Roman Holiday

1953 1h 59m EN

🙌

7.9

BANGER

★7.9TMDB · 2,346

RomanceComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley, who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, Joe finds out Ann's regal identity and bets his editor he can get exclusive interview with her, but romance soon gets in the way.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Gregory Peck
Joe Bradley
Audrey Hepburn
Princess Ann
Eddie Albert
Irving Radovich
Hartley Power
Mr. Hennessy
Harcourt Williams
Ambassador
Margaret Rawlings
Countess Vereberg
Tullio Carminati
General Provno
Paolo Carlini
Mario Delani

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William Wyler
Writers: John Dighton, Ian McLellan Hunter, Dalton Trumbo
Languages: English, Italian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William Wyler, shot by Henri Alekan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Georges Auric. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Swink shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn and Eddie Albert carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William Wyler directs. Henri Alekan behind the camera. Georges Auric scores. Robert Swink cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 8.0× over at the box office.
373 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.
5Directed by William Wyler, shot by Henri Alekan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Georges Auric. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Robert Swink shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn and Eddie Albert carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0046250 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "dance", "rome, italy", "photography", "boat".
11Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Henri Alekan
Original score: Georges Auric
Editing: Robert Swink
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Anna Cristofani
Sound: Joseph de Bretagne
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,500,000
Box office: $12,000,000
Return: 800% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Roman Holiday (1953)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Story
Academy Award for Best Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

William Wyler

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522020-09-07
★ 9/10
Lighthearted and enjoyable comedy featuring two wonderful and charismatic performances by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in her first major role. Last saw this 12 years ago and still fun to this day. 4.5/5
CinemaSerf2022-06-24
★ 7/10
Audrey Hepburn is the visiting princess "Ann" whose whistle-stop tour of Europe reaches Rome. Put to bed, as usual, she decides to don some ordinary clothes and venture out for a bit of exploring. Now, initially I thought she was going to hook up with some swarthy, tousled, Lothario but nope - she meets American journalist Gregory Peck - quite the epitome of the ordinary "Joe"! Full of the sedatives that her people gave her before she snuck out, she ends up crashing at his apartment and next morning he realises whom she is, and that his boss wants an exclusive! Just about penniless, she leaves and tries to make her way home - but again "accidentally" bumps into "Joe" and together with his photographer pal "Irving" (Eddie Albert), the three embark on some fun and engaging escapades in the Eternal City where this young woman finally manages to escape her cosseted life - she even gets an haircut - before reality gradually starts to reimpose itself on them all. There is a smashing chemistry between Hepburn and Peck; the script and the scenarios allow to us to follow as they gradually fall in love. There is an engaging innocence about Hepburn's performance; she manages to convey a great sense of a woman who is finally free - but knows it can only be temporary, and the scenes with Peck and Albert are entertaining as their cunning plans are continually being altered. Georges Auric's score is classy and mischievous, and the whole stylish look of the film makes it quite delightful to watch. A classic class of less is more!
Filipe Manuel Neto2023-06-16
★ 9/10
Considered by many to be the first and greatest film of Audrey Hepburn's career. What is special about this film? Really, little. The story is very simple: it is the almost adolescent escape of a young princess who, tired of the responsibilities and visibility inherent in a crown, decides to distract herself and live her youth for a few hours. The problem is that she ends up, inadvertently, at the home of an American news journalist in charge of interviewing her, and who wants to take advantage of the situation. Of course, anyone hoping for an interesting dalliance between the princess and the commoner will be rewarded, to some extent. Predictable? Cliché? Of course, but it was with illusions like these that cinema fed the magic of the monarchical universe, somewhat to its own advantage. If the story told is not particularly brilliant and stands out for its simplicity and a range of obvious choices and solutions, what are we left with? Scenarios? Costumes? Effects? Sound? Cinematography? In part, yes. The sets are very well done, and the film, which is actually filmed in Rome, is one of the first and best cinema postcards of this city. I still know people who have been to Rome, and been where the characters in the film have been too, such as the Trevi Fountain or the Mouth of the Truth, tourist landmarks that this film helped to popularize. Without major effects, it has a nice and atmospheric sound and soundtrack, and the cinematography, in black and white, is very good. The scenes of the two main characters riding a Vespa through the streets of the city center are particularly anthological. We can also say that the film was wonderfully edited, and the story moves at an elegant and pleasant pace. But what would this movie be without Audrey Hepburn? I don't think it's possible to imagine the character in the skin of another actress. She had the nobility and dignified serenity required of royalty, and imbued the character with authenticity, credibility, and friendliness. It's impossible to watch the film and not feel a certain sympathetic affection for her character, who simply wants a few hours to distract herself from the institutional routines and duties for which she was educated. Gregory Peck was a clear choice to be the journalist who helps her and creates a certain romantic affection for her.