"I Will Cherish My Visit Here in Memory as Long as I Live" - Roman Holiday
It's time for our first trip to Rome, and this week we're exploring one of my favourite Audrey Hepburn movies, Roman Holiday!
This movie made Audrey Hepburn. Her natural charisma shone through during the screen test and although the studio liked her acting, it wasn't until after they stopped the official test and started chatting with her afterwards that they were sold on her.
The result: Roman Holiday, a William Wyler movie that stars Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann, heir to the throne of an unnamed European country (not the UK) and Gregory Peck as the American journalist who stumbles upon the scoop of a lifetime. In a single day, these two fall passionately in love while having the time of their lives in Rome.
Let's dive in!
"Paramount News brings you a special coverage of Princess Ann's visit to London, the first stop on her much publicized goodwill tour of European capitals. She gets a royal welcome from the British as thousands cheer the gracious young member of one of Europe's oldest ruling families...
...After three days of continuous activity and a visit to Buckingham Palace, Ann flew to Amsterdam where Her Royal Highness dedicated the new International Aid Building and christened an ocean liner. Then went to Paris where she attended many official functions designed to cement trade relations between her country and the Western European nations...
...The smiling young Princess showed no sign of the strain of the week's continuous public appearances...
...And at her country's embassy that evening, a formal reception and ball in her honor was given by her country's ambassador to Italy."
And here's Princess Ann in the flesh.
Fun fact: some of the background actors were Italians who were either titled or lost their titles, and they're all wearing their own jewellery.
And now for the rote work of royalty:
greeting every single guest in attendance, knowing their names and occupations, being able to make small talk on command, and doing it all with a smile on your face.
It's hard work standing on your feet uninterrupted...
...this will come back to bite her.
There's a comedic scene where they try to alert the host that her shoe has fallen off, but he thinks they're urging him to dance with Princess Ann, so he offers her his arm. She can't turn him down, so instead...
...she takes the opportunity to get her shoe back on.
And then spends the rest of the evening dancing.
Later, as Princess Ann preps for bed, she has a few hard truths for her lady-in-waiting: "I hate this nightgown. I hate all my nightgowns. And I hate all my underwear too."
When the Countess retorts that she has many lovely things, Ann counters with: "I'm not 200 years old."
Then she hears the revelry outside her window and rushes over to see people outside having fun. The Countess ushers her back to bed and begins to recite the next day's itinerary.
Countess: 8:30, breakfast here with the embassy staff. 9:00, we leave for the Polinari Automotive Works where you'll be presented with a small car.
Princess Ann: Thank you.
Countess: Which you will not accept.
Princess Ann: No, thank you.
Countess: 10:35, inspection of food and agricultural organization which will present you with an olive tree.
Princess Ann: No, thank you.
Countess: Which you will accept.
Princess Ann: Thank you.
Countess: 10:55, the new Foundling Home for Orphans. You will preside over the laying of the cornerstone. Same speech as last Monday.
Princess Ann: Trade relations.
Countess: Yes.
Princess Ann: For the orphans?
Countess: No, no, the other one.
Princess Ann: Youth and progress.
Countess: Precisely. 11:45, back here to rest. No, that's wrong. 11:45, conference here with the press.
Princess Ann: Sweetness and decency.
Countess: 1:00 sharp, lunch with the foreign ministry. You will wear your white lace and carry a bouquet of very small pink roses. 3:05, presentation of a plaque.
Princess Ann: Thank you.
Countess: 4:10, review special guard of Carabiniere Police.
Princess Ann: No, thank you. How do you do? Charmed. So happy. Stop!
Ann has an emotional breakdown, prompting the Countess to call Dr. Bonnachoven, her doctor, who'll give her a shot to calm her down.
The doctor warns everyone that it may take a bit to kick in, and in the meantime, it's best if Princess Ann just... lay back for a while.
So everybody goes, and Ann lays there waiting for the shot to kick in. She's very fascinated with the wall and the ceiling, and I can't blame her cause the architecture in the embassy is top-notch.
Ann then hears the revelry outside again, and uninhibited by the shot, and totally alone without a lady-in-waiting to usher her back to bed, she rushes over to the window to watch.
And resolves to do something about wanting to have some fun: she gets dressed...
...sneaks through the embassy...
...and hides in the back of a delivery truck, on her way to a Roman adventure!
It's a whole new world for Ann, who's enjoying watching the Roman streets pass by.
