Paramount Presents: ROMAN HOLIDAY [1953 / 2020] [Blu-ray + Digital] [USA Release] Audrey Hepburn’s Oscar® winning performance in her first starring role!
For the first time ever on Blu-ray, remastered from a 4K ï¬Âlm transfer, ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ features a legendary, Oscar-winning performance from Audrey Hepburn (in her first starring role) as Princess Ann. Nominated for a total of 10 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, it’s the story of a modern-day princess who, rebelling against the royal obligations, explores Rome on her own. Princess Ann soon meets an American newspaperman Joe Bradley [Gregory Peck] who pretends ignorance of her true identity, in the hopes of obtaining an exclusive story. Naturally, his plan falters as they inevitably fall in love. Featuring Eddie Albert as a carefree cameraman Irving Radovich. This is a classic Dalton Trumbo screenplay, stylishly directed by William Wyler, and featuring Edith Head’s Oscar-winning costumes. This timeless romantic comedy ranks as one of the most enjoyable films of all time and is considered to be one of the greatest films from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment is proud to spotlight a new line of Blu-ray releases for collectors and fans – PARAMOUNT PRESENTS. From celebrated classics to film-lover favourites, each title comes directly from the studio’s renowned library, spanning over 100 years of storytelling. The films have never looked better on Blu-ray – each lovingly remastered from 4K film transfers, featuring never-before-seen bonus content, and exclusive collectable packaging.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1953 National Board of Review, USA: Win: NBR Award for Top Ten Films. 1953 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Win: NYFCC Award for Best Actress for Audrey Hepburn. Nominated: NYFCC Award for Best Film. 1953 Venice Film Festival: Nominated: Golden Lion Award for William Wyler. 1954 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Actress in a Leading Role for Audrey Hepburn. Win: Best Writing for a Motion Picture Story for Dalton Trumbo. Win: Best Costume Design in Black-and-White for Edith Head. Nominated: Best Picture for William Wyler. Nominated: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Eddie Albert. Nominated: Best Director for William Wyler. Nominated: Best Screenplay Writing for Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton. Nominated: Best Cinematography in Black-and-White for Franz Planer and Henri Alekan. Nominated: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration in Black-and-White for Hal Pereira and Walter H. Tyler. Nominated: Best Film Editing for Robert Swink. 1954 Golden Globes: Win: Best Actress in a Drama for Audrey Hepburn. 1954 BAFTA Awards: Win: BAFTA Film Award for Best British Actress for Audrey Hepburn [USA]. Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Film from any Source [USA]. Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Foreign Actor for Eddie Albert [USA]. Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Foreign Actor for Gregory Peck [USA]. 1954 Bambi Awards: Nominated: Best International Actress for Audrey Hepburn. Nominated: Best International Actor for Gregory Peck. 1954 Directors Guild of America: Nominated: DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for William Wyler. 1954 Writers Guild of America: Win: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Written American Comedy for Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton. 1987 Huabiao Film Awards: Win: Huabiao Film Award for Outstanding Translated Foreign Film. 1999 National Film Preservation Board, USA: Win: National Film Registry for the film ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY.’ 2019 Online Film & Television Association: Win: OFTA Film Hall of Fame for ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ Motion Picture.
FILM FACT No.2: The film ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ was shot entirely in Rome and in the studios of Cinecittà. It was originally planned to be in colour, but filming outside was so expensive that it had to be done in black-and-white, which included: Mouth of Truth, Piazza Bocca della Verità, Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin; Caffè Rocca, Piazza della Rotonda and Pantheon; Castel Sant'Angelo; Trevi Fountain; Piazza Venezia, Piazza di Spagna; Trinità dei Monti; Colosseum; Tiber river; Via Margutta 51, the location of Joe's apartment where he hosts Princess Ann; Via dei Fori Imperiali; Via della Stamperia 85, the barber shop where Ann has her hair cut; Palazzo Colonna Gallery, shown in the final scenes of the princess's press appearance; and Palazzo Brancaccio, the princess' ornate Roman bedroom. Due to the film's popularity, both Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn were approached about filming a sequel, but this project never got off the ground. 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."
