In Roman Holiday, (1953) Princess Ann (played by Audrey Hepburn) has had enough! She doesn’t have any time to herself on her world tour so she does what any self-respecting Princess does, she escapes her handlers for a day of new experiences and fun in the iconic city, Rome. The first obstacle is the fact that she’s been given a shot to make her sleep, which she does on a short wall near a deserted street. Fortunately, journalist Joe Bradley (played by Gregory Peck) happens along and saves her from getting arrested or worse. He doesn’t recognize her so at first he tries to find out where she lives so he can send her home. Of course, he thinks she drunk. However, eventually he takes her to his tiny apartment. He does this partly because she keeps saying strange things like, “So Happy,” and “You may sit down” not to mention she quotes poetry to him. But he protects he because she seems so vulnerable. He’s intrigue by her.
It’s only the next morning when he goes in late to the newspaper office that he discovers who is sleeping on his couch. At first he thinks he can get a lucrative story out of the situation, but as the day goes along and he gets to know Ann, he finds he can’t spoil her reputation. His friend and photographer, Irving (played by Eddie Albert) has some great but damning photos of the Princess and her day on the town. But eventually he too, can’t turn them into cash. Ann is completely innocent and unaware of how regular people live. Her day teaches her a great deal mostly how to stand up for herself. Joe and Irving become her friends, and eventually Ann and Joe are drawn to each other romantically in a way that changes them both. In the end, they know that they can never be together, but their one day together has changed both of them for the better.
This was Audrey Hepburn’s first starring role and during the filming process, Gregory Peck who was the only actor who’s name was going to be above the title, recognized Audrey’s genius. He told the studio heads that she was going to win an Oscar and they’d better put her name above the title with his. They believed him and did as he asked and Audrey Hepburn did win the best actress Oscar and her career was cemented. Audrey’s pure goodness and luminosity shine through on the screen and we the viewers fall in love with her too.
If you haven’t seen this gem of a movie, I suggest you find it as soon as possible. It’s particuarly timely since the issue of the pressures of being a royal are quite prominent in the news of late. I don’t know about you, but I thought that the royals could do as they pleased, not realizing that they were completely constrained by conventions and committments that the rest of us are not subjected to. Doing one’s duty over choosing freedom to follow one’s heart is a big theme of this movie. Wouldn’t it have been nice if Ann and Joe could be together in the end? We can dream it was so.
Have a great weekend and the rest of summer. Fall will be here sooner than we think.
Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters Links
Stories are a huge part of the way humans communicate with each other. Celeste and I think all stories are allegories where we can learn all kinds of important things, not the least of which is how to understand ourselves and others better. The best stories can be told over and over from one generation to the next and still teach great lessons. Emotional Intelligence and critical thinking are two of those lessons. Celeste and I think there are many classic movies that show us the progression of where humanity is today and we want to share them with you.
Shakespeare was right, “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.” The stories we tell and consume are us trying to figure out who we are, why we’re here, and the kind of world we want to live in.
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