[An] unfailingly lovely fairy tale.
Roman Holiday (1953)
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Synopsis: A modern-day princess "escapes" from her royal entourage while on a trip to Rome, and while incognito, falls in love with an American newspaperman. Oscar-winning story from then-blacklisted Dalton Trumbo was credited to Ian McLellan Hunter. A modern-day princess "escapes" from her royal entourage while on a trip to Rome, and while incognito, falls in love with an American newspaperman. Oscar-winning story from then-blacklisted Dalton Trumbo was credited to Ian McLellan Hunter. [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert, Tullio Carminati, Hartley Power
Producer: William Wyler
Screenwriter: Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton
Composer: Georges Auric
DVD Info
Release:
May 11, 2002
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
- Dolby Digital Mono - English, French
- Subtitles - English - Optional
Additional Release Material:
- Trailers - 1. Teaser
- 2. Theatrical
- 3. Re-Release
- Featurettes - 1. REMEMBERING 'ROMAN HOLIDAY'
- 2. EDITH HEAD - THE PARAMOUNT YEARS
- 3. RESTORING 'ROMAN HOLIDAY'
Interactive Features:
- Interactive Menus
- Scene Selection
Text/Photo Galleries:
- Photo Galleries
Reviews
Timeless, exuberant classic, with Hepburn's naïve sense of fun and perfectly charming performance matched equally by Peck's lauche and charismatic worldy American.
The mix of silly comedy and innocent love turns the viewer into a willing tourist.
For lovers of romantic comedies through the ages, Roman Holiday remains a favorite.
Delicious and delectable Audrey's Oscar-winning American debut. But not such a difficult feat with William Wyler backing you up.
[Wyler] times the chuckles with a never-flagging pace, puts heart into the laughs, endows the footage with some boff bits of business and points up some tender, poignant scenes in using the smart script and the cast to the utmost advantage.
Wyler lays out all the elements with care and precision, but the romantic comedy never comes together -- it's charm by computer.
Wyler's direction is heavyhanded (imagine what Lubitsch or Capra would have done with the romantic tale), but the actors (Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and Eddie Albert) are charming and on-location shoot in Rome is major benefit even if the film is b/w.
The Roman travelogue is pleasant enough, and Audrey Hepburn is positively peerless.


Top Critic