Roman Holiday [1953] – Directed by William Wyler

I like to mix it up and most of the times it’s been fruitful. Watched too many mind benders lately so I opted for a 50s movie.

Princess Anne arrives in Rome. She hates her restricted royal life so she runs away. She ends up sleeping on a bench in a sedated condition. Joe Bradley, a newspaper reporter finds Anne and takes her home. Joe misses a press conference the next day but finds out the girl in his apartment is indeed the princess. He makes a bet with his boss for an exclusive interview with the princess. The rest of the story is about how Joe takes the princess on a tour of Rome without revealing his true intentions.

The movie had two of the greatest actors from Hollywood. Princess Anne is played by the beautiful Audrey Hepburn. She won the Oscar award [Best Actress in a lead role] for her amazing performance. Joe Bradley, the male lead was played by the legendry Gregory Peck. I have only seen two other movies of his, The Guns of Navarone and Mackenna’s Gold. He is truly a versatile actor. The Director William Wyler is also a legend who has won two Oscars for Best Direction, one of them is for Ben-Hur. The movie had ten Oscar nominations.

This movie must have inspired a lot of film makers around the world. There are so many beautiful moments in this movie which I have seen in contemporary cinema, now I know the origin. 

Roman Holiday is a timeless classic. If you are looking for the definition of Romantic Comedy, look no further.

Cheers

Pradeep