Customer Reviews

Roman Holiday (Special Collector's Edition)

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In the Audrey Hepburn canon "Roman Holiday" is the movie where she emerged from the chrysalis of small-time British movies into international stardom. Her charm and light comedy skills are showcased by putting her in the hands of an experienced Hollywood director (William Wyler), a rock-steady co-star (Gregory Peck)and familiar supporting players. Rome is made as enticing as could be managed with black and white, and the story emphasises responsibility (to her duties; to his integrity) as a governing value. The transfer and restoration are meticulous: they have brought back the movie to what it was like in its original release condition.

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.

"Roman holiday" (1953) is a charming movie that you are likely to love, specially if you are fond of romantic comedies that have an excellent director (William Wyler) and great actors (Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck).

Do you want to have at least an idea of what this film is about? Well, the main character is Ann (Audrey Hepburn), a beautiful princess that is visiting Rome for official reasons, but that wants to break free of her obligations, at least for one day. This movie tells us what happens when Ann gets to do what she wants, that is a day of almost perfect freedom in Rome. Of course, Ann is not alone: she accidentally meets an American journalist, Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), a handsome rogue that becomes a possible love interest. But does Joe know who Ann really is? And what does he want from her?

All in all, I can say that I enjoyed watching the story of Princess Ann, a young woman that could be compared to a bird trying to spread her wings for the very first time. You will laugh, and maybe cry a little, but I think that "Roman holiday" is a film that you will not regret watching.

Belen Alcat

Roman Holiday is a fun romantic comedy. Audrey Hepburn sparkles in her first starring role; she won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Princess Ann. Gregory Peck is magnificent - always a gentleman. Roman Holiday is one of my very favourites.

The Storyline: A sheltered princess, on an official visit to Italy, rebels against her royal obligations and runs away for a day to explore Rome on her own. She meets Gregory Peck, a broke American newspaperman who, seeking an exclusive story, feigns ignorance as to her real identity.

This DVD version has been beautifully restored. As a Collector's Edition, it includes several extra features: "Remembering Roman Holiday" Featurette, "Restoring Roman Holiday" Featurette, "Edith Head - The Paramount Years" Featurette, trailers, and a photo gallery. They have clips of Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and Eddie Albert remembering Roman Holiday, among others. Gregory Peck tells a story about an incident during the filming that is delightful.

A beautiful edition of a beautiful movie.

Since my family is going to Italy this summer, my father had us watch Roman holiday because of the setting and all of the landmarks shown in the movie. It was my first Audrey Hepburn film, and it definately will not be my last. In this ligh hearted tale, a princess of a European country becomes fed up with her duties and sneaks out to enjoy a day in Rome, where she soon meets, and falls in love with, an american reporter. This movie is incredibly charming and very romantic, with one of the saddest endings that doesn't seem all that sad. I would recommend it to everyone, regardless of age or movie preference.

ROMAN HOLIDAY should appeal to everyone who loves a good romance, and this one is a great one. The rest us of will be well content with the splendor of Rome and the chance to see the remarkable Audrey Hepburn in her debut movie. In other words, ROMAN HOLIDAY has something for every palate.
The plot? Princess Ann (we're never quite sure which country she's princess of) is enduring a grueling tour of European nations. Weary to death of the royal treatment, one night Ann escapes into the Roman night. Unfortunately for her she had a while earlier been given an injection to help her sleep. The drug takes effect while she's out and about, and reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) discovers her asleep on a street bench. Believing she's inebriated, and being a gentleman, he tries to deliver her safely to her home. That plan fails and, being a gentleman, Bradley arranges for the young stranger (he doesn't learn she's the missing princess until the next scene) to sleep on the sofa in his small, one-room apartment.
Cary Grant was originally offered the part of Joe Bradley and he turned it down. One of the dvd's specials tells us he refused the role because he didn't want to play second fiddle to an ingenue. Maybe so. It's tempting to decide, on the basis of this scene, that Peck was woefully miscast. Ann, nearly asleep on her feet, asks Bradley "Will you help me undress?" A natural enough request coming from royalty, I guess. Bradley fumbles around with her neck scarf, unties it, hands it to her and says "You can handle the rest."
Peck plays the scene for a smile. Grant would have made it one of the highlights of the movie. After savoring the opportunity for the audience's delight he would have removed the tie and given the camera a quick peek, as if to say "Listen here, I know this is a cliched, silly situation. But doesn't this look like fun. Don't we make a handsome couple?" Grant was a supple pagan god who drank more than once from the well of hedonism, and he was always careful to bring the audience along for the good times. Peck was an Old Testament prophet, a little too stern and stiff to give himself over to pleasure.
What Peck brings to the role is authority and a handsome arm for Hepburn to rest on. Grant would have distracted us, and ROMAN HOLIDAY is best when our attention is focused squarely on Audrey Hepburn. She delivers a tour de force performance, and you can understand the excitement she generated even after a half century.
The specials include the documentary "Remembering ROMAN HOLIDAY", which surprised me with all the people who were involved and dropped out of the production of the movie. "Edith Head: The Paramount Years" is a short biography of the famous and talented fashion designer. "Restoring ROMAN HOLIDAY" shows us a number of before and after shots - this is a VERY clean print. There is also a trio of theatrical trailers and a stills photo gallery.

