Audrey Hepburn plays the heir of an unnamed European country who stumbles into a romance with American reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck, showing deft comic timing). Though he pretends not to recognize her in order to get an exclusive story, he soon finds his heart melting. And why not, with Hepburn in the lead? Roman Holiday launched her career with a Best Actress Oscar, and every trait that would come to define one of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses is on display here. As Princess Ann, Hepburn is at once regal and approachable. Her fine features seem to have been hand-drawn with the greatest of care, yet she also has the playful manner of a tomboy. Director William Wyler must have recognized this irresistible dichotomy from the outset, lavishing Hepburn with close-ups but also sneaking a shot of the fidgety princess slipping her feet out of her shoes beneath her ornate dress. (For much of the rest of the film, Hepburn wears Peck’s clothes and instantaneously makes men’s pajamas fashionably feminine.)
