Roman Holiday (1953)

Director:

William Wyler

Writers (WGA):

Ian McLellan Hunter (screenplay) and
John Dighton (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

2 September 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Audrey Hepburn at her Oscar-winning best in an immortal comedy-romance!

Plot:

A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.

Plot Keywords:

Princess | American | Editor | Love | Delivery Truck

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Joe Bradley
Audrey Hepburn	...	Princess Ann
Eddie Albert	...	Irving Radovich
Hartley Power	...	Mr. Hennessy
Harcourt Williams	...	Ambassador
Margaret Rawlings	...	Countess Vereberg
Tullio Carminati	...	General Provno
Paolo Carlini	...	Mario Delani
Claudio Ermelli	...	Giovanni
Paola Borboni	...	Charwoman
Alfredo Rizzo	...	Taxicab Driver
Laura Solari	...	Hennessy's Secretary
Gorella Gori	...	Shoe Seller
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Armando Ambrogi	...	Man on Phone (uncredited)
Armando Annuale	...	Admiral Dancing with Princess (uncredited)
Maurizio Arena	...	Young Boy with Car (uncredited)
Silvio Bagolini	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Ugo Ballerini	...	Embassy Aide (uncredited)
Bruno Baschiera	...	Embassy Aide (uncredited)
Gildo Bocci	...	Flower Seller (uncredited)
Alfred Browne	...	Correspondent at Poker Game (uncredited)
Princess Alma Cattaneo	...	Lady in Waiting (uncredited)
J. Cortes Cavanillas	...	Julian Cortes Cavanillas of 'ABC Madrid' (uncredited)
Franco Corsaro	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
John Cortay	...	Correspondent at Poker Game (uncredited)
Vittoria Crispo	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Ferdinando De Aldisio	...	Ferdinando De Aldisio of 'Agence Press' (uncredited)
Ugo De Pascale	...	Embassy Aide (uncredited)
Jan Dijksgraaf	...	Speaking Correspondent (uncredited)
Andrea Esterhazy	...	Embassy Aide (uncredited)
Gherda Fehrer	...	Senhora Joaquin de Capoes (uncredited)
Jacques Ferrier	...	Lacques Ferrier of 'Ici Paris' (uncredited)
Helen Fondra	...	Countess Von Marstrand (uncredited)
Giovanni Fostini	...	Correspondent at Poker Game (uncredited)
Sytske Galema	...	Sytske Galema of 'De Limie' (uncredited)
Paul Gary	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Teresa Gauthier	...	Ihre Hoheit die Furstin von und zu Luchtenstichenholz (uncredited)
Sidney Gordon	...	Correspondent at Poker Game (uncredited)
Otto Gross	...	Otto Gross of 'Davar' (uncredited)
George Higgins	...	Correspondent at Poker Game (uncredited)
Heinz Hindrich	...	Dr. Bonnachoven (uncredited)
Edward Hitchcock	...	Head of Foreign Correspondents (uncredited)
John Horne	...	Master of Ceremonies (uncredited)
Stephen House	...	Stephen House of 'The London Exchange Telegraph' (uncredited)
Adam Jennette	...	Speaking Correspondent (uncredited)
G. Kabulska	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Kurt Klinger	...	Kurt Klinger of 'Deutsch Press Agentur' (uncredited)
Nicola Konopleff	...	Ihre Hoheit der Furst von und zu Luchtenstichenholz (uncredited)
Friedrich Lampe	...	Friedrich Lampe of 'New York Herald-Tribune' (uncredited)
Diane Lante	...	Lady in Waiting (uncredited)
Princess Lilamani	...	The Raikuuari of Khanipur (uncredited)
Luigi Locchi	...	Count Von Marstrand (uncredited)
Mario Lucinni	...	Senhor Joaquin de Capoes (uncredited)
Luis Marino	...	Hassan El Din Pasha (uncredited)
Richard McNamara	...	Correspondent at Poker Game (uncredited)
Rabindranath Mitter	...	H.R.H. The Maharajah (uncredited)
Luigi Moneta	...	Old Man Dancing with Princess (uncredited)
Maurice Montabre	...	Maurice Montabre of 'Le Figaro' (uncredited)
Julio Moriones	...	Julio Moriones of 'La Vanguardia' (uncredited)
Richard Neuhaus	...	Embassy Guard (uncredited)
Desiderio Nobile	...	Embassy Officer at Press Conference (uncredited)
Giustino Olivieri	...	Waiter at Cafe (uncredited)
Eric Oulton	...	Sir Hugo Macy de Farmington (uncredited)
Piero Pastore	...	Faceless Man on the Barge (uncredited)
Giacomo Penza	...	The Papal Nuncio Monsignor Altomonte (uncredited)
Mimmo Poli	...	Worker Hugging the Three Out Side Police Station (uncredited)
Giuliano Raffaelli	...	Faceless Man on the Barge (uncredited)
Dominique Rika	...	Girl at Cafe Waving at Irving (uncredited)
Carlo Rizzo	...	Police Official (uncredited)
Piero Scanziani	...	Piero Scanziani of 'La Suisse' (uncredited)
Gianna Segale	...	Girl at Cafe Waving at Irving (uncredited)
Octave Senoret	...	Faceless Man on the Barge (uncredited)
Sir Hari Singh	...	Hari Singh (uncredited)
Alcide Tico	...	Sculptor (uncredited)
Amedeo Trilli	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Helen Tubbs	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Marco Tulli	...	Pallid Young Man Dancing with Princess (uncredited)
Joop van Hulzen	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Patricia Varner	...	Teacher at Fontana di Trevi (uncredited)
Dianora Veiga	...	Girl at Cafe Waving at Irving (uncredited)
Cesare Viori	...	Prince Istvan Barossy Nagyavaros (uncredited)
Tania Weber	...	Francesca - Irving's Model (uncredited)
Hank Werbe	...	Speaking Correspondent (uncredited)
Catherine Wyler	...	Schoolgirl (uncredited)
Judy Wyler	...	Schoolgirl (uncredited)