This was Audrey Hepburn's debut in a starring role. She was 24-years-old and had appeared in two or three other movies but just in bit parts. Here she plays a reigning European princess visiting Rome who would like an escape from her daily regime of official duties, thus the title and theme of the movie, a Roman holiday.

Gregory Peck plays an American newspaper reporter living in the Eternal City. We first see him playing poker with his cronies, and losing. His relative "poverty" and Princess Ann's fabulous wealth and station present a formidable barrier to their ever finding true love and marital happiness. Part of the fun of the script is in seeing how this will play out and how their differences are resolved in the end. I will give you a small hint: very carefully!

The script comes from a story by Dalton Trumbo who is perhaps best known as the author of the anti-war novel, Johnny Got His Gun. Trumbo was one of the "Hollywood Ten" who were blacklisted from working in the industry during the excesses of the McCarthy era. He went to Mexico and continued working on film scripts but under assumed names or had his scripts presented by "fronts." In this case Ian McLellan Hunter fronted for Trumbo and won an Academy Award for the story. Later the Academy awarded Trumbo a posthumous Oscar for his work.

Long time Hollywood studio director William Wyler directed the film entirely on location in Rome. He has a formidable list of credits going well back into the silent film era including such outstanding films as Wuthering Heights (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), etc. His clear directorial style and his attention to detail work well here. The sets in Rome are charming, especially Peck's bachelor apartment. The bit players, especially Peck's landlord are excellent and the events are dreamy in just the way a romantic meeting in Rome ought to be. Wyler is especially effective in presenting Audrey Hepburn in the most flattering light and getting the audience to identify with her.

Gregory Peck's character should be a bit of an adventurous rake who finds that love is more important than money or fame, but it is impossible for Peck to play a morally compromised character, and so even as he appears to be using Princess Ann for his own ends, his behavior is always correct. I was somewhat amused to notice that at all times Peck appears wearing a tie! Eddie Albert plays Peck's friend, a photographer/artist. It is interesting to note how Hollywood's perception of the paparazzi has changed over the years. Here blood-sucking, intrusive greed does not exist. Instead we have noble self-sacrifice!

I have seen most of Miss Hepburn's movies and I can say that she was never more enchanting than she is here. She is gorgeous and cute at the same time, charming and impish, sweet, regal and very winning. In a sense she started at the top with this film, garnering her only Oscar as Best Actress in 1953; but as her fans know she never came down off that pedestal. Even playing poor Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1964), there was never any doubt about the quality of her style and character.

This is the most romantic film I have ever seen, perhaps partly because Miss Hepburn is so wonderful, but also because the script in a sense turns the usual woman's romantic fantasy upside down. Instead of the woman finding that the man she is in love with has fabulous wealth and position, it is the other way around!

The ending manages to be realistic yet romantic. There is a hint of something almost spiritual beyond what happens. So convincing are Hepburn and Peck that one can almost believe the story is true; and indeed I am sure that Trumbo lifted the essentials of the plot from some ancient tale.

I have a weakness for movies about unrequited love, or love that goes on forever, or love that is caught at some perfect moment and lives eternally in that moment. Roman Holiday is one of those near perfect movies that plays beautifully upon one of these themes.

