iPod (back when I had one)… that I would know it really well. And I do, I do know the soundtrack very well. The film score? Not as much.

Although I have seen the film almost as many times as I have heard the soundtrack, it was only on my most recent re-watch that I was suddenly struck by the reality that there was so much more music within the film than was shared on the CD. Of course, each time I had watched the film I had heard this music, but for some reason or other I had failed to recognise that there were sections omitted from the track list, focussing instead on the more famous numbers that I had come to adore.

The cue that triggered this realisation is titled ‘Where’s the Cat?’ and it appears at the very end of the movie, just before Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard’s final kiss. It is a section of music that, before, I clearly hadn’t paid much attention to, and yet now has become my current favourite piece of music that features in the film. It is as though I once was deaf, and now I can hear again.

I apologise, that is rather dramatic, but how often do you discover something new within something that was ‘old’ to you?

Despite the track not being shared on the original soundtrack release nor on many of the subsequent re-releases, I have managed to find it on YouTube so you would be able to listen to it here:

There is no doubt that the music in this section is beautiful. It has an incredible emotional charge and a darker, more dramatic sound that contrasts from the more light-hearted moments earlier on in the film. I particularly love the juxtaposition between the slightly discordant piano chords and the longer held string notes that gradually build in intensity. It is a powerful lead-up towards the climax of the film that captures the earnestness of the moment, of two lovers on the brink of collapse. Will they stay together, or will they part ways?

And… where is the cat?

I am sure we all know the ending…

So…Why?

After recovering from my discovery, the first question in my mind was ‘Why?’.

Why was this track omitted from the original soundtrack? Why was it omitted from most re-releases? Why, when I did manage to find it on Spotify, was it ghosted? Why had I not acknowledged it before? To be honest, I am not going to be able to answer the last two questions, though they are still jangling around my head.

Nevertheless, I decided to do some digging. I had always assumed a composer would want to release their full film score, since it is a true representation and appreciation of their work. However, it seems in Henry Mancini’s case, the expectation was a little different. Signed to the record label RCA (Radio Corporation of America) Victor, under a 20-year contract, it seems Mancini was under pressure to fulfil a certain market. As much of his success came from the popularity of his songs and upbeat dance-tracks, it appears that the record label wanted to capitalise on this, only wishing to release his most commercial music for the soundtracks; I imagine with the idea that it would make them more saleable?

I am not completely au fait with the relationship between film composers, their record labels, and the film companies, especially not during this period (1950’s-70’s), but from what I can gather is that the original film score recordings that feature in the films are not the same as the recordings released on soundtrack. Whether it was to do with music rights, musician’s union regulations, or just a way to save money, it seems that any music from a film released as part of a soundtrack was re-recorded for this purpose. And so, because of this, at least in Henry Mancini’s case, not all of the music was re-recorded for the soundtrack. Instead, certain cues were cherry-picked to help fulfil the profit-oriented ambitions of the record label rather than the artistic ambitions of the composer.

I say this because Henry Mancini himself did speak out about his initial ambitions to write more dramatic music for film, and how the popularity of his lighter work tended to overshadow this. This reality could only have been made worse by the fact that the more dramatic music that he did write for many of his 'lighter’ and more popular films, Breakfast at Tiffany’s being one of them, was not bestowed the opportunity to be re-recorded and released as part of the soundtrack, somewhat ‘erasing’ it from people’s minds. Of course, it still appears in the films themselves, but with so many people focussed on the film when watching it and nowhere else to find it outside of that, it becomes almost forgotten.

When listening to Henry Mancini’s more dramatic compositions such as Where’s the Cat?, it is true, he had a wonderful ability to work in this way. As he was a fully trained composer, should we be surprised? I am sure he had all the talent and capabilities to turn his had towards any style or musical requirement.

Perhaps, based on his quote, we can infer that he would have liked more ‘dramatic assignments’ within his career, and it is a shame he didn’t get them. However, within so much of his work that was full of his most popular melodies and rhythms, there are the more dramatic compositions hidden away, still yet to fully be appreciated. Of course, as I have found with ‘Where’s the Cat?’, there are recordings of these underrepresented sections out there in the world, they are just trickier to find. Though, it would be nice, for the sake of Henry Mancini’s memory a well as that of his films, if they were shared in ways that were more easily accessible and widely celebrated, for it seems to be something he might have wished for as part of his well-deserved legacy. Don’t you think we could give him that?

The Final Scene

Below, I have shared the clip of the final scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, for your enjoyment

‘Where’s the Cat?’ starts at 2:25 until around 4:36, before it goes into the final grand reprise of Moon River.

Listen to the Breakfast at Tiffany’s Soundtrack here:

Sadly, without ‘Where’s the Cat?’

In memory of Audrey Hepburn~ 4th May 1929 - 20th January 1993