'Audrey Hepburn in Paris' review: A fair lady in the City of Light, on Long Island and more

"Paris isn't for changing planes, it's … it's for changing your outlook, for … for throwing open the windows and letting in … letting in la vie en rose."

Audrey Hepburn offered those sage words about the City of Light to Humphrey Bogart in the sparkling 1954 comedy "Sabrina," and it's a quote that sums up the actress' real-life love affair with the city. Though most of "Sabrina" was set in Glen Cove, and none of it was shot in Paris, the City of Light played a crucial role in the film. Hepburn would go on to film six movies there including "Funny Face" (1957) and "Charade" (1963). Spending months at a time on each shoot, she immersed herself in Parisian culture and fashion, not to mention its people.

Meghan Friedlander's gorgeous book "Audrey Hepburn in Paris" (Harvest, $32) embraces Hepburn's affection for the city, weaving together more than 200 rarely seen photos with stories about the Oscar winner's experiences there, including vacations. attending Fashion Week, meeting Cary Grant for the first time, soirees at the Rothschild mansion and her close friendship with renowned designer Hubert de Givenchy.

Friedlander, who runs the all-things-Audrey website Rare Audrey Hepburn, worked closely with the star's son Luca Dotti — who wrote the introduction — in creating the book. (Italian designer Giambattista Valli penned the foreword.) Among the book's joys are the stunning color and black-and-white shots of Hepburn on the set; riding her bike; chatting with iconic figures like Colette, who chose Hepburn to play the lead in her play "Gigi" on Broadway, and going over costume designs with Givenchy.

Not all of the shots are from Paris: In fact, Long Island gets its close-up with a breathtaking shot of Hepburn and a French poodle at the Glen Cove train station during filming of "Sabrina."

But this isn't just a glorified photo album: The words are just as entertaining and revealing as the photos. In the chapter on "Funny Face," Hepburn's delightful 1957 screen pairing with Fred Astaire, pictures of Hepburn going through her steps to learn the painstaking dance routines at a Paris Ballet studio are paired with reminiscences by the actress. Though she had won a scholarship to London's Ballet Rambert nine years earlier, Hepburn told journalist Mark Nichols, "I'll never be better than adequate."

Her humility is on display throughout the book's 200-plus pages. During her initial meeting with "Charade" co-star Cary Grant at a Paris bistro, Hepburn was so in awe that she accidentally spilled red wine on his suit. The ever-gracious Grant, as Hepburn recalled, "pretended, very convincingly, that the stain would simply go away." By the end of filming, Grant presented Hepburn with a matching set of luggage and said, "All I want next Christmas is another picture with Audrey."

The book also focuses on Hepburn's humanitarian efforts. Her final visit to the city in October 1992, three months before she died, was to appear on French television to talk about the desperate conditions she found in Somalia on her last UNICEF mission.

Anyone who is a Hepburn fan — so basically the entire world — will be captivated by Friedlander's lovingly crafted homage to the star and the city she adored.