A princess tired of having her life dictated for her decides to spend a
day living as a commoner. Two kind-hearted opportunists intending to use
a young woman’s royal connections for their personal gain begin to
think twice once they get to know her. The first plot element reminds me
of Disney’s Aladdin, the second of Don Bluth’s Anastasia, but I recently encountered them in a live-action classic predating them by decades.
William Wyler’s 1953 comedy Roman Holiday
features Audrey Hepburn in a star-making role as the young Princess
Ann, whose demanding schedule of royal duties on an official visit to
Rome leaves her desperate for a little time to herself. After a doctor
gives her an experimental treatment to help her relax, she wanders
dazedly out onto the streets, where jaded journalist Joe Bradley
(Gregory Peck) notices her erratic behavior and reluctantly rescues her
from the poor end she may meet if she remains in this state on her own.
It
isn’t until the next morning that he realizes this glamorous vagabond
is the princess and could therefore be very valuable to him if he
manages to convince her to stay in his company for the remainder of the
day. His plan? Feign ignorance of her identity and take her out for a
whirlwind tour of the city, then write an in-depth article about the
experience, supplemented by photographs snapped on the sly by his friend
Irving (Eddie Albert). He’ll make a mint, and she’ll never know until
too late that he was using her.
Hepburn is all grace and charm
as the princess, even when the doctor’s prescription has made her loopy.
No matter what the situation, she exudes elegance. She is at her most
endearing midway through the movie as the princess simply soaks up the
pleasure of doing whatever she pleases. While this is a well-traveled
young woman with extensive experience in foreign affairs, the exuberance
on her face as she runs wild in Rome is infectious.
Peck is
equally excellent as the world-wise journalist with the wry wit who
wants to make a quick buck but has scruples enough to nag at him as he
contemplates the humiliation the princess will face if he makes their
dalliance public. Peck was about 13 years Hepburn’s senior; her
character seems younger than her actual age and his older, so the way he
relates to her is almost fatherly at first, but despite the age gap,
there’s also room for realistic romantic tension to develop.
Albert’s
interaction with both of them has a chummy flavor to it. Irving is a
bit of a goofball, and he’s certainly not as clever as Joe. Some of the
funniest moments involve his pratfalls as Joe spills beverages on him in
order to make him stop talking before he blows his cover. Meanwhile, he
comes to admire the princess’s feisty spirit, though he doesn’t feel
quite as conflicted as Joe does about their plan. Albert’s presence
increases the comedy of the film, which occasionally feels more like a
drama or romance. Also amusing is Hartley Power as Joe’s cranky editor,
Mr. Hennessy, who fervently hopes there’s actually something to Joe’s
promises that he can secure a private audience with the princess.
This
movie is in black and white, which a documentary in the special
features explains was a choice made in order to make the Roman scenery
more of a backdrop than a centerpiece. Cinematographers Henri Alekan and
Franz Planer still capture the beauty of Rome wonderfully, and the
setting enhances but does not overwhelm the plot. That making-of segment
also discusses how blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo wrote the
screenplay for the film but gave another writer (Ian McLellan Hunter)
credit. The vibrant comedy with a splash of melancholy demonstrates his
skill.
I’ve always been extremely prejudiced toward color in
movies, so I was disappointed in the decision to use black and white,
but the characters are colorful enough that I didn’t mind for long.
Hepburn, Peck and Albert make a truly winning trio in this funny, mostly
feel-good film about the joy of stepping outside of expectations.
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