She hops off when the delivery truck stops, and runs off into the night.
Meanwhile, at a friend's apartment...
An American expat is playing poker with his friends.
Speaking of Princess Ann...that shot kicked in.
And guess who just stumbled upon the scoop of a lifetime (though he doesn't know it yet)?
Joe hails a cab and is ready to drive off and leave the mystery woman behind, but his conscience catches up to him and he leads her to the car.
The taxi driver asks where she lives, to which Princess Ann replies, "The Coliseum." Joe tries to get the driver to drop her off at the Coliseum, but he won't do it as it's "the wrong address."
So Joe says instead to drive to his apartment, located at 51 Via Margutta. And when they get there, he tries to leave the mystery lady in the cab and gives the driver enough money to take her anywhere she wants to go, but the driver won't budge because "my taxi is not for sleep." Joe needs to take her with him.
So he grabs a sleepy Princess Ann by the hand and leads her up to his apartment.
This is one of my favourite scenes in the movie: Joe goes up the stairs, Ann misses them.
Then, when Joe leaves her to go unlock the door, she tries to knock on his neighbour's door instead. He catches her in the nick of time.
Now he's got to try to get Ann into bed without anything going wrong, and what could go wrong?
They argue over whether a poem Ann's sleepily reciting is Shelley or Keats (I never looked it up, so I don't know who's right). And then Ann says another favourite line...
Princess Ann: You have my permission to withdraw.
Joe: Thank you very much.
Joe: Thank you very much.
Back at the embassy, Princess Ann's retinue have noticed that she's missing. They make a pact that they'll speak of it to no one, as she's the direct heir to her country's throne, this is a top level incident that they can't afford to get out. Then, they decide to call her parents, the King and Queen.
Meanwhile, Joe's back after giving Ann privacy to change into the men's pajamas she finds so fascinating...
...and flips her over onto the cot, because chivalry only extends so far.
And this bulletin goes out overnight to cancel Princess Ann's engagements for the day.
Including her press conference at 11:45 am, which is good news for Joe...
...because he slept right through to noon.
He rushes into the office of the American New Service prepared to tell his editor all about the press conference.
While his editor, Hennessy, is reading the front page of the newspaper. Ann's illness, of course, makes it above the fold. Joe's about to barge in with a full report on the press conference.
Hennessy: We start our days at 8:30 in this office. We pick up our assignments...
Joe: I picked mine up last night.
Hennessy: What assignment was that?
Joe: The princess, 11:45.
Hennessy: You've already been to the interview?
Joe: Sure. I just got back.
Hennessy: Well, well, well. All my apologies.
Joe: It's all right.
Hennessy: Very interesting.
Joe: Just routine.
Hennessy: She answered the questions on the list?
Joe: Well, of course she did. I've got them right here somewhere.
Hennessy: Don't disturb yourself. I have a copy here. How did Her Highness react to the idea of a European federation?
Joe: She thought it was just fine.
Hennessy: She did?
Joe: Well, she thought there would be two effects.
Hennessy: Two.
Joe: The direct and the indirect.
Hennessy: Remarkable.
Joe: Naturally, she thought that the indirect would not be as direct as the direct. At least not right away. Later on, of course, well, nobody knows.
Hennessy: Well, well, well. That was a shrewd observation.
Joe: They fool you, these royal kids. They've got a lot more on the ball than we suspect.
Hennessy: How did she feel about the future friendship of nations?
Joe: Youth. She felt that the youth of the world must lead the way to a better world.
Hennessy: Original. By the way, what was she wearing?
Joe: Oh, you mean what did she have on?
Hennessy: Well, that's usually what it means. What's the matter? Little warm for you?
Joe: No, I just hurried over here.
Hennessy: Naturally, with a story of these dimensions. Did you say she was wearing gray?
Joe: No, I didn't say that.
Hennessy: Well, she usually wears gray.
Joe: Oh. Well, it was a kind of a gray.
Hennessy: I think I know the dress you mean. It has a gold collar.
Joe: That's the one. I didn't know exactly how to describe it, but that's it.
Hennessy: I think you described it very well, in view of the fact that Her Highness was taken violently ill at 3:00 a.m, put to bed with a high fever, and has had all her appointments for today cancelled in toto!
Joe: In toto?
Hennessy: Yes, Mr. Bradley. In toto.
Then he shows Joe the front page.
