Roman Holiday (Special Collector's Edition)

Media:	DVD
Directed by:	William Wyler
Starring:	Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert
Release date:	01 March, 2004
List price:	~~$12.99~~
Our price:	$9.25 that is 29% off!

Roman Holiday (Special Collector's Edition)

Average rating: Stars

Lovely scenery with the loveliest of all Audrey Hepburn

My girlfriend recently went on a trip to Rome and we decided to pick this up as a memento of her adventures. Rome is a star equal to Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Visits to the Colisseum, the Face of Truth, and a motorcycle ride through outdoor shops are some of the adventures that would make one long to visit Rome or reminisce about times there. The story is charmingly romantic with the rough reporter finding a soft spot for the princess seeking to escape her golden chains for a day. Hepburn is stunning and I was surprised to learn that this was a breakout role for her, so confident and assured does she appear as an actress even this early in her career. I can see how she won an Oscar for this performance. As much as we peek into the life of an imaginary princess, this movie marks the coronation of one of Hollywood's true royals.

4.5 stars
--SD

Roman Holiday (Special Collector's Edition) - Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn and more

A Cinematic Triumph For Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck And William Wyler. Star Performances By All.

William Wyler's ("Wuthering Heights," "The Best Years Of Our Lives," "Mrs. Miniver," "Ben-Hur," etc) adaptation of a magnificent screenplay by the then-blacklisted Dalton Trumbo ("Spartacus") is masterful in every way. With star performances by an inexperienced, but beautiful, actress named Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck ("Gentleman's Agreement") and Eddie Albert, the film went on to win Ms. Hepburn the Oscar for Best Actress (and well deserved, too!!) I won't rehash the plot, except to say that it provides plenty of opportunity for comic relief from Ms. Hepburn (best-known as "My Fair Lady"), Gregory Peck (who would win his own Oscar several years later for a compelling performance as Atticus Finch in the big-screen adaptation of Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" [see my review of the BOOK]) and Eddie Albert (who would go on to acheive lasting fame in a comedy show that I can't remember the name of). THIS is what movies were made of: great stories, good actors (where NO ONE HAD TO GET NAKED) and beautiful music. Mind, I like the movies they make nowadays, but I prefer the classics ("Gone With The Wind," Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh's versions of "Hamlet" and "Henry V," Sir Laurence Olivier's masterful "Richard III," "To Kill A Mockingbird," "Casablanca," "Gentleman's Agreement," "To Have And Have Not," "Dial 'M' For Murder," "To Catch A Thief," "Ben-Hur," "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner," "The Wizard Of Oz," "The Music Man," "The King And I," "The Sound Of Music," etc). This film is Not Rated.

Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn and more - Roman Holiday (Special Collector's Edition)

I absolutely LOVE this movie!

No one, in my humble opinion, has ever lit up the screen like Audrey Hepburn. She was a complex mix of sexy woman, young ingenue, and naive un-worldly girl. Audrey was appealing to both men and women, as women wanted to be her, and men wanted to be with her. She was beautiful like a china doll, and every word out of her mouth had depth and resonance. She was non-threatening and seemed to be a truly genuine human being. In her later years she became a goodwill ambassador for Unicef. She continued her charitable duties until she died.

This movie was the first starring role for the fabulous Audrey Hepburn. Her performance was sparkly, radiant, spontaneous and magical. Obviously the members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences agreed, as Audrey won an academy award for her performance in this movie.

In a nutshell this story is about a princess who feels unfullfilled and "stressed-out" with her life. While in Rome she decides to leave the castle to explore Rome on her own. Before she leaves however, her doctor gives her a sedative to calm her down. When the princess leaves the castle it appears as though she is drunk. That is how Gregory Pecks character first sees her. In the beginning he is not aware that Audreys character is the princess. He will eventually figure it out.

There are a multitude of adventures that occur, and there are so many magical scenes in this movie it would be impossible to name them all. I will name a couple of my favorite scenes though. I LOVE the scene when Audrey and Gregory are at the docks dancing, and a fight breaks out. In the chaos that ensues, Audrey smashes a guitar over the head of one of the party-goers. She grins with delight. I also enjoy the scene where Audrey and Gregory are tempting the fates with the "Mouth of truth" statue that bites off the hands of those who are telling a lie. No matter how many times I watch this movie, I still tense up at that scene to see if her hand will be bitten or not.

This movie is such a classic, and with a less talented cast the movie could have come across as a bit cheesy. But with the spectacular talents of Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn and Eddie Albert, this movie was and is one of the greatest movies in Hollywood history. I LOVE this movie and I hope you will too.