Many famous landmarks (of Rome) appear in Roman Holiday! This post contains some of them as seen in the movie followed by pictures I took during my trip of the same locations.
(Partial) Plot Summary:
Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) is visiting Rome and she's fed up with having her life controlled. Throwing a fit, her countess calls for the doctor who injects a sedative to calm her. However, before the sedative takes full effect, Ann escapes into the city.
While she manages to escape, she falls asleep on a public bench where American reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) finds her, but doesn't know she's a princess. One thing leads to another and she ends up sleeping on a couch in his studio. Coming late to work the next day, he sees her face in the paper and plans to capitalize on the opportunity by secretly obtaining an exclusive, private interview with her.
After the princess leaves his studio, Bradley carefully follows her and feigns crossing paths by happenstance. Using his charm and wit, he convinces her to spend a day with him doing all the things she wants to do.
At this point, the pair are mutually lying about his/her own identity; the princess goes by the name Anya "Smitty" Smith and Bradley conceals his true profession as a journalist. In any case, Bradley eventually enlists the help of his friend and photographer Irving Radovich (Eddie Albert). During the trip, Irving takes pictures for the article with a pocket camera hidden in the body of a functional lighter.
The three spend a full and exciting day in Rome, seeing sights such as the Trevi Fountain, the Mouth of Truth, and the Colosseum. In addition to sight-seeing, Princess Ann also gets a haircut, rides a Vespa (scooter), gets arrested, and enjoys an evening of dancing on a barge.
How does the day end for Princess Ann? Will Bradley publish his article? Watch this classic and find out!
[20160629 Edit]
20110105:
My sister, having watched the movie yesterday with subtitles, noted that the movie is better, as I watched it today, without subtitles.
The movie is a beautiful romance and the three main characters are fun to watch.
Audrey Hepburn, in addition to being a great actor, is beautiful. At first I thought I've only seen her in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), but I just discovered that as a kid I saw her in Funny Face (1957).
20130601:
Apparently watching three and a half movies* on the flight home from Europe just wasn't enough movie-watching for me, because I decided to end the night (in a humid Baltimore) by watching a classic romance: Roman Holiday.
Overall, this movie is charming and definitely worth watching if you're a fan of either Gregory Peck or Audrey Hepburn. While both put on equally great performances, I particularly like one scene near the beginning where Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) has an emotional breakdown.
Another great thing about the movie is you'll get to see many famous landmarks, making the movie a must-watch if you've either been to Rome or ever plan on going to Rome. In addition to all this, the movie is simple and has several good laughs spread throughout the movie - great for when you just want to watch something light.
*Rise of the Guardians (2012), Robot & Frank (2012), Jack Reacher (2012), Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
[20130601][20180715 Edit]
20160623:
I'm not sure what I like about this film, but I like it.
The most memorable scenes for me include Princess Ann's pouting/tantrum, Irving getting the picture of Ann by prompting her to "Hit him again, Smitty!", and Joe moving Ann off his bed (and then back on the next afternoon).
Honorable mentions go to the following scenes: Joe spilling coffee onto Irving, the Mouth of Truth, and running off with the motorcycle.
In any case, I watched a movie with a friend who made many sharp observations during the film. I enjoyed the film more with the extra commentary.
[20160629][20180715 Edit]
Watched 20110105 (Netflix)
Watched 20130601 (Netflix, Instant) (occasionally English subtitles)
Watched 20160634 (Netflix, Instant)
Roman Holiday (1953) William Wyler. 118 min
Relevant Links:
Roman Holiday (IMDb.com)
Roman Holiday (Wikipedia.org)
Roman Holiday (RottenTomatoes.com)
 |
| Bradley (Gregory Peck) moves the princess (Audrey Hepburn) over to the couch. (Brightness and contrast for this screenshot were adjusted for easier viewing) |
"What the world needs is a return to sweetness and decency in the souls of its young men." - Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn)
(Partial) Plot Summary:
Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) is visiting Rome and she's fed up with having her life controlled. Throwing a fit, her countess calls for the doctor who injects a sedative to calm her. However, before the sedative takes full effect, Ann escapes into the city.
