A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.
- Director
- Writers
- Dalton Trumbo(screenplay by)
- Ian McLellan Hunter(screenplay by)
- John Dighton(screenplay by)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Dalton Trumbo(screenplay by)
- Ian McLellan Hunter(screenplay by)
- John Dighton(screenplay by)
- Stars
- Won 3 Oscars
- 11 wins & 17 nominations total
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)
- Director
- Writers
- Dalton Trumbo(screenplay by) (story by) (originally uncredited)
- Ian McLellan Hunter(screenplay by) (story by)
- John Dighton(screenplay by)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter filming, Gregory Peck informed the producers that, as Audrey Hepburn was certainly going to win an Oscar (for this, her first major role), they had better put her name above the title. They did and she did.
- GoofsAfter Joe throws his drink on Irving, a visible wet mark appears on Irving's shirt. In the next shot, the wetness appears to have disappeared (this occurs twice during the scene).
- Quotes
Reporter: And what, in the opinion of Your Highness, is the outlook for friendship among nations?
Princess Ann: I have every faith in it... as I have faith in relations between people.
Joe Bradley: May I say, speaking for my own... press service: we believe Your Highness's faith will not be unjustified.
Princess Ann: I am so glad to hear you say it.
Another reporter: Which of the cities visited did Your Highness enjoy the most?
General Provno: [prompting] Each, in its own way...
Princess Ann: Each, in its own way, was unforgettable. It would be difficult to - Rome! By all means, Rome. I will cherish my visit here in memory as long as I live.
- Alternate versionsThe writing credits on the film originally completely omitted the name of Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted at the time, and read: Screenplay by Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton Story by Ian McLellan Hunter In 1991, the WGA acknowledged Dalton Trumbo's authorship of the story, granting him a posthumous "Story By" credit. The "Screenplay By" credit however was not changed. In 2011, Tim Hunter (son of Ian McLellan Hunter) wrote a letter to John Wells, president of the WGA, asking on behalf of Christopher Trumbo (Dalton Trumbo's son), who had just passed, to petition for Trumbo to be recognized as author of the screenplay as well. The WGA further revised the credits, which have been corrected on all copies of the film released since then.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Love Goddesses (1965)
Review
Top review
Lyrical relic of a vanished civilization
This charming comedy is justly famous as the film that made the whole world fall in love with Audrey Hepburn and half the world want to run out and buy a Vespa scooter. Hepburn was always beguiling, but in some of her later roles she tended to overplay the winsomeness. Here every note she hits is just about perfect.
And speaking of notes, pay special attention to the score by the great Georges Auric. If the film had been produced in the manner of modern romantic comedies, the sound track would have been larded with pop hits by Perry Como, Dinah Shore, and Frankie Laine, which would have done an awful lot to destroy the magic. Instead Auric's complex, vibrant, evocative music complements the story's inherent lyricism without upstaging it. In an era of bombastic film scoring, this seems a miracle.
Someone once said that Audrey Hepburn's was the beauty of possibility and transformation -- she was always in motion, always becoming something else. "Roman Holiday" is very much of a piece with that notion. On the surface, the film is about a princess who disguises herself as a "commoner". But in truth she's actually pretending to be a princess, at least at first. She finally becomes authentic -- is transformed and prepared to deal with her destiny -- only through the ennobling power of love and sacrifice. That's one heck of a mythic subtext and does a lot to explain "Roman Holiday's" enduring power.
And speaking of notes, pay special attention to the score by the great Georges Auric. If the film had been produced in the manner of modern romantic comedies, the sound track would have been larded with pop hits by Perry Como, Dinah Shore, and Frankie Laine, which would have done an awful lot to destroy the magic. Instead Auric's complex, vibrant, evocative music complements the story's inherent lyricism without upstaging it. In an era of bombastic film scoring, this seems a miracle.
Someone once said that Audrey Hepburn's was the beauty of possibility and transformation -- she was always in motion, always becoming something else. "Roman Holiday" is very much of a piece with that notion. On the surface, the film is about a princess who disguises herself as a "commoner". But in truth she's actually pretending to be a princess, at least at first. She finally becomes authentic -- is transformed and prepared to deal with her destiny -- only through the ennobling power of love and sacrifice. That's one heck of a mythic subtext and does a lot to explain "Roman Holiday's" enduring power.
helpful•13422
- jayson-4
- Feb 9, 1999
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,500,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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