Roman Holiday - The Centennial Collection

Even tho it's from the 50's and in B&W (a turnoff for a lot of people) the movie is wonderful, the scenes are still fresh & funny; delightful scenes of Rome and Life in the 50's. She stays all night, still a virgin in the morning? everyone isn't having sex with everyone on camera? No one gets MURDERED??? no gore? Believe it or not, if a film is written and acted brilliantly - and here you have 3 of the great actors of all time -- a movie doesn't need shock value to be great, and this film proves it!

A princess (Audery Hepburn) is petty much a prisoner of her position; she is on a European tour. While in Rome she has an opportunity to escape her overseers and join the local festivities. A freelance reporter (Gregory Peck) accidentally spots her hand knows who she is. Out for an exclusive interview he pretends to be a businessman and befriends her. Together they see the real Roam accompanied by his incognito photographer pal (Eddie Albert.)

Does the reported get his exclusive and a ticket back to the states?
Or do they setup house?
Will the princess ever get caught?

Everyone has fun and you will too.

Fairy tales don't really happen in our world -- especially not the kind that actually involve princesses.

But you wouldn't know that from "Roman Holiday," one of Audrey Hepburn's earliest ever movie roles -- as well as her breakout one. This adorable romantic comedy balances itself nicely between a sweet little romance, a lighthearted romance and the bittersweet, overhanging specter of royal duty.

Bored young Princess Ann (Hepburn) goes on a "Roman Holiday," when she gets upset, is sedated by a doctor, and has an odd reaction to it. Soon she has wandered out of the palace and into the streets of Rome, where she is found by struggling American journalist Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck). Since she appears to be drunk, he takes her home.

When Joe realizes that he has the missing princess in his apartment, he takes her on a whirlwind tour of Rome, with his pal taking photographs for a full article about her. But he doesn't count on falling in love with Ann, or having her truly fall for him. And Ann has a tough choice to make -- should she give up her royal life and stay with Joe, or fulfil her responsibilities as a princess?

"Roman Holiday" is one of those rare movies that sounds incredibly trite and Hollywoodish when you just hear what it's about, because it's been done so many times before. Surprise -- instead we get a movie that is mostly a cute, innocent little romance, but with an inevitable choice that looms over Anne throughout her fun.

But it's a fun ride while it lasts, with Anne and Joe careening through Rome on a scooter, dancing by the river, and getting her hair cut. This doesn't sound very funny, but William Wyler plays it with plenty of little jokes, including Joe's scandalized landlady raving at poor Anne in Italian, assuming that she's a one-night stand. And near the end he twists the storyline into a bittersweet examination of duty vs. love, with Anne forced to consider which way her life will go.

And there's one joke that Peck played on Hepburn in reality -- the infamous "Mouth of Truth" scene. There's a reason Hepburn shrieked so convincingly: she had really been tricked.

Hepburn and Gregory Peck are thoroughly solid as love interests -- Peck is breezy and likable as the jaded American journalist who is seizing an opportunity. And Hepburn showed off her range here -- she can be funny and quirky (including a hilarious "drunk" scene), then switch over into a doe-eyed sadness that breaks the heart.

The Centennial Edition of this movie comes with an extra disk of assorted featurettes -- aside from the usual gallery and trailers, we have a half-hour special on Hepburn's Paramount years, and another twelve minutes commemorating her in general. Also has some stuff on the filming, the costumes, 1950s Paramount, and about restoring the film to primo glory.

"Roman Holiday" is a modern-day fairy tale that never sacrifices integrity for cheap gooey romance. A truly magical, bittersweet little movie.

Possibly my favorite romance of all time, ROMAN HOLIDAY is a heart-wrenching, charming and timeless tale of a young Princess Ann(Audrey Hepburn) who runs away and ends up in the arms of wise newspaperman Joe Bradley(Gregory Peck).

Of course through a handful of events by random happenstance Joe and Ann fall in love, and their chemistry is really beautiful.

"Do you have a silk nightgown with rosebuds?" "I haven't worn a nightgown in years!"

Gregory Peck is a dream, and Audrey Hepburn is simply stunning in her oscar-winning performance. In addition, Eddie Albert adds the perfect amount of 'comedy relief'.

It's one of those movies that you never feel the desire to fast-forward through and the end will make your heart shatter no matter how many times you have seen it unfold before.

Couldn't you just die as he exits and 'the end' comes up on that screen? Just Amazing.

It is hard to read some of these reviews and not scratch one's head. To think, for example, that Cary Grant would have been better in this film is crazy. Cary Grant is a knowitall sophisticate. He would have wrecked the film. The whole point of the film is that everyone is innocent and learning how to be truly noble as adults. Only Gregory Peck could have carried off the male role without making him appear naive or an idiot. All the sexuality in it is very, very carefully dealt with -- one false move, and it would have crashed and burned. The film is about restraint and duty.

It was Audrey Hepburn's best film. The final scenes -- so understated, but speaking volumes -- are brilliantly acted. Of course, nobody would behave like these two now. And of course we are so much better off. Sure we are.