Written by Ian McLellan Hunter and
Dalton Trumbo
Directed by William Wyler
This is the story of a runnaway princess who is found by a down-on-his
luck American newpaper man stuck in Rome. She is young and
beautiful, yet lives the scheduled, circumscribed life of a royal
who's the direct heir to her father. She's young enough to be
pushed and pulled along all for the benefit of her country's
image, and still unsure enough of herself to control what little
of her life she can.
She gets to Rome, plays the princess, then cracks at hearing her
next day's agenda (who wouldn't?). Throwing a tantrum (one gets
the feeling it's her last) she is given a sedative and 'tucked'
into bed. Instead, she gets up, hears the music of a dance, and
runs off for a few hours of freedom. The drug catches up with her,
however, and she crashes by a fountain in the center of a
district, where she's found by Peck.
Unable to get her address, he ends up taking her to his place and
letting her sleep there, still unaware of who she really is.
However, this changes by mid-morning, as he finds out about the
princess being indisposed (the palace story) and sees her picture
for the first time. Suddenly he sees his chance to get the story
of his life, and enough money to get himself back to America. He
begins to scheme to get the princess to stay with him, and what
follows are the first real adventures of her young, sheltered
life.
Of course, he falls for her (in love? hard to say), and she for
him (duh, who wouldn't?) and in the end gives up his pursuit of
the story as he realizes what the day really means to her, and
comes to genuinely care for her.
Peck is simply luscious as that slightly cynical, hard boiled
reporter who melts in the end. Hepburn is luminescent as the
young princess, in her first major role, and turns in an award
winning performance (Oscar, that is). She has such a charm and
grace in this film, she makes you believe she is truely royalty.
It's an aspect of her persona that always comes through in all
her films, that bone deep class and grace. Amazing, really.
For sheer romantic storytelling, with a dose of reality at the
end, this movie is hard to beat. Filmed entirely on location in
Rome, it has a spirit of Europe that captivates as much as
ensures the believability of the story itself. Another smashing
film made extra special by the beauty and style of both Peck and
Hepburn.
Btw, all three of these films were in black and white, and I must
say that I loved to watch them, and am more convinced than ever
that the medium is part of what makes these films so marvelous.
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