~I think there is really no need to introduce or praise this movie. History will tell (has already told) that it is one of the classic in the movie industry that deserves to be collected and viewed again and again. Therefore a superb DVD transfer is on demand. This collector's edition did a great job on remastering the original film to DVD format - crystal clear picture with almost all scratches and noises removed. Play it in your DVD player, you won't believe that you are watching and hearing an~~ age old movie. Both picture and sound are superbly transfered plus all the extra features - this is the best money you can spend on a DVD with the contents for generations to enjoy.~

This is by far one of my favorite Audrey Hepburn movies. In "Roman Holiday," Audrey plays a reluctant princess who escapes from her repressive royal life to have a one-day adventure in Rome... with Gregory Peck. This is a classic 1950s fairy tale romantic comedy.

It's hard to believe that "Roman Holiday" was Audrey's first major film, because she's fabulous in it! She has a certain grace and charm that is unequaled. The Academy clearly agreed... Audrey won the Best Actress Oscar for her role as Princess Ann.

What most people don't know is that the script was an original creation by the famous screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo. Trumbo had already been blacklisted for refusing to answer HUAC's questions regarding his possible Communist affiliations. Trumbo was sentenced to a year in prison, and he spent his last few months of freedom working diligently on the "Roman Holiday" script. He was able to sell the script (for much lower than his usual price) by putting a friend's name on it. The money he earned from "Roman Holiday" took care of his family's needs while he was in jail.

"Roman Holiday" is a fun, family-friendly romantic comedy. I highly recommend it!

Roman holiday-a time of enjoyment derived from the suffering of others.

Well, that's a dictionary's definition, but I guarantee that suffering is the diametric opposite for anyone watching Audrey Hepburn's starring debut. Ms. Hepburn stars as Princess Anne of some unnamed European kingdom. Fed up with her heavily scheduled public relations agenda in the Eternal City, Anne goes into hysterics and flees the palace, but not before the doctor injects her with a powerful sedative. She's rescued by Joe Bradley, a reporter with the American News Service, who takes her to his apartment and being a gentleman, does not take advantage of her in her drugged-out state.

It isn't long before he finds out who she is and after tailing her, "bumps" into her on Rome's Spanish Steps, where she's had a new haircut and enjoying an ice cream. There was difficulty in shooting this scene due to the heckling of spectators.

Bradley enlists the aid of Irving Radovic, a photographer, promising to cut him in on an exclusive story he wants to make on the princess. Some of the things he does to Irving to prevent their game from getting rumbled would only work in this kind of comedy. Together, the princess, ostensibly incognito to her charges, gets the free day she wants. Her half-lie that she's a schoolgirl playing hookey only makes her outing all the more fun.

The title concept holds true as Anne goes walkabout while causing her chaperones much alarm, to the extent of sending men-in-black after her. Also, Anne's excursion takes place in the Eternal City after all. But it's also one for Bradley, whose boss wants him to get an exclusive on the princess, and Bradley's initial exploitative objective eventually turns into a holiday he wants Anne to have. Also, the phrase "Roman holiday" is derived from the gladiatorial contests the ancient Romans enjoyed, especially in the Colisseum, which ironically is where the half-insensate Anne mumbles as her place of residence to Bradley upon their first meeting.

There are also a few bits of slapstick involved. One is the Mouth of Truth scene, the relic sculpted on the Colisseum, a face with eyes and mouth. Legend says that if a liar sticks his/her hand in there, it will be bitten off. Something silly does happen, which I will not reveal.

This was nominated for ten Academy Awards (but not Best Actor!!!) Surely Gregory Peck's solid, dependable, and ultimately romantically touched performance deserved a nomination at least? Eddie Albert (Irving) was nominated for Best Supporting Actor (and lost). It also lost Best Picture, but won for original screenplay and costume design. Hmm, I seem to have forgotten one, but which one? Hmm... All kidding aside, Audrey Hepburn won, beating out Deborah Kerr, Ava Gardner, and Leslie Caron for Best Actress.

And it took five years for it to reach production. Writer John Dighton was actually blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo. Co-writer Ian McClellan Hunter had to act as a front, taking credit for the Oscar-winning story for 40 years until a posthumous Oscar was given to Trumbo's widow.

Shot totally in Rome, this unforgettable movie marked Audrey Hepburn's road to stardom. Her photogenic quality is well demonstrated with a fetching smile, that graceful figure, and of course a charming personality. Watching this movie is itself a Roman holiday.