Roman Holiday (1953)

Taking another step back in time today's film is the one that introduced the world to Audrey Hepburn, William Wyler's warm and entertaining Roman Holiday. What is interesting when watching some of these older films is tracing back many of the conventions and high-concept ideals of modern romantic comedies and then seeing how the differences in time and culture affects the way things play out. 

Roman Holiday's conceit (and it is one) concerns a royal Princess, played by Hepburn, who's life of sombre engagements, formal meetings and worthy actions leave her longing for a normal life and a freedom from responsibility. One night in Rome she sees an opportunity to escape, out on the streets she meets Gregory Peck's embittered newspaper man who, sensing a story offers to show her the sights and from whom she hides her true identity. It's a premise that manages to avoid many potential narrative traps, the motivations of the protagonists are clearly defined and allow much of the class based comedy to emerge. What the film really excels at is the performances though. In her first role Hepburn practically radiates, convincing as both a princess and a slightly spoiled and sheltered young woman. She brings a wonderful energy and naivete to the character and it's to Gregory Pecks immense credit that his character never feels overtly cruel or unpleasant for deceiving her in the way that he does.

The film is slight in terms of plot, but its as much an excuse to show the sights of Rome as well as give the couple time to trade blows as they come to learn more about each other, and ultimately fall in love. This much I'm sure was obvious from the very start, but the way the story plays out defied my expectations, and I give it credit for not taking the obvious choice, but the one with the most thematic resonance.

That being said this is not a particularly deep film, nor does it pretend to be. The chemistry between the case is great and makes the whole experience deeply enjoyable, they are fun to spend time with and there is a genuine sense of loss once the day comes to a close and normality has to be restored.

Approaching the film from a modern day perspective I was pleased by how enjoyable and watchable the film was. It has a slow start, and those used to modern day rom-com conventions may be disappointed at it's distinctly chaste nature and focus on character humour, but to me these were welcome changes. It has taken me a while, but my appreciation for classic films is definitely growing the more that I watch and experience and I look forward to continuing to dig into this rich vein on film history as time (and this blog) goes on.