- William Wyler's Roman Holiday is an entertaining classic romance in which American reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) stumbles upon the biggest story of his career when the esteemed foreign dignitary Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) passes out on his bed. Joe doesn't immediately realize that he's in the presence of royalty, of course, although Ann's request that he help her undress might have been the first clue. Lest you get the wrong impression of the princess, however, it was a combination of a busy schedule and sleeping meds that drove her to flee the royal embassy and fall asleep on the park bench where Joe found her. After helping her back to his place, Joe assumes that the strange woman who keeps muttering "so happy" will sleep it off and depart quietly the next morning.
- But it is that same next morning that Joe notices a picture of the missing princess in the paper, prompting him to bet his boss (Hartley Power) that he'll soon deliver the interview of a lifetime. Joe's plan involves teaming up with his sketchy photographer pal Irving (Eddie Albert) in order to clandestinely capture the candid adventures of a princess on holiday. Although said adventures begin quietly enough with a haircut and an ice cream cone, things escalate to cigarettes and champagne, eventually culminating in a dance barge brawl and a dip in the Tiber. And one can hardly fail to mention the film's most famous sequence, in which the princess more or less drives a motorscooter that more or less stays on the road.
- I should keep Roman Holiday in mind the next time anyone accuses me of disliking romance films. It's not my fault that all the good ones were made before 1960! Seriously, though, if a modern film contained half as much great acting, great scenery, and great writing as this one, I would certainly adore it. Peck and Hepburn (in her first starring role!) are both perfect, the location scenery from The Colosseum to Palazzo Colonna is stunning, and the screenplay from John Dighton and an uncredited Dalton Trumbo is superb. Wyler's direction excels at tracking the princess's wild motorscooter ride and otherwise stays out of the way of its two leads. The film's bittersweet ending is one of the best and most memorable of the genre. And above all, the film is a lot of damn fun!
