Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday was a 1953 film starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. I guess you could say that this was an old school romantic comedy. It was directed by William Wyler, who also served as the film's producer. The film also featured Eddie Albert, Hartley Power, Harcourt Williams, Margaret Rawlings, and Tullio Carminati. It was nominated for numerous academy awards, including Eddie Albert's nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and won several Academy Awards including the Best Actress award for Hepburn. It's also listed as one of the best rom-coms by the American Film Institute, ranking it number four in that specific category.

It's really different to see a comedy, let alone a romantic comedy, during the earlier years of cinema. It's very different from the ones we have now. I guess we have a different kind of humor now than they did back then. It's a long time ago so a lot of things have changed. It's the same thing I said when I wrote about "The Million Pound Note" where I said that the type of comedy they had back then was extremely different than the ones we have now. It's amazing to see two different sides of comedy, and anyone who'd watch old movies must learn to appreciate it. I quite enjoy both types.

The main story revolved around a royal princess who wanted to be free from all her obligations. One night she decided to run away, but only after a sleeping drug had been induced in her system, resulting to her falling asleep on the streets. Then comes a reporter, although his occupation remains unknown to the princess, who then gets her to his home to rest. Upon learning that the girl he brought home was the princess he was supposed to interview, he saw an opportunity to make great money by writing a story about the princess without her knowing. Thus starts an odd relationship, filled with a few problems with all the lies.

It's one of the most heartbreaking rom-coms out there. I don't want to say too much but the way the story ended, while thoughtful, was emotional. It's uncommon let's say, for a movie of this genre. However, I will say that I liked this ending mostly because it was surprising. It also demonstrated why Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn are two of the most famous stars back then, and up to now. Clearly they brought their selves into the role and made it work. Hepburn was a picture of grace and elegance, while Peck was gentleman.

It took me a while to bring myself to watch this. I wanted to watch this because, as you all know, I am a huge fan of Gregory Peck. Plus, I've never seen a movie of Hepburn before so I thought this would be hitting two birds with one stone. At the same time, I'm also not too big on these kinds of movies so it took me a while to finally hit the "Play" button on this movie. I even saw other films first. Having seen it now, I have nothing but appreciation for the movie. It's a refreshing one for me. Quite different.

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