And Joe thinks he's sunk until he realizes...Princess Ann is the mystery girl currently sleeping off (what he thinks is) a bender in his apartment!
Joe clarifies that it's a photo of the Princess on the front page, to which Hennessy replies, "It isn't Annie Oakley, Dorothy Lamour or Madame Chiang Kai-shek."
Joe asks if he's fired, and the answer is no, not yet anyway. When he's fired, Hennessy says, he'll know.
So Joe rushes out to the phone to call his landlord and ask if there's still a woman asleep in his apartment.
Giovanni takes his time going up to check but then comes back to confirm that she's still sleeping up there. Joe gives him the orders: nobody's to go in, nobody's to come out. Giovanni's to guard the apartment until Joe can get back there.
And now that he has the scoop, he goes back into Hennessy's office with a proposal.
Joe: How much would a real interview with this dame be worth?
Hennessy: You mean Her Highness?
Joe: I don't mean Annie Oakley, Dorothy Lamour or Madame. How much?
Hennessy: What do you care? You got as much chance...
Joe: I know, but if I did, how much would it be worth?
Hennessy: Oh, just a plain talk on world conditions might be worth $250. Her views on clothes, of course, would be worth a lot more. Maybe a thousand.
Joe: Dollars?
Hennessy: Dollars.
Joe: I'm talking about her views on everything. The private and secret longings of a princess. Her innermost thoughts, as revealed to your Rome correspondent in a private, personal, exclusive interview. Can't use it, huh? I didn't think you'd like it.
Hennessy: Come here. Love angle too, I suppose.
Joe: Practically all love angle.
Hennessy: With pictures.
Joe: Could be. How much?
Hennessy: That particular story would be worth five grand to any news service. But tell me, Mr. Bradley, if you are sober, just how you are going to obtain this fantastic interview?
Joe: I plan to enter her sick room disguised as a thermometer. You said five grand? I want you to shake on that.
Hennessy: You realize Her Highness is in bed today and leaves for Athens tomorrow? I'd like to make
a little side bet with you. Five hundred says you don't come up with the story.
Joe arrives home to find that Giovanni, and a cadre of schoolchildren, are still on guard.
Which means the mystery lady is still there...
...and just to confirm that it's really the princess, he holds up her official photograph next to her sleeping face.
And, convinced that they're one in the same, goes about getting her ready...
...so that he can wake her up and earn her trust.
Ann starts to wake up, thinking she's still talking to Dr. Bonnachoven...
He plays dumb, much to her relief, about not knowing who she really is, and leaves her to freshen up.
And Joe rushes off to call his friend Irving, from the night before, who's a photographer and used to kooky shooting techniques.
"I can't talk over the telephone," Joe tells him. "One word in the wrong quarter, and this whole thing might blow sky high."
He tries to convince Irving to meet him so he can fill him in on the Princess Ann story, and how he'll get a cut for the pictures he takes of her, but he's roundly silenced when Irving shows complete lack of interest.
Meanwhile, the cleaning lady comes in to fix up Joe's room, notices the cot, and then walks into the washroom to clean...
...where she spots Ann and assumes the worst. She eventually runs back into the bathroom to get dressed while the cleaning lady mutters under her breath about her.
And then Joe comes back upstairs to find no trace of Ann. He's panicked until he sees her out on the balcony.
"I was looking at all the people out here. It must be fun to live in a place like this," she tells him.
They then go inside, where she tells him goodbye. She's got somewhere important to be, and she thanks him for looking after her, and letting her sleep in the bed, last night.
And with that, Ann's off. The movie ends, roll credits.
Just kidding! Joe takes off after her, only to find that she's on her way back to the apartment. She wonders if he has any money she can borrow, and he gives her 1,000 lira (about a buck-and-a-half). She promises to get it back to him.
And she's off again, for real this time.
While Joe wanders behind her at a distance.
Ann gets a new pair of sandals.
And a haircut!
Meanwhile Joe's trying to get his own camera, since Irving's not available...
...and Ann's a big fan of her new hairdo. It goes without saying that this was Audrey's real hair, and that the long hair had been a wig.
The hairdresser is so enamoured with Ann that he invites her to a dance on the river that evening.
And finally, she stops for some gelato...
...on the Spanish steps.
And this is where Joe reveals himself. Ann tells him "the truth" namely that she ran away from school the night before, and wound up at his place. And now she has to go back. But Joe convinces her to take the day for herself, and he says he'll join her on her Roman holiday.
