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Movies / On DVD / Roman Holiday
Roman Holiday

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Roman Holiday (1953)

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Reviews Counted:41

Fresh:40

Rotten:1

Average Rating:8.2/10

Consensus: With Audrey Hepburn luminous in her American debut, Roman Holiday is as funny as it is beautiful, and sets the standard for the modern romantic comedy.

Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: This classic romantic comedy introduced Audrey Hepburn to audiences as a modern-day princess. Stifled by her royal entourage on a trip to Rome, Hepburn's Princess Ann escapes to explore the Italian... This classic romantic comedy introduced Audrey Hepburn to audiences as a modern-day princess. Stifled by her royal entourage on a trip to Rome, Hepburn's Princess Ann escapes to explore the Italian city on her own. While incognito, she falls in love with an American newspaperman, Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck). When Bradley learns of Ann's true identity, he finds himself torn between following his nose for news--and turning her into a big story--or the growing affections of his heart. A hit in 1953, ROMAN HOLIDAY won Hepburn an Academy Award for Best Actress, and was also notable for its Oscar-winning story by then-blacklisted Dalton Trumbo (credited as Ian McLellan Hunter). [More]

Starring: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert, Tullio Carminati

Starring: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert, Tullio Carminati, Hartley Power, Harcourt Williams, Margaret Rawlings, Paolo Carlini

Director: William Wyler

Director: William Wyler
Producer: William Wyler
Screenwriter: Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton
Composer: Georges Auric

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Roman Holiday

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The mix of silly comedy and innocent love turns the viewer into a willing tourist.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/17/01
Almar Haflidason
Almar Haflidason
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[An] unfailingly lovely fairy tale.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
04/01/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Timeless, exuberant classic, with Hepburn's naïve sense of fun and perfectly charming performance matched equally by Peck's lauche and charismatic worldy American.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
03/30/03
David Parkinson
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
01/23/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

The movie remains a great tonic.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a beautiful snapshot into the past, both for the historic look of Rome and to witness the birth of the romantic comedy.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
11/19/08
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

No review available.

comment Comment
07/10/03
Rebecca Murray
Rebecca Murray
About.com

The Roman travelogue is pleasant enough, and Audrey Hepburn is positively peerless.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
02/14/04
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

No review available.

comment Comment
01/07/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Audrey Hepburn won an Oscar and popular acclaim in this story of a princess who breaks free of the palace and has a fling with Gregory Peck.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

No review available.

comment Comment
10/31/02
Brian J. Arthurs
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)

The film itself is a classic of romantic wish fulfillment, exactly the sort of beautiful lie that Hollywood specialized in.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
01/24/03
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

Wyler lays out all the elements with care and precision, but the romantic comedy never comes together -- it's charm by computer.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 3 Comments
08/13/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

No review available.

comment Comment
11/01/05
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Roman Holiday is [Audrey Hepburn's] perfect picture.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Hepburn is utterly beguiling in her star-making role opposite Peck in a delightful romantic comedy about a poised young princess of an unspecified European country who spends a magical day with an American reporter playing hooky.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
08/22/03
Steven D. Greydanus
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide

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.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
02/16/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

If only more filmmakers would remember that not all fairy-tale romances need to have a pat, happily-ever-after ending.

Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment Comment
11/25/08
Kent Turner
Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com

A lovely little romance, full of fun and playfulness, stellar performances (Hepburn won an Oscar and Albert was nominated), and all set against the beauty of Rome

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/16/02
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

A stunning film debut by Audrey Hepburn, charming, gaminlike, a delight.

comment Comment
08/13/02
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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