Cast: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert, Hartley Power, Harcourt Williams, Margaret Rawlings, Tullio Carminati, Paolo Carlini, Claudio Ermelli, Paola Borboni, Alfredo Rizzo, Laura Solari, Gorella Gori, Armando Ambrogi (uncredited), Armando Annuale (uncredited), Maurizio Arena (uncredited), Silvio Bagolini (uncredited), Ugo Ballerini (uncredited), Bruno Baschiera (uncredited), Gildo Bocci (uncredited), Alfred Browne (uncredited), Princess Alma Cattaneo (uncredited), Franco Corsaro (uncredited), John Cortay (uncredited), Julián Cortés Cavanillas (uncredited), Vittoria Crispo (uncredited), Ferdinando De Aldisio (uncredited), Ugo De Pascale (uncredited), Jan Dijksgraaf (uncredited), Andrea Esterhazy (uncredited), Gherda Fehrer (uncredited), Jacques Ferrier (uncredited), Helen Fondra (uncredited), Giovanni Fostini (uncredited), Sytske Galema (uncredited), Paul Gary (uncredited), Teresa Gauthier (uncredited), Sidney Gordon (uncredited), Otto Gross (uncredited), George Higgins (uncredited), Heinz Hindrich (uncredited), Edward Hitchcock (uncredited), John Horne (uncredited), Stephen House (uncredited), Adam Jennette (uncredited), G. Kabulska (uncredited), Kurt Klinger (uncredited), Nicola Konopleff (uncredited), Friedrich Lampe (uncredited), Diane Lante (uncredited), Princess Lilamani (uncredited), Luigi Locchi (uncredited), Mario Lucinni (uncredited), Luis Marino (uncredited), Richard McNamara (uncredited), Rabindranath Mitter (uncredited), Luigi Moneta (uncredited), Maurice Montabre (uncredited), Julio Moriones (uncredited), Richard Neuhaus (uncredited), Desiderio Nobile (uncredited), Giustino Olivieri (uncredited), Eric Oulton (uncredited), Piero Pastore (uncredited), Giacomo Penza (uncredited), Mimmo Poli (uncredited), Giuliano Raffaelli (uncredited), Dominique Rika (uncredited), Carlo Rizzo (uncredited), Piero Scanziani (uncredited), Gianna Segale (uncredited), Octave Senoret (uncredited), Sir Hari Singh (uncredited), Alcide Tico (uncredited), (uncredited), (uncredited), (uncredited), (uncredited), Amedeo Trilli (uncredited), Helen Tubbs (uncredited), Marco Tulli (uncredited), Joop van Hulzen (uncredited), Patricia Varner (uncredited), Dianora Veiga (uncredited), Cesare Viori (uncredited), Tania Weber (uncredited), Hank Werbe (uncredited), Catherine Wyler (uncredited) and Judy Wyler (uncredited)
Director: William Wyler
Producers: Lester Koenig (uncredited), Robert Wyler and William Wyler
Screenplay: Dalton Trumbo (story/screenplay) (originally uncredited), Ian McLellan Hunter (screenplay) and John Dighton (screenplay)
Composer: Georges Auric (music score)
Cinematography: Franz F. Planer, A.S.C. (Director of Photography) and Henri Alekan (Director of Photography) (Director of Photography)
Costume Design: Edith Head
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 1.0 Dolby TrueHD Mono Audio
German: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono Audio
Spanish [Castilian]: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono Audio
French: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono Audio
Italian: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono Audio
Japanese: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Chinese [Cantonese], Danish, German, Spanish [Castilian], French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese [Mandarin], Dutch, Norwegian, Chinese [Simplified], Finnish, Swedish and Thai
Running Time: 118 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ [1953] finds Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn of an undisclosed European country), has her whole life scheduled out for her and it seems Princess Ann has grown tired of it. While on a State visit to Rome she throws a fit causing her "handler" to give her a sleeping pill. However, instead of going to sleep, she sneaks out of the embassy to explore. Unfortunately, the pill suddenly kicks in and Ann falls asleep on a bench which is where Joe Bradley [Gregory Peck] finds her. Not knowing who Princess Ann was, and thinking the young lady was drunk, Joe Bradley takes her to his apartment to "sleep it off."
