Roman Holiday

Who wouldn’t fall in love with Audrey Hepburn? You can hardly blame Gregory Peck, given that his leading lady here it at the height of her powers as the epitome of grace, beauty, charm and charisma. Hepburn is a wonder in this movie, bringing absolute believability to her role as a European princess out on the lam for one free day. (It probably helped that she really was the progeny of at least minor royalty.) The third costar of the film, the city of Rome, does yeoman’s work at giving the tale a magical setting with both ancient and modern touches throughout, as befits a fairy tale. Though the story may fit that most traditional of genres, this one casts its spell in many standard forms, but without, perhaps, a real fairy tale ending. Certainly, had this film been made recently, the denouement would have been radically different; maybe there’s something to say there about the difference between this time and a period when easy outs were not always the order of the day. One negative critique: the pacing of the movie seems a little too slow for the modern viewer. Whether that’s something wrong with the film or with me is a matter for debate. Overall, this movie makes for light and breezy entertainment, something that may not be profound but is most assuredly a good time spent with one of the medium’s most luminous stars. That’s the scoop: she’s a girl you want to spend a day with, for sure.