Movie Info:
Writers: Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert, Hartley Power, Harcourt Williams, Margaret Rawlings, Tullio Carminati, Paolo Carlini
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: September 2, 1953
DVD Release Date: November 11, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $17.49
I wasn’t around when Roman Holiday was first released, so I can’t imagine the impact the film had on the world. What I do know is that this film introduced the world to a virtually unknown actress, by the name of Audrey Hepburn. By the time I showed up on the scene, she was already deemed a classic actress; one of the most famous and revered actresses in the world.
Hepburn personified grace and elegance. She had a style that made her career, though not vast in the amount of films she made, memorable. Between her ladylike personality and performances to the charitable work she later was a part of, Audrey Hepburn has been and always will be, a class act.
When thinking of leading men, Gregory Peck is one of the best. A favorite of mine due to his performance as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, Peck compliments Hepburn perfectly and as a result, she was nominated (and won) for an Academy Award, for best actress. For a virtually unknown actress, this was a major accomplishment.
While Roman Holiday isn’t my favorite Audrey Hepburn movie, it is one of her very best. The story is more romantic in nature, but the telling is almost tragic. It’s a reflective movie, which will make you think about what might have been. With a great cast, standout direction and an exceptional story, this movie has all of the elements that make it perfect as a a part of Paramount’s Centennial Collection.
The Roman Holiday Plot
What does a beautiful Princess do when she has so many obligations and she just wishes to enjoy an anonymous, unpublicized holiday? That’s the dilemma for Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn). While she’s out on a tour of the European capitals, a heavily publicized trip, she decides to take matters into her own hands, and stop the strenuous and exhausting schedule she has to follow each day.
When Ann is given a sedative, by a doctor in Rome, she is able to sneak out of the embassy where she is staying. The rest of her royal staff believes she is sleeping, but she is out exploring Rome, with relative anonymity. As the medication takes effect, a very drowsy Ann introduces herself as “Anya Smith” to a stranger on a bench. That stranger just happens to be reporter, Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), who doesn’t recognize her as the princess.
For Ann’s safety, in her drowsy state, Joe takes her to his home for the night. She sleeps on the couch and he is out the door to work before she wakes up. At work, Joe must lie about being late. He tells his editor, Mr. Hennessy (Hartley Power), that he was at a press conference, for the princess. With Ann missing, Joe doesn’t know the press conference was cancelled though the press wasn’t informed the princess is missing; just that she is ill.
When Joe is shown a picture of the princess and realizes his editor knows he is lying, the two end up making a bet about Joe getting an exclusive interview with Ann. When Joe gets home, he offers to show Anya around Rome, but she hopes to discover the city on her own. As she travels around the city, she just happens to run into Joe again and the two explore the city together.
With Joe hoping for an interview, a potential love story, and the princess’ staff looking to find her before the press finds out about her disappearance, there is a lot going on in Roman Holiday.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Roman Holiday is presented in a full frame transfer. When the movie was released six years ago it looked amazing. These days, it still looks as good as it did then, if not a little bit better. There are little to no specks, noise, or damaged film spots. The transfer appears relatively bright and crisp, especially for its age. The level of detail is most impressive and it brings the film together nicely. When you look at the age of the film it would be hard not to like this presentation.
The audio for Roman Holiday is offered in English, French, and Spanish in a Dolby Digital Mono track. The sound isn’t always the most dynamic but for the age of the film it does sound good. Despite being Mono the sound is solid for the most part. No toggling was necessary and everything fit together relatively well. In addition to the audio options, subtitles are available in English, French, and Spanish.
Visual: 
Audio:
Bonus Features:
Roman Holiday offers a good deal of special features for a two-disc set. The majority of the features are featurettes about the stars or the movie itself. Along with these there are some still galleries and movie trailers.
Things get rolling with “Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years”. This 30-minute featurette serves as a bio on the star. Some of the main topics include Hepburn’s rise to fame and the relationships that she built in the business and with Paramount. One of the best parts of this featurette is the archived footage and the interviews in the featurette. This is followed up by “Remembering Audrey” a retrospective on the actress, which features a nice spot with her son Sean Ferrer.
Coming in next is a nine minute featurette on locations used in filming, “Rome with a Princess.” “Dalton Trumbo: From A-List to Blacklist” deals with the blacklisted screenwriter and how he did not receive credit for his work for decades. “Behind the Gates: Costumes” is one of the shorter segments that looks at the famous costumes that are seen in many Paramount films. “Paramount in the ‘50s” looks at some of the more popular Paramount films of the decade.
Things are rounded out by the final featurette, “Restoring Roman Holiday.” As you can guess this looks at the restoration of Roman Holiday from the 2002 release.
Bonus Features: 
Bottom Line:
All of the Centennial Collection DVD releases by Paramount are worthy of a purchase. Roman Holiday was the introduction of Audrey Hepburn to the world of cinema, and that introduction was good enough to ensure she won an Academy Award. If you like classic movies, want to watch a movie with a decent story or just like Audrey Hepburn, then this is the film to purchase. Roman Holiday is highly recommended!
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Technorati Tags: DVD Review: Roman Holiday, The Centennial Collection, Audrey Hepburn
