Roman Holiday
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by	William Wyler
Produced by	William Wyler
Written by	Dalton Trumbo (story) Ian McLellan Hunter & John Dighton (screenplay)
Starring	Gregory Peck Audrey Hepburn Eddie Albert
Music by	Georges Auric Victor Young
Cinematography	Henri Alekan Franz Planer
Editing by	Robert Swink
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	August 27, 1953
Running time	118 min.
Language	English
Budget	$1,500,000 (est.)
IMDb profile

Roman Holiday is a 1953 romantic comedy. The film introduced American audiences to Dutch-born actress Audrey Hepburn, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert co-starred. The movie was directed and produced by William Wyler. It was written by John Dighton and, fronting for Hollywood blacklist author Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter. Trumbo's name was digitally restored to the film's credits when it was released on DVD in 2003. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (491x755, 89 KB) // Movie poster for the 1953 film Roman Holiday. ... William Wyler (July 1, 1902–July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. ... William Wyler (July 1, 1902–July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. ... Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter and novelist, and a member of the Hollywood Ten, one of group of film professionals who refused to testify before the 1947 House Un-American Activities Committee about alleged communist involvement. ... English screenwriter Ian McLellan Hunter (1915 - 1991) is best known for a film that he didn’t actually write. ... John Dighton (1909 - 1989), was a successful British playwright and screenwriter. ... Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Oscar-winning American film actor. ... Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929 – January 20, 1993) was an Academy Award-winning Anglo-Dutch actress of film and theatre, Broadway stage performer, ballerina, fashion model, and humanitarian. ... Eddie Albert, born Edward Albert Heimberger, (April 22, 1906 â€“ May 26, 2005) was a popular Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated American stage, film, character actor, gardener and humanitarian activist, perhaps best known for playing Bing Edwards in the Brother Rat films, or for his role in the 1960s television comedy... Georges Auric (February 15, 1899 – July 23, 1983) was a French composer, born in Lodève, Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. ... Victor Young (August 8, 1900 - November 10, 1956) was an Jewish-American composer, violinist and conducter. ... Portrait of Henri Alekan The French cinematographer Henri Alekan was born on February 10th 1909 in Paris, France and died on June 15th 2001 in Auxerre, Bourgogne, France. ... Film cinematographer Franz Planer (March 29, 1894 - January 10, 1963) was born in Karlsbad, Austria-Hungary (now called the Czech Republic). ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... See also: 1952 in film 1953 1954 in film 1950s in film years in film film Events September 16 - The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film. ... Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romance films. ... Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929 – January 20, 1993) was an Academy Award-winning Anglo-Dutch actress of film and theatre, Broadway stage performer, ballerina, fashion model, and humanitarian. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Oscar-winning American film actor. ... Eddie Albert, born Edward Albert Heimberger, (April 22, 1906 â€“ May 26, 2005) was a popular Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated American stage, film, character actor, gardener and humanitarian activist, perhaps best known for playing Bing Edwards in the Brother Rat films, or for his role in the 1960s television comedy... William Wyler (July 1, 1902–July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. ... John Dighton (1909 - 1989), was a successful British playwright and screenwriter. ... Protestors opposing the jailing of the Hollywood Ten in 1950 (from the 1987 documentary Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist). ... Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter and novelist, and a member of the Hollywood Ten, one of group of film professionals who refused to testify before the 1947 House Un-American Activities Committee about alleged communist involvement. ... English screenwriter Ian McLellan Hunter (1915 - 1991) is best known for a film that he didn’t actually write. ... DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the 1970s, both Peck and Hepburn were approached with the idea of a sequel, which would have seen Anya and Joe reunite, but the project never came to fruition. The original film was remade for television in 1987 with Tom Conti and Catherine Oxenberg. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tom Conti (born November 22, 1941) is a Scottish actor. ... Main title caption from Dynasty. ...

Plot

Princess Ann (Hepburn) is a royal princess of an unspecified country. She is on a widely publicized tour of several European capitals, including Rome. One night, she rebels against the strenuous demands of her official duties, where every minute of her time is scheduled. Her doctor gives her a sedative in order to help her sleep, but she secretly leaves her country's embassy and goes out alone to experience Rome.

