Roman Holiday (1953)
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A princess on a secret getaway in Rome finds herself in an unexpected predicament when she is discovered by an American reporter.
The story
Crown Princess Ann is on a loosely scheduled tour of European capital cities. After a difficult day in Rome, she secretly leaves the embassy to explore the city alone. While under the influence of a sedative, she falls asleep in a public area and is found by Joe Bradley, an American reporter. Unaware of her royal identity, Joe takes her to his apartment. When Joe realizes who she is, he attempts to navigate a situation where he must decide how to handle the presence of a princess while she seeks a moment of freedom from her royal duties in the heart of Rome.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Crown Princess Ann is on a tour of European capitals. After a grueling day, she takes a sedative and slips away from her embassy to explore Rome. She falls asleep on a wall and is found by Joe Bradley, an American reporter who mistakes her for a drunk woman and takes her to his apartment. Joe later discovers her true identity from a newspaper photo and realizes the potential for a scoop. He convinces her to spend the day with him as 'Anya,' pretending they are to be married to explain their proximity. They explore Rome, visit the Colosseum, and share a moment of intimacy after being caught in a storm. However, her government eventually tracks her down. She returns to her duties, and Joe must decide whether to sell the photos he took of her. In the end, she appears at a press conference, declaring her love for Rome, while Joe and his friend watch from the sidelines.
- First release year
- 1953
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Italian
- Directors
- William Wyler
- Writers
- Dalton Trumbo · screenplay; Ian McLellan Hunter · screenplay; John Dighton · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Audrey Hepburn · princess; Gregory Peck · reporter; Eddie Albert
- Genres
- romantic comedy
- Themes
- romance; identity; duty vs. freedom
- Tone and mood
- romantic; whimsical; classic
- Premise and plot tags
- romance; comedy; royal; journalism
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim and is considered a classic of the romantic comedy genre, noted for its whimsical tone and the performances of its leads.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 95% · scale: percentage · review count: 63
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Actress · win; Academy Award · Best Story · win; Academy Award · Best Costume Design · win
- Production trivia
- The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1999.; The film was once cited as the favorite foreign film of all time for Japanese audiences.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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