Looking for a good movie? Then you’ve come to the right place. I just recently watched “Roman Holiday” for the second time and I loved it just as much as the first time. If you like a good love story with amazing actors, then this movie is great for you! This fabulous movie stars my favorite actress: the amazing and elegant Audrey Hepburn. Without further ado, read all about it!
“Roman Holiday” (1953) also stars Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert in this wonderful romantic movie. It’s the debut film of Audrey Hepburn. She even won an Academy Award for it. The plot? It’s about a young princess who, one evening, has a nervous breakdown, escapes her palace, and while out, meets a reporter and falls in love with him. According to an article I read about the movie on turnerclassicmovies.com, this was the first Hollywood movie shot entirely on location in Rome. When watching, look out for famous sights such as The Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum, and the Mouth of Truth. Therefore, if any of you out there also love films that are set in other countries, then you will totally feel mesmerized and enchanted by this movie.
When the movie was released on Aug. 27, 1953, according to imdb.com, it opened to positive reviews. AW of the New York Times on Aug. 28, 1953, a day after the film was released, wrote that, “Roman Holiday at the Music Hall is a modern fairy tale starring Peck and Audrey Hepburn.” Later on, it mentions that “although she is not precisely a newcomer to films Audrey Hepburn, the British actress who is being starred for the first time as Princess Anne, is a slender, elfin and wistful beauty, alternately regal and childlike in her profound appreciation of newly-found, simple pleasures and love”
This is the film that launched Hepburn’s career and turned her into a real life “Hollywood Princess.” According to TCM and IMDB, the film was nominated for 10 Oscars; it won three: Best Actress for Audrey Hepburn, Best Costume design-black and white for Edith Head, and Best Story by blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo.
Some important themes in the film include growing up, the passing of time, and merely the fact that all good things must come to an end. In other words, this is a “Cinderella Story” in reverse, along with another one of my favorite Audrey Hepburn films “Sabrina” (1954).
You will laugh, cry, and believe in the goodness of others and magic after watching “Roman Holiday.” All of you ladies out there will especially love the costumes and dresses in this movie. And oh, the clothes! The gorgeous clothes are to die for. Besides being a film icon, Audrey Hepburn is also a fashion icon.
For my rating on this movie, I would give it an A+ on a scale from A through F. The stellar cast and wonderful performances—including those by Peck and Hepburn—are some of the reasons why I love this film so much. I also love that it is a wonderful romantic comedy. It’s sweet but not too sappy. In fact, the American Film Institute on their website, under the genre “Romantic Comedy,” ranked this movie as number four. Coincidentally, another one of my favorite rom-coms, “The Philadelphia Story,” was right behind it at number five.
In conclusion, these are the reasons why “Roman Holiday” should be on your “must watch” list this semester.