The injection eventually takes effect and she falls asleep on a public bench where Joe Bradley (Peck), an expatriate American reporter, meets her, but does not recognize her. He offers her money so that she can take a taxi home, but "Anya Smith," as she calls herself, refuses to disclose where that is, saying that she should be taken to the Colosseum. Joe finally decides, for safety's sake, to let her spend the night in his apartment. He is amused by her regal manner, but less so when she appropriates his bed, leaving him the uncomfortable couch. The next morning, unable to rouse her, he goes to work. The Colosseum by night: exterior view of the best-preserved section. ...

His editor, Mr. Hennessy (Hartley Power), asks him if he had covered the press conference with the princess. Joe lies, making up details of the alleged interview until Hennessy tells him that the princess had suddenly "fallen ill" and the conference had been canceled. Joe sees a picture of her and recognizes the young woman he had left sleeping in his apartment. Hennessy then threatens to fire him, and the two men end up making a bet that Joe can get an exclusive on the princess.

Joe realizes he is sitting on a windfall; an exclusive story about his unsuspecting guest. He offers to show Rome to Anya, but not before getting his photographer friend, Irving Radovich (Eddie Albert), to tag along to take pictures of her without her knowledge. Eddie Albert, born Edward Albert Heimberger, (April 22, 1906 â€“ May 26, 2005) was a popular Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated American stage, film, character actor, gardener and humanitarian activist, perhaps best known for playing Bing Edwards in the Brother Rat films, or for his role in the 1960s television comedy...

They spend the day seeing the sights, including the "Mouth of Truth." On a whim, she gets her hair cut short in a barbershop facing the famous Trevi Fountain. She shares with Joe her dream of living a normal life without her crushing responsibilities and restrictions. That night, at a dance on a boat, government agents finally track her down and try to escort her away, but a wild melee breaks out and Joe and Anya escape. Through all this, they gradually fall in love. However, Anya realizes that it cannot be. She finally bids farewell to Joe, without revealing her true identity, and returns to the embassy. The Mouth of the Truth. ... The Trevi Fountain Trevi Fountain at night. ...

During the course of the day, Hennessy learns that the princess is missing, not ill as the embassy had claimed. He suspects that Joe knows where she is, and tries to get him to admit it, but Joe claims to know nothing about it. Knowing Joe's feelings for Anya, Irving reluctantly decides not to sell his photos.

The next day, Princess Ann appears at the delayed news conference, only to find Joe and Irving among the members of the press. Irving takes her picture with the same miniature cigarette lighter/camera he had used the previous day. He then presents her with the photographs he had taken that day, as a memento of her adventure. Joe lets her know, by allusion, that her secret is safe with them. She, in turn, works into her bland press conference statements a coded message of love and gratitude to Joe. She then departs, leaving Joe to linger for a while, contemplating what might have been.

Production

Audrey Hepburn breaks character during a practical joke Gregory Peck plays during filming of the "Mouth of Truth" sequence.

One of the most famous scenes in the movie is when Peck puts his hand into the "Mouth of Truth" (La Bocca della Verità), a stone face in Rome that legend says will bite your hand off if you tell a lie. In the film, when he pulls his hand out it is missing, causing Anya/Hepburn to scream. He then pops his hand out of his sleeve and laughs. Hepburn's shriek was not acting — Peck decided to pull a gag he had once seen Red Skelton do, and did not tell his co-star beforehand. (Source: An Evening with Gregory Peck, a series of retrospective lectures Peck gave in the years before his death, and Remembering Roman Holiday, a featurette on the 2002 DVD release.) Image File history File links Romanholidayhand. ... Image File history File links Romanholidayhand. ... The Mouth of Truth La Bocca della Verità (Italian, the Mouth of Truth) is a river god that used to be a drain cover, but since the Middle ages, has served as a lie detector. ... Richard Bernard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913 – September 17, 1997) was an American comedian whose greatest impact — in a career which began as a teen circus clown and graduated to vaudeville, Broadway, MGM films, and radio — began when he reached television stardom with The Red Skelton Show (NBC, 1951–1952...

Shortly after Princess Ann and Joe Bradley meet, she quotes him some poetry and insists it is by Keats. He insists it is by Shelley, and they have a bit of an argument. The quote is in fact from Mary Shelley's play Proserpine. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley (30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English romantic/gothic novelist and the author of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. ...

