When in Rome...
Coming into this watch I had yet to see an Audrey Hepburn film, I was always curious to see why she has lasted as such an iconic figure, granted she was beautiful, and she has a pretty good cannon of work but other than Marilyn Monroe, she is probably the most beloved, quoted, well-remembered Hollywood actress, after seeing Roman Holiday I can begin to understand the love for Miss Hepburn.
Roman Holiday is a fairly simple 'brief encounter' film in which Hepburn playing Princess Ann of an unnamed European country embarks on a continent tour of goodwill, bored with her pampered and pre-ordianed lifestyle she flees and gets drunk when she is found by Gregory Peck's character, a wily newspaper man who takes her back to his apartment before realizing she is the Princess and that a tell-all interview with her would be worth £5000. Set out to trick her, he eventually falls in love with her...etc. etc. etc.
Does the plot sound familiar...? It's the basic premise of most boy-meets-girl films of the 80s and 90s.
What makes this film stand out are the acting performances of the two leads whose chemistry is dynamite. The 'I just realized I'm in love with you' scene is subtle and blurs between when Gregory Peck's character is still in it for the money to when he is falling in love, infact it is never even stated between Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn that he was using her, or indeed that she was lying to him about her identity, it is all done in subtle nods and glances. This film respects its audience and lets them fill in the unspoken gaps, which is what sets it apart as a piece of filmmaking by director William Wyler.
Like all classic love stories, the ending is bitter-sweet. I would have no problem putting Joe Bradley and Princess Ann on a list of great film couples alongside the likes of Jesse + Celine (Before Trilogy) or Rick + Ilsa (Casablanca).
BEST SCENE: When Joe brings back a drunk Princess Ann to his apartment there is some very funny dialogue delivered by Hepburn, whilst at the same time, Peck is internally struggling with whether to do the decent thing.
BEST CHARACTER: Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann, we see tremendous range in her acting skills and she is both vulnerable and strong willed as a character. Hepburn went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.
BEST QUOTE: "...Rome! By all means, Rome. I will cherish my visit here in memory as long as I live."
RATING: ★★★★★ - a heavy five stars - I loved this film. This is not the first popular film of its kind (Brief Encounter) but it is a stronger film, the charaters are likeable, it is easy to believe in their falling in love and there are some great comedic scenes in this pioneering rom-com too.
MOVIES WATCHED:10
MOVIES REMAINING:991
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