The next morning Joe Bradley goes to the office and lies to his boss about having been at a press conference with the princess until his boss tells him the press conference didn't happen because the princess was sick. Upon seeing a picture of Princess Ann, Joe Bradley realises the young lady was the same person who was currently asleep in his apartment. Returning home, Joe Bradley doesn't let on that he knows who Princess Ann is, and they spend the day together enjoying the sights of the city and falling in love. However, when the day ends so does Princess Ann's freedom and her relationship with Joe Bradley.
Audrey Hepburn's performance was excellent, and it is understandable why she was cast, as well as, why she received the Oscar. Audrey Hepburn had a certain grace and elegance about her which made her a believable princess also had a fun, frivolous side that allowed her to play a drunkard well. Peck was a terrific complement to Hepburn, and it is easy to see how they could fall in love almost instantly, which, in turn, made audiences fall in love with them. The supporting cast is very good as well, especially Eddie Albert who played Joe Bradley's photographer friend, Irving Radovich.
Among the comedy highlights are a satirical shot of the secret agents from the princess' country furtively getting off a plane, their parade-like formation and similarity in dress making them hilariously conspicuous; a riotous free-for-all at a dance, with the princess enthusiastically whacking away at all heads within sight; and a wild motor scooter ride through the streets of Rome.
Gregory Peck turns in another of his outstanding performances, playing the love-smitten reporter with intelligence and good-humoured conviction. Hartley Power scores effectively as their editor. Paolo Carlini is amusing as a romeo-like barber, and Tullio Carminati, Margaret Rawlings and Alberto Rizzo contribute to the laugh out loud moments.
The William Wyler production was shot entirely in Rome, with all the high quality associated with his name. Frank F. Planer and Henri Alekan do a fine lensing job of incorporating Roman landmarks into the story line. Georges Auric's music score gives us a definite mood contribution, and Robert Swink gets credit for his very fluid film editing.
Out of one of the most ancient premises in story-telling, that of a hopeless love between royalty and a commoner and Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton have created a delightful screenplay that sparkles with wit and outrageous humour that at times comes close to slapstick. As staged with artistic subtlety and tongue-in-cheek restraint by William Wyler, and definitely gives the film ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ something that adds up as rollicking fun that will be enjoyed by all types of audiences. But a word of warning, with the last 10 minutes of the film, you will need your Kleenex tissues at hand, as I found it a very emotional part of this beautiful film and especially the look you get between Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck and I have to admit to shedding a few tears at this highlight of this film.
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Blu-ray Image Quality – ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ has been remastered by Paramount Pictures that features a full 1080p High Definition presentation of the film in its original black-and-white format from a new 4K film transfer and featuring its original 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio. This newly remastered image presentation looks absolutely marvellous as a whole, especially considering all of the work that reportedly went into restoring this classic. Below is a quote from the initial press release about the transfer: In anticipation of this new Blu-ray release, the film was digitally restored using the Dupe Negative and a Fine Grain element to capture the best possible image. Every frame was reviewed, and the film received extensive clean up to remove thousands of scratches, bits of dirt, and other damage. Even with all of the work required, the end result is a smooth, sharp and downright gorgeous presentation that still retains plenty of grain, pops and other welcome artefacts representative of its film source. It holds up flawlessly even during the various darkly lit and somewhat fast moving sequences, never resulting in anything onscreen becoming negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is a fantastic high definition video presentation from Paramount Pictures that should absolutely thrill fans of this classic who have been anxiously awaiting its debut on Blu-ray.