Film Review: Roman Holiday (1953)

Of all classic fairytales, the one that infuriates modern “wokesters” the most is Cinderella, over its alleged sexism, although the modern Western world could also reject it because it is based on the allegedly non‑existent issue of class differences. Such stories nevertheless still enjoy a certain appeal in popular imagination, including one that uses the Cinderella concept in reverse, like the one employed in Roman Holiday, the 1953 romantic comedy directed by William Wyler.

The protagonist, played by Audrey Hepburn, is Princess Ann, a member of the royalty of an unnamed country which is on a goodwill tour of Western European capitals. The tour, thanks to Ann’s charm, beauty, and subsequent popularity, appears to be a success, but during the last leg in Rome diplomatic obligations and protocol place too much strain on her, resulting in a nervous breakdown. She is given sedatives, but in her dazed state she leaves the palace and starts wandering the streets of Rome. She is spotted by Joe Bradley (played by Gregory Peck), an American news‑service reporter who at first believes that she is merely drunk and, being unable to discover her address, reluctantly takes her to his room to sleep it off. Later, in the office, Joe discovers that the girl in his apartment is actually the princess, whose disappearance is officially covered by a fake story about illness. Joe sees an opportunity for the scoop of a lifetime and recruits his photographer friend Irving Radovich (played by Eddie Albert) to assist him while he follows Ann who, pretending to be a commoner named “Anya”, appears to enjoy her time on the streets of Rome. Joe, however, in the end has problems keeping up the charade because he has begun to fall in love with the princess.

Roman Holiday is best known as the film that turned Audrey Hepburn into a star and began the series of grand roles that would make her one of the great icons of 1950s and early‑1960s Hollywood. Hepburn, who was 24 years old at the time and had rather limited experience in small roles in British and French cinema, took the opportunity to play a princess with great enthusiasm and delivered a strong performance built on her natural charm, aristocratic background, and slender physique that set her apart from the voluptuous Hollywood and Italian film stars of the era. Her effort was rewarded with an Oscar for Best Actress, all but guaranteeing the continuation of her Hollywood career.

The script was written by Dalton Trumbo, who had the reverse‑Cinderella plot in the film take a fairytale turn not just because of the princess finding a connection with a commoner, but also due to the sacrifice made by hardened professional newsmen and photographers who, at the end of the day, do the morally right thing, despite denying themselves the career‑defining scoop of their lifetime. A modern audience, accustomed to very different standards of journalistic ethics in the 21st century, might find that part of Roman Holiday more fantastic than its basic concept.

Trumbo, who had been recently incarcerated and formally blacklisted because of his Communist beliefs, had to front his script via Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton; both men were later given the Oscar for Best Story, which would be posthumously awarded to Trumbo in 1993, and Trumbo’s name was later digitally inserted into the opening titles in modern DVD editions. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Trumbo tried to purge Roman Holiday of any political connotations, except for some bland statements about the need for international cooperation and the possible federal unification of post‑WW2 Europe.

William Wyler was both a good and a bad choice for director. It was his insistence on filming on authentic locations in Rome instead of on Hollywood sets that benefited Roman Holiday in more ways than one. The studio agreed on condition that the budget be lowered, which, on the other hand, led to the casting of the unknown but more affordable Hepburn. The locations in Rome are, despite the black‑and‑white cinematography, quite attractive and show the Italian capital as a vibrant, tourist‑friendly backdrop, very different from the place of poverty depicted in 1940s Neorealist films, symbolising the emerging prosperity of the Italian economic miracle – notably showcased through the iconic Vespas. Wyler, on the other hand, was not the best possible choice as director, mostly because comedy was not his forte. While his direction is capable, it is not too remarkable, and many critics in later years stated that Roman Holiday would have been much better if directed by comedy specialists like Lubitsch, Hawks, or Wilder. While there is humour in the film, it is much subdued, and Roman Holiday could be mistaken for a drama instead of a comedy, especially in the ending which, in a twist of historical irony, matched the way the romance of British Princess Margaret and the commoner Thomas Townsend – alleged to have inspired the script – ended in real life.

Apart from Hepburn’s standout performance, the rest of the cast is considered unremarkable, with Gregory Peck lacking chemistry with Hepburn and Eddie Albert being underutilised. Despite those flaws, Roman Holiday is an entertaining film that could be recommended even to those who are not fans of old‑Hollywood romantic comedies. In 1987 it was remade as a television film starring Tom Conti and Catherine Oxenberg, a member of real‑life royalty.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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