The movie was filmed on location in Rome, and at Cinecittà Studios. Entrance of the Cinecittà studios Cinecittà (Italian for Cinema City) is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. ...

Cast

Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn and Eddie Albert in a promotional photograph

• Gregory Peck as Joe Bradley. The role was originally written with Cary Grant in mind. However, Grant turned the role down, believing he was too old to play Hepburn's love interest. Later, the studio convinced Grant to play opposite her in Charade.

Peck's contract gave him solo star billing, with the unknown name Audrey Hepburn featured much smaller. Half-way through the filming, he told the producer that Hepburn deserved equal star billing and demanded that she should get it - an almost unheard-of gesture in Hollywood. Image File history File links Audreyhepburnromanholiday. ... Image File history File links Audreyhepburnromanholiday. ... Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Oscar-winning American film actor. ... Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929 – January 20, 1993) was an Academy Award-winning Anglo-Dutch actress of film and theatre, Broadway stage performer, ballerina, fashion model, and humanitarian. ... Eddie Albert, born Edward Albert Heimberger, (April 22, 1906 â€“ May 26, 2005) was a popular Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated American stage, film, character actor, gardener and humanitarian activist, perhaps best known for playing Bing Edwards in the Brother Rat films, or for his role in the 1960s television comedy... Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Oscar-winning American film actor. ... Archibald Alec Leach (January 18, 1904 – November 29, 1986), better known by his screen name, Cary Grant, was an English film actor. ... Charade is a 1963 film written by Peter Stone and Marc Behm, directed by Stanley Donen, and starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. ...

• Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann ('Anya Smith'). A now-legendary screen test resulted in Hepburn being cast as Ann. After Hepburn performed a dignified, subdued scene from the film, the director called "cut", but the cameraman left the camera rolling, showing the young actress suddenly become animated as she chatted with the director. The candid footage won her the role; some of it was later included in the original theatrical trailer for the film, along with additional screen test footage showing Hepburn trying on some of Anya's costumes and even cutting her own hair (referring to a scene in the film where Anya gets a haircut). It is sometimes claimed that Roman Holiday was Hepburn's first American acting job. In fact, she appeared at least once on US television in 1952 — a CBS Television Workshop production of Rainy Day in Paradise Junction .
• Eddie Albert as Irving Radovich
• Hartley Power as Mr. Hennessy, Bradley's editor
• Harcourt Williams as the Ambassador of Princess Ann's country
• Margaret Rawlings as Countess Vereberg, Ann's principal lady-in-waiting
• Tullio Carminati as General Provno
• Paolo Carlini as Mario Delani, the hairdresser who cuts Ann's hair
• Claudio Ermelli as Giovanni, Bradley's landlord
• Paola Borboni as Charwoman
• Alfredo Rizzo as Cab driver
• Laura Solari as Secretary
• Gorella Gori as Shoe seller
• Heinz Hindrich as Dr. Bonnachoven, Ann's doctor
• John Horne as Master of Ceremonies
• Andrea Esterhazy as Embassy staffer
• Ugo De Pascale as Embassy staffer
• Diane Lante as lady-in-waiting.

Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929 – January 20, 1993) was an Academy Award-winning Anglo-Dutch actress of film and theatre, Broadway stage performer, ballerina, fashion model, and humanitarian. ... Screen Test was a British childrens quiz show produced by the BBC which ran from 1969 to 1984. ... CBS Television Workshop was a 1952 television series most noted for an early appearance of Audrey Hepburn. ... Eddie Albert, born Edward Albert Heimberger, (April 22, 1906 â€“ May 26, 2005) was a popular Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated American stage, film, character actor, gardener and humanitarian activist, perhaps best known for playing Bing Edwards in the Brother Rat films, or for his role in the 1960s television comedy... Harcourt Williams was a British actor who appeared in Henry V as King Charles. ... Lady in Waiting is an album by American southern rock band The Outlaws, released in 1976. ... Tullio Carminati (1882-1965) was an actor most famous for roles in The Cardinal, One Night of Love, and El Cid. ...

