One of the most beloved movies of all-time, Roman Holiday, has gotten the Blu-Ray upgrade. This is thanks to the stellar Paramount Presents line, which has put the spotlight on a bevy of brilliance from the catalog of the storied Hollywood studio.
Roman Holiday features an intoxicating turn by icon Audrey Hepburn and an iconic performance by Gregory Peck as two unlikely lovebirds who find their hearts aflutter after a day in the titular city. Hepburn is Princess Ann, who finds herself on holiday and more in the mood to play tourist than a royal with all those stuffy responsibilities. Lucky for her, she runs into newsman Joe Bradley (Peck), who is there for work—but finds great joy in his new companion and thinks a little tourist time is on the agenda for both of them.
The sparks fly immediately from these two and are largely why the film is so beloved and has been since its 1953 release. Oscar loved it too as it awarded Hepburn with a Best Actress statue, as well as Best Costume Design for Edith Head and it should have served as a triumphant return to the limelight for Dalton Trumbo, who scored a Best Writing award. (Don’t know Trumbo’s tale? Don’t miss Bryan Cranston’s titanic take on the blacklisted writer in Trumbo). The film actually scored 10 Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Eddie Albert. For Trumbo, it wasn’t until 1992 when Oscar’s Board of Governors voted to give the writer the credit that he was due.
Director William Wyler crafted what felt like a fairy tale in every way. It grabs viewers from the outset and takes them on a journey that firmly fits with any of the cinematic stories that have been told that take the princess’s point of view. But Roman Holiday was different. It possessed a grounded in reality feel that enriched it to audiences for generations. The film was approachable and that was largely due to Trumbo’s script and the otherworldly performances of its leads and supporting cast.
Another aspect of what I found so joyous about Roman Holiday, that is not often addressed is how the story featured two people enjoying a post-World War II Europe that was basking in the rarest of entities for that region—peace. That feel permeates every frame of Wyler’s film and is an element that should be examined more, especially since the helmer’s film was one of the first to go on-location instead of using one of Hollywood’s traditionally used backlots. This is a story that would not have worked as well as it did—even with a stellar Trumbo script and two leads who are among the best to ever call themselves actors—without having Peck and Hepburn walking the streets of Rome.
The legendary film was in incredible hands when it came to the restoration with Paramount Presents (more on that series in a moment). The story of Roman Holiday and its cinematic history beings when the movie’s original negative was processed at a film lab in Rome. It was not treated well—it was found to be scratched and in parts, damaged. Painstakingly, film restorers had to piece together the film and were handicapped by what they were given to work with. The splices, for example, were not firm and were just one of the elements that were damaged and appeared to be beyond repair. Lucky for us and film history, those charged with the upgrade created what is called a “Dupe Negative” and thanks to advancements in technology, the images were able to be “blown up” to within a few thousandths of an inch so that covering all that splice tape could be successfully achieved. Those “Dupe Negatives” were digitized and once that occurred, computer artistry took over and visual brilliance was achieved. Every single frame was combed over and that is why the Blu-Ray of Roman Holiday is an achievement right up there with any of the great paintings’ restorations that have allowed millions to enjoy some of the art world’s greatest artists as they were meant to be seen.
Now, audio-wise, since Dolby 5.1 did not exist, there was a mono track that was what had to be worked with on the upgrade. That mono track was remastered, and the audio is now as vibrant as the visuals.
Paramount Presents has been absolutely amazing since the first film in this series was released earlier this year. We’ve had true gifts to the cinephiles of the world with the studio’s Blu-Ray releases of To Catch a Thief, King Creole, Flashdance, Airplane!, Fatal Attraction, Days of Thunder, Pretty in Pink, and Ghost.
When it comes to bonus features, given the history of this film and its place in that rich lineage, we recommend starting with Behind the Gates: Costumes. Paramount Archivist Randall Thropp takes viewers on a priceless tour through the studio’s costume collection. His insight into Head and her contributions is just brilliant and rightfully deserved.
A legend, film historian and critic Leonard Maltin, hosts Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on Roman Holiday that talks about Wyler’s work on this film as well as the stunning work by actors throughout the film, particularly Hepburn and Peck.
Rome with a Princess looks at the historic places that the princess and the newsman visit in the flick, anchored by archival footage, clips from the movie and photos from those locales today.
Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years is a terrific, half-hour long look at the iconic actress and her work with the fabled studio. Among those are Sabrina, War and Peace, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Paris when it Sizzles. The featurette also looks at her charity work, her children, and her marriage. It’s about as informative as classic Hollywood bios get. Also, don’t miss Remembering Audrey, which features the actress’ son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, and chronicles her time in Hollywood and dates back to her time in Nazi-occupied Holland. It’s rich stuff.
Speaking of classic Hollywood, don’t miss Dalton Trumbo: From A-List to Blacklist. Current movie stars and historians talk about the famed screenwriter and it is an utter delight.
A fascinating inclusion is a theatrical teaser and theatrical trailer for Roman Holiday. Also included is a gallery of photographs in four categories—production, publicity, the premiere, and the movie.
Film Grade: A+
Bonus Features: A+