William Wyler’s Roman Holiday is the beginning of the career for the unknown Audrey Hepburn, noted in Schneider’s book that it should have been titled A Star Is Born had they known the acclaim and reception it would receive. When two people who would never and should never have met under romantic circumstances are thrown together in a night of strange coincidences, a beautiful relationship emerges that seems to transcend position, status, work, and boundaries. Even though there is no way that these two can be together for the long haul, it reminds us that the beauty of captivating moments in life should never be ignored because of circumstance. What makes this reverse-Cinderella story all the more captivating is that Hepburn became “the Cinderella story made real by the magic of Hollywood” when she was catapulted into royal stardom after this film (Schneider).
I absolutely loved this film. In many ways, this film captures everything wonderful about the golden age of Hollywood – but most notably the fact that the film started with a solid script and then went to an ensemble cast that worked together like a fine tuned clock. I really enjoyed the location shooting – a character in itself in many ways – but the true magic is the way the performers embodied their roles and tasted the truly excellent words of the screenwriters who worked together to make this an excellent film. The fact that Hepburn began her career in this role stepping into the part as if it were effortlessly tailored for her, we see true magic on the screen in her performance. Peck is no less astounding, bringing a wry, witty joy to a masculinity that melts in the radiance of Hepburn’s charisma.
Gorgeous, funny, dramatic, touching, and adventurous, Roman Holiday was significantly more than I expected when I snatched the special edition out of a $2 clearance bargain bin remembering it was on Schneider’s list.
Garrett Zecker 