Awards

Wins

• Academy Award for Best Actress (Audrey Hepburn)
• BAFTA Award for Best British Actress (Audrey Hepburn)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress — Drama (Audrey Hepburn)
• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (Audrey Hepburn)
• Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White (Edith Head)
• Best Writing, Motion Picture Story (Ian McLellan Hunter and Dalton Trumbo)
• Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy (Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton)

The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actresses working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929 – January 20, 1993) was an Academy Award-winning Anglo-Dutch actress of film and theatre, Broadway stage performer, ballerina, fashion model, and humanitarian. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... New York Film Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. ... This Academy Award was first given for movies made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black-and-white and color movies. ... Edith Head on the cover of the book The Life and Times of Edith Head by David Chierichetti Edith Head (October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) was an American costume designer who had a long career in Hollywood that garnered her more Academy Awards than any other woman in history. ... // The Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. ... English screenwriter Ian McLellan Hunter (1915 - 1991) is best known for a film that he didn’t actually write. ... Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter and novelist, and a member of the Hollywood Ten, one of group of film professionals who refused to testify before the 1947 House Un-American Activities Committee about alleged communist involvement. ... The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and television industries in the United States. ... John Dighton (1909 - 1989), was a successful British playwright and screenwriter. ...

Nominations

• Academy Award for Best Picture
• BAFTA Award for Best Film from any source
• Best Director (William Wyler)
• DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (William Wyler)
• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Albert)
• BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor — (Eddie Albert)
• BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor — (Gregory Peck)
• Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White (Hal Pereira & Walter H. Tyler)
• Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Franz Planer & Henri Alekan)
• Academy Award for Film Editing (Robert Swink)
• Best Writing, Screenplay (Ian McLellan Hunter & Dalton Trumbo)

In 1999, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. // The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards, awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which are voted on by others within the industry. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... The Academy Award for Directing is an accolade given to the person that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences feels was best director of the past year. ... William Wyler (July 1, 1902–July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. ... DGA Headquarters in Hollywood, California Directors Guild of America (DGA) is the labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry. ... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to male actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Eddie Albert, born Edward Albert Heimberger, (April 22, 1906 â€“ May 26, 2005) was a popular Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated American stage, film, character actor, gardener and humanitarian activist, perhaps best known for playing Bing Edwards in the Brother Rat films, or for his role in the 1960s television comedy... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Oscar-winning American film actor. ... The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. ... Hal Pereira was an American art director and production designer educated at the University of Illinois and brother of architect William L. Periera. ... The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ... Film cinematographer Franz Planer (March 29, 1894 - January 10, 1963) was born in Karlsbad, Austria-Hungary (now called the Czech Republic). ... Portrait of Henri Alekan The French cinematographer Henri Alekan was born on February 10th 1909 in Paris, France and died on June 15th 2001 in Auxerre, Bourgogne, France. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ... // The Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. ... English screenwriter Ian McLellan Hunter (1915 - 1991) is best known for a film that he didn’t actually write. ... Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter and novelist, and a member of the Hollywood Ten, one of group of film professionals who refused to testify before the 1947 House Un-American Activities Committee about alleged communist involvement. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... The Library of Congress is the de facto national library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress. ... The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ...

Tributes

The film inspired the lyrics of Deep Blue Something's "Breakfast at Tiffany's", but the author, Todd David Pipes, thought that one of Hepburn's other films would make a better song title.^[1] Deep Blue Something is an American rock band best known for its hit single Breakfast at Tiffanys. ... Breakfast at Tiffanys is a song by American rock band Deep Blue Something, released in 1995 on their album Home. ...

At least two different orchid cultivars share this name, Epc. Joseph Romans 'Roman Holiday' and Blc. Empress Worsley 'Roman Holiday'. Orchid re-directs here; for alternate uses see Orchid (disambiguation) Genera Over 800 See List of Orchidaceae genera. ...

Miscellaneous

Roman Holiday's DVD cover

The film is also known for its Vespa footage, much praised by classic scooter enthusiasts the world over.^{[citation needed]} This is a DVD cover. ... This is a DVD cover. ... Vespa Logo Classic Vespas in Perth, Western Australia The Vespa is a line of motor scooters that was first manufactured in Pontedera, Italy in 1946 by Piaggio & Co, S.p. ...

See also

• Rome
• Vespa

Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Vespa Logo Classic Vespas in Perth, Western Australia The Vespa is a line of motor scooters that was first manufactured in Pontedera, Italy in 1946 by Piaggio & Co, S.p. ...

External links

• Roman Holiday at the Internet Movie Database

References

1. ^ British Hit Singles & Albums (Edition 18), Guinness World Records Limited