Rent Roman Holiday (1953)

The Great RomCom - Roman Holiday review by GI

Roman Holiday is the quintessential romantic comedy, a thoroughly charming film and one that will absolutely delight you. Famous now because it made a star of Audrey Hepburn, who won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance here, and it gave Gregory Peck a much needed light comedy role after many serious and dramatic ones. Completely filmed in Rome (at the insistence of director Willliam Wyler) it's the story of a Princess (of a European country never named), Ann, who is on a goodwill tour of Europe's capitals. Arriving in Rome she is tired and stressed and one night on a whimsy she slips out and explores the night time streets of Rome. There she meets Joe, an American journalist, who is desperate for a big story. He soon susses who Ann is but doesn't let on hoping she'll reveal exclusive information but they soon begin to be attracted to one another. After a day spent together and getting into various scrapes Joe has to make a decision about what he's found out. Both Peck and Hepburn are fantastic especially Hepburn who is a revelation and it's easy to see how she became a huge star. The film has been very influential and you will see, for example, how Richard Curtis' Notting Hill (1999) is essentially the same story. It's a modern fairytale and a lovely little film and just right for a cosy up on the sofa with a loved one. Simply magic.

Comedy Romance (spoiler). - Roman Holiday review by Steve

 This is one of those few films which is more loved than merely liked or appreciated. Much of that affection is courtesy of Audrey Hepburn's charming, luminous performance in her Hollywood debut. She stars as a fashionable princess constantly pursued by the media and driven crazy by the confines of public life.

 For 24 hours she goes missing in Rome and has an adventure with a reporter (Gregory Peck), and they flirt. He intends selling his story. Eddie Albert is the paparazzo who secretly takes the pictures. Of course, by the end, the newshound is in love with her as much as the audience, and he spikes the scoop.

Blacklisted Dalton Trumbo co-wrote the chic script without credit (with John Dighton). While it deals in innuendo, this is playful and witty. It's the same story as It Happened One Night, but the location work in a touristic Rome adds so much magic to the gorgeous romance. It's a masquerade, with neither of the participants owning their true identity until the finish.

It grows sentimental in the last third, but by then we are utterly under its spell. This frosting of emotion actually makes the film better. It is a stylish fairytale which sells us a ravishing impression of Roman life; with its fashion, and the ancient streets full of vespas. Of la dolce vita staged against the backdrop of the city's staggering history.

This is the old blu ray - Roman Holiday review by KH

I was happy to get this and started playing and the picture was quite soft, I found out this is not the re-mastered version so its no better than the dvd, sent it back without watching..

Still enjoyable - Roman Holiday review by Maureen

This is an old film, which we much enjoyed when it was first shown. Watching it now we wondered whether it was still going to be enjoyable. At first we doubted it, as the first half is so slow, but the second part more than made up for that and we were very pleased that we had added it to our list.

George Roby.