Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWilliam Wyler
Screenplay by
Story byDalton Trumbo
Produced byWilliam Wyler
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byRobert Swink
Music by
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • August 20, 1953 (1953-08-20) (Venice)
  • August 27, 1953 (1953-08-27) (USA)
[2]
Running time
118 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Italian
Budget$1.5 million
Box office$12 million
The film's trailer

Roman Holiday is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance; the film also won the Academy Award for Best Story and the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

The script was written by John Dighton and Dalton Trumbo, though with Trumbo on the Hollywood blacklist, he did not receive a credit, and Ian McLellan Hunter fronted for him. Trumbo's name was reinstated when the film was released on DVD in 2003, and on December 19, 2011, full credit for Trumbo's work was restored. Blacklisted director Bernard Vorhaus worked on the film as an assistant director under a pseudonym.[3][4]

The film was shot at the Cinecittà studios and on location around Rome during the "Hollywood on the Tiber" era. The film opened the 14th Venice International Film Festival within the official program.

In 1999, Roman Holiday was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film has been considered one of the most romantic films in cinema history.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ Writers Guild of America (December 19, 2011). "WGA Restores Blacklisted Writer Dalton Trumbo's Screen Credit On 'Roman Holiday'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  2. ^ Roman Holiday at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  3. ^ Cheryl Devall, Paige Osburn (December 19, 2011). "Blacklisted writer gets credit restored after 60 years for Oscar-winning film". 89.3 KPCC. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  4. ^ Verrier, Richard (December 19, 2011). "Writers Guild restores screenplay credit to Trumbo for 'Roman Holiday'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  5. ^ Kryza, Andy; Phil de Semlyen (January 18, 2024). "The 100 most romantic films ever made". Time Out Worldwide. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  6. ^ Samuel R. Murrian (February 14, 2023). "We Ranked The 75 Best Romantic Movies of All Time, From 'City Lights' to 'Moonlight'". Parade.
  7. ^ Clarke, Cath (October 16, 2010). "Roman Holiday: No 16 best romantic film of all time". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 4, 2023.