Roman Holiday (1953)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

William Wyler

Writers (WGA):

Dalton Trumbo (story) (front Ian McLellan Hunter)
Ian McLellan Hunter (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

2 September 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Audrey Hepburn at her Oscar-winning best in an immortal comedy-romance!

Plot:

A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.

Plot Keywords:

Princess | American | Press Conference | Editor | Delivery Truck

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Joe Bradley
Audrey Hepburn	...	Princess Ann
Eddie Albert	...	Irving Radovich
Hartley Power	...	Mr. Hennessy
Harcourt Williams	...	Ambassador
Margaret Rawlings	...	Countess Vereberg
Tullio Carminati	...	Gen. Provno
Paolo Carlini	...	Mario Delani
Claudio Ermelli	...	Giovanni
Paola Borboni	...	Charwoman
Alfredo Rizzo	...	Cab Driver
Laura Solari	...	Secretary
Gorella Gori	...	Shoe Seller
Heinz Hindrich	...	Dr. Bonnachoven
John Horne	...	Master of Ceremonies
Andrea Esterhazy	...	Embassy Staffer (as Count Andrea Esterhazy)
Ugo De Pascale	...	Embassy Staffer
Diane Lante	...	Lady in Waiting
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Armando Ambrogi	...	Man on Phone (uncredited)
Armando Annuale	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Maurizio Arena	...	Driver (uncredited)
Ugo Ballerini	...	Embassy Staffer (uncredited)
Bruno Baschiera	...	Embassy Staffer (uncredited)
Gildo Bocci	...	Flower Man (uncredited)
Alfred Browne	...	Correspondent (uncredited)
Princess Alma Cattaneo	...	Lady in Waiting (uncredited)
J. Cortes Cavanillas	...	Himself (uncredited)
John Cortay	...	Correspondent (uncredited)
Vittoria Crispo	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Ferdinando De Aldisio	...	Himself (uncredited)
Jan Dijksgraaf	...	Correspondent (uncredited)
Jacques Ferrier	...	Himself (uncredited)
Helen Fondra	...	Countess of Marstrand (uncredited)
Giovanni Fostini	...	Correspondent (uncredited)
Sytske Galema	...	Himself (uncredited)
Teresa Gauthier	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Sidney Gordon	...	Correspondent (uncredited)
Otto Gross	...	Himself (uncredited)
George Higgins	...	Correspondent (uncredited)
Edward Hitchcock	...	Chief of Correspondents (uncredited)
Stephen House	...	Himself (uncredited)
Adam Jennette	...	Correspondent (uncredited)
Kurt Klinger	...	Himself (uncredited)
Friedrich Lampe	...	Himself (uncredited)
Princess Lilamani	...	The Raikuuari (uncredited)
Mario Lucinni	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Luis Marino	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Richard McNamara	...	Correspondent (uncredited)
Rabindranath Mitter	...	The Maharajah (uncredited)
Luigi Moneta	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Maurice Montabre	...	Himself (uncredited)
Julio Moriones	...	Himself (uncredited)
Richard Neuhaus	...	Guard (uncredited)
Desiderio Nobile	...	Embassy Staffer (uncredited)
Giustino Olivieri	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Eric Oulton	...	Sir Hugo Macy de Farmington (uncredited)
Piero Pastore	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Giacomo Penza	...	Nuntius Altomonto (uncredited)
Mimmo Poli	...	Worker (uncredited)
Giuliano Raffaelli	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Dominique Rika	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Carlo Rizzo	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Piero Scanziani	...	Himself (uncredited)
Gianna Segale	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Octave Senoret	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Alcide Tico	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Marco Tulli	...	Stiff Dancer at the Ball (uncredited)
Patricia Varner	...	Teacher (uncredited)
Dianora Veiga	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Cesare Viori	...	Prince Istvan Barossy Nagyavaros (uncredited)
Tania Weber	...	Francesca (uncredited)
Hank Werbe	...	Correspondent (uncredited)
Catherine Wyler	...	Schoolgirl (uncredited)
Judy Wyler	...	Schoolgirl (uncredited)

Directed by
William Wyler

Writing credits (WGA)
Dalton Trumbo		(story) (front Ian McLellan Hunter)
Ian McLellan Hunter		(screenplay) and
John Dighton		(screenplay)
Ian McLellan Hunter		(front for Dalton Trumbo)

Produced by
Robert Wyler	....	associate producer
William Wyler	....	producer

Original Music by
Georges Auric

Cinematography by
Henri Alekan
Franz Planer		(as Frank F. Planer)

Film Editing by
Robert Swink

Art Direction by
Hal Pereira
Walter H. Tyler		(as Walter Tyler)

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Alberto De Rossi	....	makeup supervisor
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herbert Coleman	....	assistant director
Bernard Vorhaus	....	assistant director (as Piero Mussetta)

Art Department
Italo Tomassi	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Joseph de Bretagne	....	sound recordist

Music Department
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Victor Young	....	composer: theme music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1953) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1954) (France) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1960) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1966) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount Home Video (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Filmmuseum Distributie (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount (2006) (France) (DVD)
• Seven Films (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• ARC (????) (Japan) (DVD)
• CIC Victor Video (1988) (Japan) (VHS)
• CIC Victor Video (1994) (Japan) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• First Trading (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• PSG (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (200?) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Tone (????) (Japan) (DVD)

Runtime:

118 min | Portugal:117 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) (original rating) | West Germany:6 (f) (re-rated) | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #16114) | UK:U | USA:Passed

Filming Locations:

Bocca della Verita "Mouth of Truth", Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Piazza Bocca della Verita, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Part of the joke where Joe (Gregory Peck) pretends that his hand was bitten off in the mouth of the stone carving was ad-libbed by Peck; when he pulled his hand from the mouth, he hid his hand in his sleeve, borrowing the gag from Red Skelton. This addition surprised Hepburn, and the scene was finished in one take.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Ann leaves Joe's apartment, when she looks in the salon window, her tie is on and cuffs are buttoned but when she sits down in the hair salon chair, her cuffs are rolled up slightly. When she leaves the salon her cuffs are rolled up slightly, but when she approaches the gelato stand, her sleeves have been rolled up to mid-bicep. She sits down on the banister with her gelato, tie on, but a moment later, the tie is gone (and never returns) and her top blouse buttons are open. Through their tour of the Coliseum, Ann's neck is bare but on the scooter ride leaving the Coliseum a striped scarf appears mysteriously around her neck. In the car as Joe drives Ann back to the palace, both the striped scarf and tie are missing.

Quotes:

Irving Radovich: Joe, we can't go running around town with a hot princess!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Little Mermaid (1989)

catch the beautifully restored print of this

Audrey Hepburn's first big film role cast her as a Princess of country unknown, making a state visit to Rome. Bored of the endless run of openings, dedications and so on, she decides to see something of the city, and runs into American newsman Gregory Peck. He recognises her as the missing Princess and plans to scoop a major interview for his syndicate, with the help of pal Eddie Albert and his hidden camera.

Hepburn is an absolute joy, particularly when her hair is shorn down to the classic urchin cut and she takes a motorcycle ride. Peck, too, is served well by this kind of role, and the romance of the city of Rome helps their relationship to develop during their 24 hours of freedom. Roman Holiday is one of those rarities which are truly perfect and memorable, a real girly flick with beautiful photography and a sparkling script. Highly recommended, and especially so in the wonderful recent restoration.