William Wyler, a director eternally defeated by his own obsessive craftsmanship, poaches on the turf of Lubitsch and Wilder for this 1953 feature. Audrey Hepburn, very young and very beautiful, is a princess traveling incognito; stodgy Gregory Peck is a newspaperman who can’t decide whether to love her or exploit her. Wyler lays out all the elements with care and precision, but the romantic comedy never comes together—it’s charm by computer.
Roman Holiday
NR • 1 hour 59 min • 1953