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Thursday, October 25, 2007

Holiday of a movie

Roman Holiday (1953)



Directed by: William Wyler
Starring: Gregory Peck (Joe Bradley), Audrey Hepburn (Princess Ann), Eddie Albert (Irving Radovich)

Screen sweetheart Audrey Hepburn was born. And how! She's the archetype princess, beautiful, innocent, and not at all happy with her lot. She meets her Prince Charming. But from the very start, it's a match made the very class-conscious world. They could never live happily ever after. However, what ensued in the interim period is the fodder for a classic love story. Add to that the breathtaking beauty of Rome, you have a perfect holiday of a movie.
Tired of her royal duties Princess Ann, on her visit to Rome, runs away from her hotel room. Who should find her but a down-and-out American journalist (Gregory Peck). Without realising who she was, he shelters her, to much of his annoyance, of course, the situation was as such. When he finds out the truth, from his editor the next morning, he knows that he has hit a jackpot, only if he can get an exclusive of the princess about her private life.
Soon he gets into work, together with his photographer friend (who provides much of the comic relief), first stalks her and be-friends her to act as her guide to show the city of Rome.
As the princess and the journalist fall in love (he would never write that exclusive!), you get a rare chance to see the city of Rome, in the 1930s (the film claims that it is entirely shot in Rome, and you know, its true). But reality bites. The princess has to return to her castle and a journalist would remain a journalist.
The last slow, elegiac scene of the film sees the princess meet-ing a team of delegates including our heartbroken hero, and when their eyes meet for a fraction of a second, there's love writ all over.
And the newspaperman's life would never be the same again.
Perhaps same goes to the princess.
Hepburn got her Oscar for her first starring role and deserv-edly so. See the film and you will become an Audrey Hepburn fan for life.

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