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ Blu-ray release brings you just one 1.0 Dolby TrueHD Mono Audio soundtrack that has been remastered from the original mono soundtrack. The audio presentation offers a really crisp, clean and nicely balanced presentation that sounds great every step of the way. It effortlessly balances all of the music, dialogue and other audio elements throughout without ever allowing any audio content that might be occurring simultaneously to conflict with another or allow any element within to become distorted or rendered inaudible. Overall, this 1.0 Dolby TrueHD Mono Audio TrueHD soundtrack shouldn’t have any trouble pleasing the fans as it constantly shines and delivers all of the film’s memorable music and quotes with the utmost quality. Because audio elements to properly up-mix to 5.1 do not exist, the original mono track was remastered, and minor anomalies were corrected. The result is a film returned to its original vibrancy and beauty that remains true to director William Wyler’s vision.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ [2020] [1080p] [1.37:1 / 1.78:1] [6:59] The esteemed historian chats amiably about the director William Wyler, Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and honours their contributions to the film, and also salutes Eddie Albert's sidekick portrayal, and reflects on the location shooting in Rome in this very nice breezy short special feature. Leonard Maltin also reveals about the idea with “Mouth of Truth” scene, where Gregory Peck is said to have got the idea of hiding his hand up his sleeve of his jacket from comedian Red Skelton and did not inform Audrey Hepburn what he was going to do, and the reaction we see from Audrey Hepburn thinking Gregory Peck had genuinely had his hand bitten off. Also we find out that William Wyler was the one that discovered Audrey Hepburn and gave her big break in the film ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY.’ Leonard Maltin also comments on ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ in saying, “William Wyler showed that he was not a one-note director when he took on this light-hearted subject matter, and saw it through to the finish line perfectly. You wouldn’t change a moment in this film.”
Special Feature: Behind The Gates: Costumes [2008] [1080p / 480i] [1.78:1 / 1.37:1] [5:31] This reverential special feature has Randall Thropp [Paramount Pictures Archivist], takes us through the area where they keep all of the original vintage costumes, as well as covering the work of costume designer Edith Head. Randall Thropp pulls out different costumes, and while showing them, informs us who wore the particular costume and what film they appeared in. They also restore these costumes to condition for exhibitions. As far as I could tell, none from ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ were featured, but some of the costumes we get to see that were worn by Audrey Hepburn in other films that this actress appeared in.
Special Feature: Rome With A Princess [2008] [1080p / 480i] [1.37:1 / 1.78:1] [8:57 Here we get to view all the famed Roman sites Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck visited in the film ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY,’ like the famous Trevi Fountain, Via Condotti, The Forum, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, and the “Mouth of Truth” that are celebrated in this very engaging and delightful travelogue feature.
Special Feature: Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years [2008] [1080p / 480i] [1.78:1 / 1.37:1] [29:55] This special feature is all about the six films Audrey Hepburn made for Paramount Pictures like ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY,’ ‘Sabrina,’ ‘War and Peace,’ ‘Funny Face,’ ‘Breakfast at Tiffany's’ and ‘Paris When It Sizzles’ that form the focus on this clip-filled enjoyable retrospective that also includes information about Audrey Hepburn's childhood, rise to stardom, and marriage to actor Mel Ferrer. Contributors include: Jonathan Kuntz [Film Professor], Stefanie Powers [Actress], Barry Paris [Author], A.C. Lyles [Producer], Pamela Keogh [Author] and Pat Crowley [Actress], Jeffrey Banks [Fashion Designer].
Special Feature: Dalton Trumbo: From A-List To BLACKLIST [2008] [480i / 1080p] [1.37:1 / 1.78:1] [11:55] Here we have a short tribute on the Oscar-winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo and chronicles his abuse at the hands of the House Un-American Activities Committee as well as other members of the Hollywood Ten, and hundreds of other professionals in the industry that were blacklisted by Hollywood and America’s fear of communism and how it affected his career, and addresses the climate of fear that gripped the film industry during the McCarthy witch-hunt, and notes how Dalton Trumbo's ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ screen credit has been restored to the film's title sequence. Dalton Trumbo was given public screen credit for both ‘Exodus’ and ‘Spartacus’ in 1960, and it marked the beginning of the end of the Hollywood Blacklist for Dalton Trumbo and other affected screenwriters. Contributors include: Allan Rich [Actor/Blacklisted in the 1950’s], Marsha Hunt [Actress/Blacklisted in the 1940’s], Jonathan Kuntz [UCLA Professor & Film Historian], Betty Garrett [Wife of Larry Parks/Blacklisted Actor], Nicholas Meyer [Novelist/Film Maker] and Jean Porter Dymytryk [Wife of Edward Dymytryk/Blacklisted Actor].
