Movie: "Roman Holiday" (1953)

[Bob Pr.]

This was presented in our monthly Cinema Studies session of KU's Endacott Society

"Roman Holiday" (1953) 118 min, B&W. Genres: Comedy/ Drama/ Romance. Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert. Won 3 Oscars.

8.1/10 stars and 228/250 on IMDb's alltime 250 best ever films. Roman Holiday (1953) - IMDb

"Rotten Tomatoes" lists 98% of film critics rating it "fresh" (not "rotten")
Roman Holiday Movie Reviews - ROTTEN TOMATOES

Trailer: IMDb Video: Roman Holiday

This film has aspects reminiscent (to me) of "The King's Speech" (the immense restrictions on life and freedom that a monarch--or ones to be--entails) and some of the fortuitous meeting of the couple in "Same Time, Next Year" that leads to a very circumscribed romance.

Princess Ann (Hepburn), maybe 18-21, destined to inherit the throne of an unnamed European country, is making a "grand tour" of European nations before her ascendancy. She chafes under the schedule of the groups and people she must constantly meet and what she must say to each of them to preserve harmonious relations between her country and theirs. In the movie, the venue is Italy and the city is Rome.

Late one night, after becoming a little feisty/petulant in rehearsing the responses she must make in tomorrow's too full schedule of meetings, a physician gives her a shot to lift her spirits but also a sedative to quiet her.

Princess Ann, under the first effects of the injection, escapes from the palace in which she was staying/(confined?) and wanders the streets of Rome until the sedative kicks in and she stretches out to sleep on a park bench. There she's discovered by a reporter, Bradley (Peck) who's working for an overseas news service. Her youth, beauty, and impaired condition are obvious and after fruitlessly trying to send her home, Bradley takes her to his modest apartment to sleep off what he assumes is her intoxication.

Joe Bradley is under the gun with his boss for oversleeping and missing a scheduled press conference by Princess Ann. Not realizing that the scheduled press conference was cancelled "due to her sudden illness" nor that young lady he took home is the princess, he fakes a report to his boss on what transpired at that scheuled meeting.

After his boss listens and then confronts Bradley that the meeting never happened, Bradley suddenly realizes that the woman sleeping in his apartment is the princess. With that realization, he gets a promise from his boss of a huge raise if he produces a one-of-a-kind story about the princess--and with pictures would be a bonus.

Bradley enlists the help of a photographer, Irving (Albert), to document the relationship. Princess Ann wants to see and partcipate in the world as a normal human being unrestricted by the trappings of the monarchy--so she, in turn, does not reveal who she is to Bradley. And Bradley, wanting to write a unique news article about the princess, does not reveal who he is to her or his motivation. Irving tails the couple to document the story with photos (and he has very small unobtrusive cameras).

The rest of the film traces their day & night in Rome: Princess Ann's delight in at last participating in activities as normal people do and without the constant restrictions of royalty.

BUT, that's for the day. She asks Bradley to drop her off near the palace in which she was staying.

He does.

She returns to her duties.

And the ending is poignant -- but satisfying.

My rating: 9/10.