Stars: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Doris Nolan, Lew Ayres, Edward Everett Horton, Henry Kolker, Binnie Barnes, Jean Dixon, Henry Daniell, Charles Trowbridge

Director: George Cukor

Summary: Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant team up in this classic George Cukor comedy about love that finally finds its mark. Johnny (Grant) has just met the girl of his dreams, so he proposes; she happily accepts. However, he soon discovers that his lovely bride-to-be, Julia (Doris Nolan), comes from a wealthy Park Avenue family, with a father who likes to make all the decisions and to whom she seems incapable of defying. Her unconventional sister, Linda (Hepburn), knows she wants something different from a mapped-out life; she also discovers she's falling in love with Johnny. Grant's effervescent performance is timeless, and his onscreen chemistry with Hepburn electric. Based on the 1928 play by Philip Barry, and the second time the story was adapted to the screen, this version established the rules for intelligent romantic comedies and provided a template from which the deft Cukor could further expand.

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The three-way combination of ingénue Audrey Hepburn, admirable Gregory Peck and the Eternal City itself guarantees that Roman Holiday(1953) still knocks the socks off any modern rom-com you might care to name. Add to this stellar triumvirate the meticulous, loving direction of William Wyler and a warm-hearted original story by Dalton Trumbo (blacklisted and uncredited at the time) and the result is assuredly one of Hollywood's timeless classics.

At the leading man's own suggestion, newcomer Hepburn was generously accorded equal above-the-title billing with Peck: he knew that the film belonged to her anyway and wasn't one to stand on ceremony. As the princess who chafes at stuffy responsibility Hepburn's appealing girlishness is suffused with a will and wilfulness that rubs delightfully against Peck's more earnest mannerisms (even playing light-hearted comedy, he's still Atticus Finch at heart). The then-unusual decision to shoot entirely on location provides the movie with its glorious travelogue backdrop, and stalwart character-actor Eddie Albert is a fine foil for the two leads. Although Wyler is best known now for the grander vistas of The Big Countryand Ben-Hur, none of his epics have as much heart as this.

On the DVD:Roman Holidaycomes to DVD in a good digitally restored print--in itself a powerful reason to acquire the movie on disc. Sound is clean Dolby mono. Extras include a brief piece on the film restoration process, and a short documentary about costume designer Edith Head, which isn't specifically about this movie. The 25-minute making-of featurette has recent and archive interviews with cast members, including Peck and Eddie Albert, as well as William Wyler's daughter, plus Hepburn's screen test footage. Still-photo galleries and trailers complete a pleasant selection. --Mark Walker

Aspect Ratio:	1.33 Full Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Featurette - 1., Audio Commentary - 1. Jim Bob Billy Ray - Director, Deleted Scenes, Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical, Scene Selection, Interactive Menus, Production Notes, Biographies - 1. Cast & Crew
Subtitles:	Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish
Year:	1938
Release Date:	March 6, 2006
Runtime:	91 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C 823 581 9
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Holiday, Romantic, Drama
Genre:	Drama