Plot Intro
Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) is a member of the royal family of an Unnamed European Nation, and currently on a state visit to Rome. Suffocated by her sheltered and restrictive lifestyle, she sneaks out of her room to experience real life. She encounters a journalist called Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) and thinks he has no idea who she really is. But he does, and hopes to take her on a whistle-stop tour of Rome in exchange for a story to help his flailing career. Will Joe use Princess Ann for solely journalistic purposes, or will he fall for her charms instead?
Where do I even begin to start with someone like Audrey Hepburn? Like names such as Marilyn Monroe and Jane Fonda, she was more than an actress. A humanitarian, spokeswoman, philanthropist and fashion icon, she is one of the most recognisable people to have ever lived. On the AFI’s screen legends list, she is the third greatest actress ever behind Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis. She is one of only 16 people to have won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony and on top of that she had BAFTAs, Golden Globes, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, and a SAG Award, as well as an extensive list of honours for her humanitarian efforts. Even if you’re not a fan of her work, or if you’re not familiar with her, there is no denying her “icon” status.
But why was she so supremely popular? It’s a good question and I think Roman Holiday begins to answer it, making this film not only a sweet, whimsical jaunt but also an interesting example of her work and the European goings-on at the time of its release.
The 1950s has seen a shift in tone when it comes to Best Actress winners. The 40s heroines were stoic, statuesque and strengthened by their suffering- immensely idealised stuff in one of the worst decades mankind has ever seen. But so far the winners of the early 50s have been extremely young, slightly (or extremely) rebellious and, in Judy Holliday’s case, pretty callous, or middle-aged women looking back on their lives with bittersweetness (Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois and Shirley Booth). The characters are noticeably more complex, more nuanced and probably more representative of real people.
Audrey as Princess Ann begins the film pretty much being forced to fulfil that idealised 40s image of strong, guarded womanhood, but deep down she is anything but. In reality she’s just like all us- she’s clumsy, silly, impulsive, humorous and desperate just to have some fun. European royals (both male and female) even now suffer from having to intensely privatise their emotions and some have broken away from this. Princess Ann is, in essence, a 1950s Meghan Markle (but, dare I say it, a lot funnier). We’re seeing a post-war movement from Victorian solemnity and unquestioned reverence for antiquated institutions to more natural, humane and charmingly flawed characters. This was Audrey’s big screen debut so it’s no wonder that immediately slotted into the 50s zeitgeist. She would go on to play very similar roles in Funny Face, My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. To add to her image, upon winning the award, Audrey accidentally left her Oscar statue in the loos and had to run back for it to pose for photographs.
On top of this, the setting of Rome is no accident. Italy was slowly but surely reinventing itself post-Mussolini so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Italian tourist board was involved in the production somewhere. The film is careful to ensure that almost every major site, along with various restaurants, food, parties and mopeds, are in as many shots as possible to encapsulate the beauty and excitement of the city. If it doesn’t make you want to brave the crowds and over-priced ice cream of Rome then I don’t know what will. Again, this ties into the world reinventing and reassessing itself politically, socially, and morally after the turbulence of the war, making Roman Holiday a fascinating piece of movie history.
Audrey’s career after Roman Holiday never faltered although her life beforehand had great ups and downs. She was born into a family of great privilege, being descended from Dutch nobility through her mother. She was long estranged from her father, however, due to his work supporting the fascist movement. She spent much of her childhood living under Nazi occupation in the Netherlands, and her family suffered greatly (as did everyone in the country) from the subsequent Dutch famine. The once wealthy family were left quite poor, but Audrey managed to get her foot into show business thanks to a ballet scholarship in London which led to West End acting and, eventually, Hollywood.
Her movie career lasted throughout the 50s and 60s before she chose to move away from it and concentrate on family life (she had two sons) and her extensive work with UNICEF. Perhaps due to her experiences in poverty in the mid to late 40s, Audrey devoted a great deal of time and effort to developing and improving the lives of impoverished communities in Africa, South America and Asia, eventually being given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George Bush Senior. There is also a statue dedicated to her in UNICEF’s New York headquarters. She died from cancer at the age of 63 in 1993. Tributes were sent by her co-star of Roman Holiday and long-time friend Gregory Peck, as well as the Dutch royal family.
Besides the beauty of Rome, the sheer delight of the script and Audrey’s acting, and the simple brevity of the film, I think it’s the ending that really strikes me. It’s not the perfect, sentimental ending one might expect but it’s real, bittersweet and packs a punch after a film that so expertly makes you feel elated.
I agree that this film is lacking grit and, perhaps, drive but, if you’re in the mood for it, this is an absolutely lovely work and to be honest we can’t always be watching The Pianist.
Roman Holiday is purely charming - it’s a tourist trap of a film, taking you round the streets and alleyways of Rome with the help of renegade Princess Ann (Hepburn) - not the British one, but one from an ‘unnamed European nation’ and Joe Bradley - an American reporter on location in Rome (Peck).
The story is charming and easy - she runs away from her princessly duties and ends up (through a series of adventures) running into Joe and the two of them spend a day touring round Rome drinking champagne, dancing on boats turned into nightclubs and generally having fun. The necessary tension is added by Joe sneakily trying to get a scoop on the princess being out and about, but you never fear that he will do the right thing in the end and not betray her. Equally it’s clear that while Ann is having fun, this is a holiday and she will have to return to her life in the end. The best we can hope for is that she will take more control over her life and refuse to let others tell her how to live.
Hepburn is often hard done by for the chaotic mistake that was My Fair Lady. She was miscast and the person who should have had the role (Julie Andrews who originated it) was unfairly passed over. The legendary story of Andrews winning the Oscar over Hepburn for Mary Poppins painted a picture of a feud that probably never even existed.
What’s unfair about all this is that it passes over Hepburn’s films in which she excels. That includes Roman Holiday but also the glorious Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the odd but deeply enjoyable Funny Face (in which she plays a dowdy bookseller who...you guessed it - takes off her glasses to reveal she is glamorous!) Hepburn’s skill lay in subtle acting, filled with layers of emotion to build fully realised, compelling characters. Roman Holiday is a great example of this - and she does superb work in the role, making Princess Ann a character it is impossible not to cheer on. The ending - a bittersweet moment that elevates the film above others of its kind - is used by Hepburn to showcase how subtle yet effective she could be. Great fun and a lovely Sunday afternoon watch.
The real winner of this film is Rome, which benefits from being both the backdrop and the catalyst for all the events - it made me want to book a ticket and fly over for my own wild adventures.
While it’s a small gripe, this is a film without much substance, and I wonder if by introducing a little more grit, the film would have felt more impactful. Still deeply enjoyable overall.
Mark
8/10
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