Roman Holiday (1953) [unrated]

This movie made Audrey Hepburn a star. It is my favorite of her movies. (Breakfast at Tiffany's is forever tainted by Mickey Rooney's insulting and overtly racist portrayal of a Japanese man.) This was Audrey's first movie, and she earned an Oscar! Supported by the handsome Gregory Peck, this is a bittersweet romance.

She plays a princess who has become overwhelmed with her responsibilities and duties. Presented with an opportunity to escape, she takes it. Her heart is full of wanting to be just a normal person living a regular life. She falls asleep on a bench and is discovered by Gregory Peck, a newspaper man, who doesn't recognize her. He tries to offer her money for a taxi but she refuses to cooperate, leaving him no choice but to take her with him to his apartment. (This is the 50's, so this is actually an innocent offer!)

Free for the first time in her life, the princess turns down his offer to spend the day with her. By now, he does know who she is, and has taken an assignment for an exclusive interview with her for the whopping sum of $5000. Not letting on that her cover is blown, he contrives to bump into her and then she does spend her time with him.

This is a sweet romance. Everyone operates with integrity, and although we may admire them all, the ending is very sad, yet right.

This is one of those movies that originally was supposed to be cast with other actors: Elizabeth Taylor and Cary Grant! It surely would have played differently with them.

Peck did not want the part, thinking the age difference between himself and Hepburn was too great, but his contract did not give me a choice. Peck was originally given star and solo billing, but ever the gentleman, half-way through the filming, suggested to the director that the billing be shared. This type of behavior was almost unheard of in Hollywood and only added to Peck's appeal.

Hepburn was cast after a terrible screen test. The cameraman deliberately let the camera keep filming when the test was over, letting the director see just how animated Hepburn could be.

The screenplay was co-written by Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted at the time and did not receive a credit. Instead, he was fronted by Ian McLellan Hunter. His credit was reinstated when the DVD was released in 2003!

When you watch this movie, you are overtaken with nostalgia for that much more innocent time. Although the characters fall in love, there are no steamy scenes. Instead, we are treated to pure romance. Even the ending is romantic.

DIRECTOR:  William Wyler.  CAST:  Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert, Tullio Carminati.

AWARDS: 3 Academy Awards, 5 other wins and 11 nominations.