So, now that that's settled, they're off to lunch at Rocca's, where Irving was meeting a girlfriend, too. How convenient! She tells Joe that she hasn't had champagne since her father celebrated the 40th anniversary of his...job (she can't say accession!).
She asks Joe what he does for a living and he tells her that he basically slings mud (he sells fertilizer, according to his telling).
Anyways, Irving shows up and promptly starts to spill the beans that she looks just like Princess Ann, but Joe kicks him under the table. She tells them that her name is Anya Smith.
Then he starts to say what he does for a living, he's in the same industry as Joe, only he does...
...Joe knocks the chair out from under him, and he goes toppling. They go off together, Irving to presumably punch his friend's lights out, and Joe to tell him what's really going on.
Joe: Listen. What would you do for five grand?
Irving: Five grand?
Joe: She doesn't know who I am or what I do. Look, Irving, this is my story. I dug it up. I gotta protect it.
Irving: She's really the...
Joe: Your tintypes are gonna make this little epic twice as valuable. "The princess goes slumming." You're in for 25 % of the take. The take's five G's minimum. Hennessy shook hands on it.
Irving: That's $1,500.
Joe: It's $1,250. Okay. Now you shake. Okay, now lend me 30,000.
Irving: That's 50 bucks. You gonna buy the crown jewels?
Joe: She's out there now drinking champagne that I can't pay for. We got to entertain her, don't we?
And they go back out to Anya's table and let her know that everything's good
Then they offer her a cigarette, which she says is the first she's ever smoked. Note that Irving's being so careful with the lighter? It's a camera.
Meanwhile...
And Ann's Roman holiday continues with a vespa ride that goes a little haywire...
Imagine anyone tossing Audrey Hepburn in jail! They get out of their predicament though thanks to Joe.
Princess Ann: American news service? What did he mean?
Joe: Well, you say you're with the press, you can get away with anything. Go to church to get married on a scooter. That's a hot one.
Irving: Joe's a wonderful liar.
That's good enough for Anya, and so next they go to the Mouth of Truth.
I love this scene. The story is that the Mouth of Truth will bite off your hand if you stick it in there and you're a liar. Joe coerces Anya into sticking her hand in there (cause he knows she's lying), and then Gregory Peck pulls one of the best practical jokes ever, when it's his turn, pretending that his hand's gone.
That's a genuine reaction from Audrey. She was terrified.
Their next stop is to a wall where wishes come true, with Anya reading the stories of wishes made by ordinary people.
Joe: Make a wish? Tell the doctor?
Princess Ann: Anyway, the chances of it being granted are very slight.
Joe: Well, what now?
Princess Ann: I've heard of a wonderful place for dancing on a boat.
Joe: The barges down by Sant'Angelo.
Princess Ann: Yes. Couldn't we go there tonight?
Joe: Why not? Anything you wish.
Princess Ann: Then at midnight, I'll turn into a pumpkin, and drive away in my glass slipper. And that'll be the end of the fairy tale.
The two of them decide to go, but Irving has to skip out for a while. There's a...development...he needs to look after.
Princess Ann: Mr. Bradley, if you don't mind my saying so, I think you are a ringer.
Joe: A what? Oh, thanks very much.
Princess Ann: You've spent the whole day doing things I've always wanted to. Why?
Joe: I don't know. It seemed the thing to do.
Princess Ann: I never heard of anybody so kind.
Joe: It wasn't any trouble.
Princess Ann: Or so completely unselfish.
Joe: Let's have a drink at the bar.
Uh oh! Security guards coming to take her away!
They don't notice because they're too busy falling in love with each other.
And then the hairdresser from earlier spots her and wants to dance...
...and then this strange gent wants to as well. "Your Highness. You'll dance quietly towards the entrance. There is a car waiting."
When she refuses, they grab her and walk her towards the exit, but she yells for Joe and Irving, who's just shown up with his 'developments.'
And the trio starts a brawl. An out-and-out brawl!
"Hit him again, Smitty!" Irving yells, trying to catch the moment on one of his tiny cameras.
Joe and Anya manage to escape.
But the same can't be said for the security guards.
Watch the whole scene here:
Joe: Say, you know, you were great back there.
Princess Ann: You weren't so bad yourself.
Now they're totally and completely in love with each other.
And they head back to Joe's apartment to dry off, where they hear a radio bulletin about the Princess's health.
