This review is part of my IMDB Top 250 Films project and has been kindly done by Todd, please be sure to check out his site and read on for his excellent review.
Roman Holiday (1953) - A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.
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Reviewed by Todd. Please check out his blog:
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Top 250 #229
Year of Release: 1953
Director: William Wyler
Cast:
Gregory Peck - Joe Bradley
Audrey Hepburn - Princess Ann
Eddie Albert - Irving Radovich
Hartley Power - Mr. Hennessy
Harcourt Williams - Ambassador
One of the great romance comedies of all time…a fun, sweet, and thoroughly engaging trip around the most scenic and memorable locales of Rome, with Audrey Hepburn simply superb in her first film role, as a young princess who grows tired of the royal routine and escapes to the nighttime streets of Rome, wanting nothing more than to experience life from the other side of the royal walls.
Along the way she meets Gregory Peck, in a rare comedic role (and doing a grand job of it), playing a news reporter who at first is oblivious to her identity, but soon clues in and realizes the journalistic and money-making possibilities of the situation; to capitalize on this, he convinces her to spend the day with him as her tour guide, having a ‘holiday’ and sharing in all the simple things she yearns to do. Invited along for the ride is Peck’s photographer friend Eddie Albert, who covertly records the events using a tiny cigarette lighter camera. All of this was set against the backdrop of 1950s Rome, which was portrayed as a warm, comfortable, and enjoyable place to be, and has you wishing it could’ve stayed stuck in time, just as it was, forever.
The three leads made a wonderful screen trio, and Peck and Hepburn were a great match as friendly acquaintances who slowly become attracted to each other over the course of a day. The comedy, romance, and travelogue aspects were presented in equal doses, and director William Wyler brought everything together smoothly, creating a multitude of wonderful moments and touches that were both festive and charming, and blended from scene to scene with ease; his black-and-white photography at key locations throughout the city—the Spanish Steps, the Wall of Truth, and the Trevi Fountain, to name a few—added a simple, bygone charm to the proceedings, and I don’t think filming in color would’ve made for a better option.
In fact, it may not have been an option at all; apparently, Wyler’s insistence on shooting on-location in Italy, instead of on studio sets in Hollywood, eliminated the budget for color film! Thankfully, there was enough left over for the writers; the award-winning screenplay was not only exceptional in its storytelling, but was a showcase for dialogue that the actors delivered to perfection. In fact, everything about Roman Holiday was perfect, from its joyful opening credits to its heartbreaking but necessary end.
As you may have guessed, I absolutely love this movie, and it’s been a staple of my ever-changing all-time favorites lists for many years. If you’re at all a romantic at heart—or perhaps even if you’re not—then this film is not to be missed.
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Reviewed by Todd. Please check out his blog:
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Thank you so much for this Todd, excellent work my friend!! Hope I used the correct ice cream photo, there were a few different shots!
And thank you, Tyson, for letting me be a part of your cool site! I know ‘Roman Holiday’ may not be as gory or bloodthirsty as the films you normally review here, but at least it ‘pinked’ another entry in the IMDb Top 250!
And yes, the ice cream photo is fine. In fact, any photo of Audrey Hepburn eating ice cream is fine.
Thats why I have this project, to try and have something slightly different to balance out my normal grisly films
The list is coming along nicely, although the new site theme I have coming will be different colours, so pink will be no more! Thanks again buddy, sure people will love your review
Hey, Todd!
I love your “Roman Holiday” appreciation!! No disrespect to the films that frequently show up on Tyson’s site, but I’m an old fashion movies guy. My Wife, Marilyn, and I just watched an encore showing of a Gregory Peck life tribute. In it, he glowingly talks about making “Roman Holiday” and what a treat it was to work with the young Audrey Hepburn. Apparently, there was studio pressure to give him single above the title billing and he said NO!! Years earlier, in an interview, Peck told me he thought Hepburn should have received TOP billing but the studio suits nixed that idea. I am among the many who’ll always be smitten with Audrey Hepburn. Think I’ll go find our “Holiday” DVD for another viewing. Thanks, Todd!!
Garry always classy’s up the joint with his stories!
Hi Garry! I’d heard the story about the above-the-title billing, but not the one where Audrey might’ve received top billing…very interesting, and very generous of Mr. Peck! Thanks for checking out my review…hopefully I can discuss another black-and-white classic here soon!
Finally good films on this site. Great work Todd you nailed it.
I nearly banned you for that comment Simon…….finally good films indeed! You havent seen most of the good stuff reviewed on here
Don’t let him push you around, Simon! Thanks for the nice comment…I spent a while trying to get that review to properly convey how I felt about the film…glad you liked it!
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