Directed by
William Wyler

Writing credits (WGA)
Dalton Trumbo		(screenplay) originally uncredited and
Ian McLellan Hunter		(screenplay) and
John Dighton		(screenplay)
Dalton Trumbo		(story) originally uncredited

Produced by
Robert Wyler	....	associate producer
William Wyler	....	producer
Lester Koenig	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Georges Auric		(music score by)

Cinematography by
Henri Alekan		(director of photography)
Franz Planer		(director of photography) (as Frank F. Planer)

Film Editing by
Robert Swink

Art Direction by
Hal Pereira
Walter H. Tyler		(as Walter Tyler)

Costume Design by
Edith Head		(costumes)

Makeup Department
Alberto De Rossi	....	makeup supervisor
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
Anna Cristofani	....	hair dresser (uncredited)

Production Management
Maurizio Lodi-Fè	....	unit manager (uncredited)
Charles Woolstenhulme	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herbert Coleman	....	assistant director
Bernard Vorhaus	....	assistant director (as Piero Mussetta)

Art Department
Scipio Lombardi	....	props (uncredited)
Luciano Sacripante	....	props (uncredited)
Italo Tomassi	....	set designer (uncredited)
Elso Valentini	....	props (uncredited)
Vittorio Valentini	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Joseph de Bretagne	....	sound recording (as Joseph De Bretagne)

Camera and Electrical Department
Enzo Barboni	....	second camera operator (uncredited)
A. Di Giovanni	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Giuseppe Fiori	....	grip (uncredited)
Athos Mambro	....	grip (uncredited)
Peter Poor	....	camera assistant (uncredited)
Dario Taddei	....	best boy (uncredited)
Fernando Tinelli	....	camera assistant (uncredited)
Enzo Zocchi	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)
Annalisa Nasalli-Rocca	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Franco Salvi	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Robert Belcher	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator: title music (uncredited)
Victor Young	....	composer: title music (uncredited)

Other crew
Hazel Swift	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (as A Paramount Picture)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (as A Paramount Picture)
• Paramount (1953) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• AFEX (1954) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1954) (France) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1960) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1966) (USA) (TV)
• Paramount Home Video (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• CIC Victor Video (1988) (Japan) (VHS)
• CIC Victor Video (1994) (Japan) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Filmmuseum Distributie (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• First Trading (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2006) (France) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• PSG (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Seven Films (2008) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Japan) (DVD)
• ARC (????) (Japan) (DVD)
• CIC Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (200?) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (2 disc set)
• Paramount Home Video (2008) (Canada) (DVD) (2 disc set)
• Paramount Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Tone (????) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Berliner Synchron  German dubbing

Also Known As:

Runtime:

118 min | Portugal:117 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #16114) | UK:U | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | West Germany:12 (f) (original rating) | West Germany:6 (f) (re-rated) | South Korea:All | Japan:G (2010) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | USA:Not Rated | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

Bocca della Verita "Mouth of Truth", Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Piazza Bocca della Verita, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The Roman summer was stiflingly hot, with the temperatures in the high 90s. Crowds swarmed over all the locations, making huge impromptu audiences for the actors. Meanwhile, Italy itself was beset with clashes between political parties that resulted in strikes and unrest that threatened to disrupt production.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Joe Bradley follows Ann through the streets, people can be seen watching the filming rather than acting natural.

Quotes:

[first lines]
News announcer:Paramount News brings you a special coverage of Princess Ann's visit to London, the first stop on her much-publicized goodwill tour of European capitals. She gets a royal welcome from the British, as thousands cheer the gracious young member of one of Europe's oldest ruling families...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The IT Crowd: Men Without Women (#2.6)" (2007)

Viva Audrey!

I recently caught this little gem of a film on a retro program and it was a trip well worth it. William Wyler was a genius directing throughout his film career. Here he's in top form.

The only way this film could have been conceived was with the charming presence of Audrey Hepburn in her first appearance on a Hollywood film. She is without a doubt, an angel who was sent to this earth to delight the movie audiences in whatever movie she happened to dignify with her appearance in.

Some people have compared Audrey Tatou with the incomparable Audrey Hepburn. Seeing Ms Hepburn in Roman Holiday will certainly change the minds of those comparing fans. Audrey Hepburn was a star's star! She exudes charm, intelligence, elegance, and beauty. Just one look from her could disarm Gregory Peck forever.

The only wrong note of this production was the way the writer, Dalton Trumbo, was treated since he had been blacklisted by the anti-communist faction lead by Sen. McCarthy and company. In the end, Mr. Trumbo was vindicated in having his name recognized as the writer of Roman Holiday.

This film is a feast to the eyes in that glorious cinematography and Rome as a background. This was Hollywood at its best. Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn will be forever young any time we take a look at this classic that I'm sure will live and charm its viewers whenever they take a chance to see it for the first time, or like some of us, for another loving look.