Budapest Classic Film Marathon: Roman Holiday

Director: William Wyler

Screenplay by Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton
Director of photography: Henri Alekan, Franz Planer
Music by Georges Auric
Cast: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert

Hollywood legends: Adolph Zukor and Paramount 

Introduction: Péter Muszatics, film historian

Roman Holiday. Well, it is actually a fairy tale. More accurately, a modern version of Sleeping Beauty in which a truly fairylike actress genuinely from the upper class makes an appearance, the infinitely charming Audrey Hepburn who was still learning the ropes, and the superstar of the day, Gregory Peck, who plays a newsman. The third protagonist is Rome itself, the Eternal City that had not yet been swamped by tourists. This was one of the first Hollywood movies to be shot on location; this is not stage Rome but the real thing. It made famous the Bocca della Verità (the Mouth of Truth), the Spanish Steps, Rome’s caffè houses and last but not least, the romantic comedy genre.