Special Feature: Paramount In The 50’s [2000] [480i] [1.37:1] [9:33] This Paramount Pictures promotional featurette pays tribute to the great Paramount Pictures films of the 1950’s, as the longest operating and only remaining major studio in Hollywood – from the advent of motion pictures, to the emergence of television, through the digital revolution. During our 100-year history, we have served as the production site for thousands of notable films including ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ ‘A Place in the Sun,’ ‘The Greatest Show on Earth,’ ‘Sabrina,’ ‘White Christmas,’ ‘To Catch a Thief,’ ‘The Ten Commandments’ and of course ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY.’
Special Feature: Remembering Audrey [2008] [1080p / 480i] [1.78:1 / 1.37:1] [12:12] Audrey Hepburn was born in Belgium and raised in the Netherlands during the German occupation in World War 2. Here Audrey Hepburn's son Sean Hepburn Ferrer and long-time companion Robert Wolders recall Audrey Hepburn's difficult childhood growing up in the Second World War and the lack of food that affected her health, also Audrey Hepburn had chronic insecurities, lack of affection and her long term friendship with fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy who Audrey Hepburn insisted that this fashion designer design all her clothes for every film Audrey Hepburn appeared in. We also get input from Egidio Fontana who is the designer of the “Audrey Bags,” and the project was created by Audrey Hepburn's family and all proceeds go to the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund. We also get to hear about her extensive charity work with UNICEF in this very moving beautiful heartfelt tribute to a truly wonderful actress Audrey Hepburn.
Theatrical Trailers: Here we get to view three individual Original Theatrical Trailers for the film ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ and they are as follows: Original Theatrical Teaser Trailer [1953] [1080i] [1.37:1] [1:48]; Original Theatrical Trailer [1953] [1080i] [1.37:1] [2:12] and Theatrical Re-Release Trailer [1953] [1080i] [1.37:1] [2:28].
Special Feature: Galleries: Here we get to view four individual image galleries and they are as follows:
PRODUCTION: Here we get to view 37 black-and-white publicity photographs of behind-the-scenes on the set of ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY.’
THE MOVIE: Here we get to view 44 black-and-white publicity photographs of for the film ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ mainly of the main actors that appeared in the film.
PUBLICITY: Here we get to view 13 black-and-white publicity photographs of the three main actors in the film ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ and they are Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Eddie Arnold.
THE PREMIERE: Here we get to view 8 black-and-white publicity photographs of the special benefit premiere of the William Wyler's film ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ at the Westwood Village cinema in Los Angeles and in attendance was Audrey Hepburn, Irving Berlin, William Wyler, Shirley Temple, John Agar, Paul Douglas, Jan Sterling, Fernados Lamas, Arlene Dahl, Esther William, Ben Gage [Esther William’ Husband] and Rhoda Fleming.
GALLERY INSTRUCTIONS: Use the right hand arrow key next to the ENTER button on your remote control to view all of the images in the four galleries. To get back to the galleries menu, highlight the GALLERIES wording and press ENTER button on your remote control.
Finally, this was William Wyler's first comedy film in almost 20 years proves a charming, laugh-provoking affair that often explodes into hilarity. With Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn turning in superb performances, ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ is 118 minutes of sheer glorious beautiful romantic entertainment. The critical acclaim and word-of-mouth praise for the film made it a box office bonanza smash hit. Not only was ‘ROMAN HOLIDAY’ Audrey Hepburn's first lead acting role, but it was also the first film shot completely on location in Rome in Italy. It was also ground-breaking back in 1953 showing off beautiful Italian scenery, incredible costumes, and a wonderful fun, light-hearted story. Having now viewed the film, I feel very much that this has become one of my all-time favourite Audrey Hepburn film. The marrying of a classic film, with the most up-to-date technology, makes this special Blu-ray release a must-have purchase for fans of this film. It is visually stunning for a sixty-five plus year-old film yet the story is timeless and sweet, and the acting is totally wonderful, especially with the brilliant actors Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, makes this package a must have for your Blu-ray collection. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