While she manages to escape, she falls asleep on a public bench where American reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) finds her, but doesn't know she's a princess. One thing leads to another and she ends up sleeping on a couch in his studio. Coming late to work the next day, he sees her face in the paper and plans to capitalize on the opportunity by secretly obtaining an exclusive, private interview with her.
After the princess leaves his studio, Bradley carefully follows her and feigns crossing paths by happenstance. Using his charm and wit, he convinces her to spend a day with him doing all the things she wants to do.
 |
| Mario Delani (Paolo Carlini) cuts Ann's hair off. |
At this point, the pair are mutually lying about his/her own identity; the princess goes by the name Anya "Smitty" Smith and Bradley conceals his true profession as a journalist. In any case, Bradley eventually enlists the help of his friend and photographer Irving Radovich (Eddie Albert). During the trip, Irving takes pictures for the article with a pocket camera hidden in the body of a functional lighter.
The three spend a full and exciting day in Rome, seeing sights such as the Trevi Fountain, the Mouth of Truth, and the Colosseum. In addition to sight-seeing, Princess Ann also gets a haircut, rides a Vespa (scooter), gets arrested, and enjoys an evening of dancing on a barge.
How does the day end for Princess Ann? Will Bradley publish his article? Watch this classic and find out!
[20160629 Edit]
20110105:
My sister, having watched the movie yesterday with subtitles, noted that the movie is better, as I watched it today, without subtitles.
 |
| Irving (Eddie Albert), Joe, and Mr. Hennessy (Hartley Power) |
The movie is a beautiful romance and the three main characters are fun to watch.
Audrey Hepburn, in addition to being a great actor, is beautiful. At first I thought I've only seen her in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), but I just discovered that as a kid I saw her in Funny Face (1957).
"Hit him again, Smitty!" - Irving Radovich (Eddie Albert)
20130601:
Apparently watching three and a half movies* on the flight home from Europe just wasn't enough movie-watching for me, because I decided to end the night (in a humid Baltimore) by watching a classic romance: Roman Holiday.
Overall, this movie is charming and definitely worth watching if you're a fan of either Gregory Peck or Audrey Hepburn. While both put on equally great performances, I particularly like one scene near the beginning where Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) has an emotional breakdown.
Another great thing about the movie is you'll get to see many famous landmarks, making the movie a must-watch if you've either been to Rome or ever plan on going to Rome. In addition to all this, the movie is simple and has several good laughs spread throughout the movie - great for when you just want to watch something light.
*Rise of the Guardians (2012), Robot & Frank (2012), Jack Reacher (2012), Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
[20130601][20180715 Edit]
20160623:
I'm not sure what I like about this film, but I like it.
The most memorable scenes for me include Princess Ann's pouting/tantrum, Irving getting the picture of Ann by prompting her to "Hit him again, Smitty!", and Joe moving Ann off his bed (and then back on the next afternoon).
Honorable mentions go to the following scenes: Joe spilling coffee onto Irving, the Mouth of Truth, and running off with the motorcycle.
In any case, I watched a movie with a friend who made many sharp observations during the film. I enjoyed the film more with the extra commentary.
[20160629][20180715 Edit]
Watched 20110105 (Netflix)
Watched 20130601 (Netflix, Instant) (occasionally English subtitles)
Watched 20160634 (Netflix, Instant)
Roman Holiday (1953) William Wyler. 118 min
Relevant Links:
Roman Holiday (IMDb.com)
Roman Holiday (Wikipedia.org)
Roman Holiday (RottenTomatoes.com)
Historical Landmarks: As Seen in the Movie & As Taken by Me
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps: (Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti)
(the church at the top of the steps is the Trinità dei Monti and appropriately the Italian name is literally "staircase of the Trinità dei Monti")
Fontana della Barcaccia (Fountain of the Old Boat)
The Colosseum (Colosseo)
Date/Time
Saturday, June 1, 2013
@
20:00
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