William Wyler
Roman Holiday

The history of mankind is full of ups and downs, and the famous principle whereby once you've hit rock bottom, you can only rise is quite correct if we apply it to the first half of the twentieth century.
Soon after the end of World War II, a wind of strong changes blows in the Western world, and there is above all a great desire to live again, to love, to enjoy every moment of life in a more carefree way. Cinema contributes to all this by ushering in its most prolific season, the era of comedies, of great directors, screenwriters, and actors who will mark this art forever. When screenwriter Donald Trumbo, under a pseudonym since he was a communist sympathizer, proposes the screenplay for "Roman Holiday" to Paramount Pictures, many immediately believe in the potential of the story. However, the problem is finding the right production cast to make it happen.
Initially, the direction is entrusted to Frank Capra, who, upon discovering that the plot is the work of the communist Trumbo, withdraws and leaves the reins of the film to William Wyler, a well-seasoned director and Oscar winner, although he has never made a comedy. The choice turned out to be the right one; Wyler decides that the film must be shot entirely on location in Rome, a revolutionary idea for the time. For the cast, he opts for Elizabeth Taylor and Cary Grant; however, both refuse their respective roles of Princess Anna and journalist Joe Bradley. The production then settles on Gregory Peck and a young and unknown European actress, Audrey Kathleen Roston Hepburn, the "Gigi" of Colette's musical in the theatrical version. This brief history might seem a bit dull, but it is useful to understand the reason behind the success of a film probably born to be made in some Hollywood studio without great expectations but instead quickly became one of the greatest masterpieces of cinema, a jewel that still today, after more than fifty years, captivates audiences of all ages.

The story is very simple: a young princess escapes her royal duties to spend two days as a common girl of her age in the streets of Rome. The key to its success, however, lies in a combination of many factors. Certainly, the plot type is very engaging for the less demanding public, but Wyler's ability to turn this simplicity into a film that entertains and moves is the secret of its impact on the audience. "Roman Holiday" is, in fact, a skillful mix of romance and irony that will influence such comedies in the future, the famous "Mouth of Truth" scene in which Joe Bradley (Peck) scares (a reality that happened, as the scene was never repeated) a poor Princess Anna (Hepburn) by showing her his apparently amputated hand has entered all our hearts and is just one of the many insights of a screenplay rendered on film in a sublime way.
From a technical point of view, the choice of black and white proves successful; watch the scenes of the kiss on the banks of the Tiber, and you will immediately fall in love with the play of lights and the wet face of Hepburn waiting to receive the kiss from Peck; shooting on location wasn't a simple task back then, especially on roads traveled by few cars and many carts, bicycles, and scooters. The Vespa sequences around Rome with Joe and Anna breaking all the traffic rules acquire great value and are imprinted in the collective imagination as symbols of the 1950s and a period when life was slowly resuming its place.

So, a fundamental film, of great significance for the social history of the twentieth century, just think that Audrey Hepburn immediately became a trendsetter; she isn't yet wearing Givenchy's clothes, which will happen only from "Sabrina" onwards, but her short hair and masculine look quickly spread among girls of the old continent. There is much to reflect on regarding the ending, but it's better not to reveal it. One consideration, though, must be made about Hepburn, who, in her first leading role, wins the Oscar and goes on to magically mark the rest of the century, first with her characters in wonderful films ("Sabrina", "Funny Face", "Breakfast At Tiffany's", "My Fair Lady", "Two For The Road", "Wait Until Dark" to name a few) and then by dedicating her smile and life to UNICEF, a woman who will become an eternal symbol of moral strength, an elegant soul born out of the destruction and pain of the Second World War, a very important figure for us Europeans.