Who doesn’t love Audrey Hepburn? My wife certainly does, which is why we have ended up with various pieces of Audrey memorabilia around our house.

This is a Japanese ‘chirashi’ flyer for Billy Wilder’s 1957 romantic comedy Love In The Afternoon. I must admit, i like the flyer rather more than I liked the movie. 

Like a number of Hepburn’s early movies, it is billed as a classic romance but is a). very slow and long and b). features a young Hepburn as the virginal love interest of 56 year old Gary Cooper (showing his age). This sort of age-difference romance was very common in the era (much like how Hepburn ends up with Humphrey Bogart in Sabrina), but I must admit watching it today I do find it all somewhat icky! Audiences at the time seemed to agree, as the movie was not a commercial success. 

On the upside, the movie was partially shot in Paris, with the French vibe completed by casting Maurice Chevalier as the father of Hepburn’s character.

I have a few of this sort of ‘chirashi’. These are relatively cheap to collect and easy to store and display. The downside is it is very difficult to date or authenticate them. I do not for a minute think this is from 1957, it is most likely a reprint from the 80s. The main thing is, my wife likes it!