Movie Review: Roman Holiday (spoiler alert)

I just watched this classic movie, Roman Holiday, after eyeing it in the shops for sometime. I’m told Astro sometimes air classic movies but I have yet to catch the right time.

Hence, I got to watch Audrey Hepburn with Gregory Peck in black-and-white restored film. (According to the special features, it was tough to restore this 50 year old movie as it was very dirty – grainy) A scene in the special feature of the restoring this movies shows a whole room with racks of Mac processing the restoration.

Anyhow, Ann (Audrey Hepburn) looked elegant and sweet as the princess who ran away from her official duties to be a normal lady enjoying herself in Rome. Fortunately, she meets Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), an expatriate American reporter, who pities her and let her have a roof over her head to sleep (when she was heavily drugged because she couldn’t sleep earlier)

Ann & Joe on the Spanish Steps

In was only later, he realizes who she was and what a boon it was for him to have her sleeping in his room so he could get his exclusive story on the princess. He arranged a day out with her and his friend (who secretly photographs her) as they do whatever is it she wanted like: drinking al-fresco style, riding a scooter (vespa), dancing on a boat and escaping from her bodyguards.

Ann riding the vespa

Ann in a fight

Alas, reality sinks and she has to go back to her duties. The ending scene at the delayed press conference with the princess makes me hope she would run to him when Gregory slowly leaves the place. Somehow, that was not.(disappointed)

Ann greeting the press people

My bf who was watching it with me, commented that the fairy tale of the princess running off with a commoner or vice versa only happens after Princess Diana and Prince Charles wed.

I guess people then still believe in uplifting honour and your duties. These times, freedom of speech, love and going against the authorities, are looked upon highly and respected.

Time changes, style changes but whatever happens, Audrey and Gregory remained in this timeless classic of a “what-if”story and I do hope I get to visit Rome and the highlight spots in this movie as shown in this blog! :) Someday, I will visit Rome! Right, my dear? ;)


How are they now? (Images and info taken from Wikipedia)

On June 12, 2003, Peck died in his sleep from bronchial pneumonia, at the age of 87, at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Torrance, California. Peck is entombed in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels mausoleum in Los Angeles, California. His eulogy was read by Brock Peters, whose character Tom Robinson was defended by Peck's Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird.

In 1992, when Hepburn returned to Switzerland from her visit to Somalia (she was appointed a goodwill ambassador to the United Nations Children's Fund), she began to feel abdominal pains. Hepburn died of cancer on 20 January 1993, in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland, and was interred there.