"This is the American hour from Rome broadcasting a special news bulletin in English and Italian. Tonight there is no further word from the bedside of Princess Ann in Rome where she was taken ill yesterday on the last leg of her European goodwill tour. This has given rise to rumors that her condition may be serious, which is causing alarm and anxiety among the people in her country."
Joe: The news can wait till tomorrow.
Princess Ann: Yes. May I have a little more wine? I'm sorry I couldn't cook us some dinner.
Joe: Did you learn how in school?
Princess Ann: I'm a good cook. I could earn my living at it. I can sew, too, and clean a house and iron. I learned to do all those things, I just haven't had the chance to do it for anyone.
Joe: Well, looks like I'll have to move and get myself a place with a kitchen.
And then comes the heartbreak, because they know. They know that she has to go back to 'school' and that she can't stay, and this little Roman holiday is all their love story will ever be.
So they get into a car (not sure where Joe got it from!) and he drives her back to 'school.'
My heart just breaks for them.
She made Joe promise not to watch her go off, but he does anyway.
And we know that he's never going to tell this story. He loves her too much.
Inside the embassy, Princess Ann's getting the third degree over where she's been and why her hair is suddenly so short, but she won't offer up any explanation. She even tells them that she only came back because of her duty. "Were I not completely aware of my duty to my family and my country I would not have come back tonight, or, indeed, ever again."
Then she tells them all that they have her permission to withdraw, even the Countess, who tries to stay behind with the milk and crackers.
In the morning, Hennessey rushes over to Joe's apartment to find out if he got the scoop. He's mum. Then Irving shows up with 'new developments' and tries to show them off, but Joe keeps stopping him, much like he'd done at the restaurant.
Hennessey: She's holding the press interview today. Same time, same place. Maybe that's one story you can get. And you owe me 500 bucks!
Joe: Take it out of my salary. Fifty bucks a week.
Hennessey: Don't think I won't.
Irving shows him all the snaps he took, and when he can tell that Joe's gone sour on the idea of selling the story, he says, "It's always open season on princesses!"
Joe tells him that he won't stop Irving from selling the photos elsewhere, but he doesn't want to tell the Roman holiday story anymore. And Irving's a good enough friend to accept that.
And so they're off on a final royal assignment: Princess Ann's press conference at the embassy.
They're positioned right at the front.
And then...when Princess Ann comes out, she spots them immediately.
And it throws her off, entirely.
They listen as she fields a few rote questions, including a softball asking which country on her European tour she's enjoyed the most.
Princess Ann: Each in its own way was unforgettable. It would be difficult to... Rome. By all means, Rome. I will cherish my visit here in memory as long as I live.
The photographer pack is then invited to come up and take her picture. Irving teases her by snapping her photo with his cigarette lighter.
Her handlers are ready to call it a day, but she shocks everyone by requesting that she be allowed to meet some of the press pack. When the Countess tries to follow her down to the front of the line, she glares until the Countess backs off.
And then we wait. Oh, how we wait! We wait so long for Princess Ann to get to Irving and Joe. When she 'meets' Irving, he presents her with something: all the photos he'd taken of her the day before.
"May I present Your Highness with some commemorative photos of your visit to Rome?"
She breathes a sigh of relief.
And then she shakes hands with Joe, and they don't say anything except for "Joe Bradley, American News Service," and "So happy, Mr. Bradley." But that says it all.
She goes back to the platform and gives him one last look.
And he gives her one last look before she and her retinue turn and walk off, onto the next engagement. Irving leaves Joe alone with this thoughts, and Joe waits until everyone else has long gone before he turns...
...and walks away.
THE END!
It's such a romantic movie. I always tear up at the end.
In the '60s, there were rumours that William Wyler wanted to film a sequel and reunite with Audrey and Gregory, but it never came to fruition, and the movie made instead was How to Steal a Million (which is my favourite Audrey Hepburn movie, so sometimes you gotta lose to know how to win, amirite?).
Audrey Hepburn became a star after Roman Holiday. She's one of the rare few who won an Oscar for her first major film; and Gregory's career was rejuvenated. He'd win an Oscar nearly a decade later for To Kill a Mockingbird, becoming one of film's greatest heroes.
What are your thoughts on Roman Holiday? Let me know in the comments, and come back next Wednesday for our next trip to Rome in Come September!
Comments
Post a Comment