I had a chance to watch this movie over the holidays, and I must say that it was very enjoyable. The movie stars Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn and is directed by William Wyler. It is not rated, but I would treat like a 'PG'.
Hepburn plays Ann, a princess from an unknown European country, who is currently in Rome living at her embassy. Peck plays Joe Bradley, a down-on-his luck American reporter living in Rome covering fluff stories for the 'Daily American'. Princess Ann has become tired of the continued tedium of her daily life putting on a show for the press but with little other substance to speak of. Her doctor gives her a sedative to help her relax, but shortly after taking it that night she decides to sneak out of the embassy to see Rome on her own. After walking a few blocks, she soon passes out a public bench.
Joe, walking by at this moment, but not realizing she is the Princess, attempts to assist by offering her some money so she can catch a cab home. Still woozy from her meds Ann - identifying herself as Anya Smith to Joe - is unable to tell Joe where she is living. Being a gentleman, Joe takes her back to his small apartment so she can rest for the night. Joe wakes up the next morning and heads off to work, leaving 'Anya' sleeping. While in the newspaper office, Joe sees a picture of Princess Ann and realizes who the woman in his apartment actually is. Joe, now invigorated by this discovery, promises his boss an exclusive interview for the paper with the Princess.
Joe heads back to his apartment to wake Ann, but not letting her know that he knows that she is the Princess, still calling her Anya. She leaves on her own with some money from Joe, but with Joe secretly following behind. She wanders around Rome for a bit, and decides to get her hair cut short at a salon. On her way out Joe "bumps into her" and they agree to spend the rest of the day together taking in the sites of the city. Joe also contacts a photographer friend of his named Irving Radovich (Eddie Baker) to come with Joe and Ann to document their day "out on the town". The three venture to different parts of Rome through the afternoon and eventually end up at a dance by the river in the evening, where hijinks ensue. We see a crescendo that Joe and Ann are falling in love, but as the day is coming to close she realizes "this cannot happen", so they part ways with Ann headed back to the embassy.
The next day Princess Ann is doing a press conference that Joe and Irving show up to, standing in the front row. Now realizing that Joe is a member of the press, she becomes tense because a princess would not have been cavorting around town in the manner which she did, and being photographed to boot. Joe, however, keeps their secret, even handing her an envelope full of the days prior photos (indicating he did not publish them or write an exploitive story because he was in love with her).
Roman Holiday represents the best of a different age of Hollywood. Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn were both cast perfectly and filled the screen with their charm and beauty. The plot is very light, but the physical actions and facial nuances of both actors we see on screen brings a believability to this romantic development. Rome was an excellent backdrop and provided a perfect location for both daytime and nighttime shots. It is cliche to write, but the fact is there 'are not movies made like this any more'. Roman Holiday looks and feels like a fun romp, plus we can believe a genuine romantic blossoming in a 24 hour period. With the type of sarcasm, cynicism, and sexuality that domintes today's film landscape in this genre, I do not honestly beleive Roman Holiday could be made in 2013 and be believable and entertaining.
Recommendation: A true classic that was well directed and perfectly performed by two of the great actors of the prior generation.
More:
- It won 3 Oscars; Hepburn winning Best Actress.
- This is the first American film to be shot entirely in Italy.
- Gregory Peck wisely told the films producers to put Audrey Hepburn's name above the title for billing - unheard of for a non-established actor - because he (correctly) believed she would win an Oscar for her role.
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