Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWilliam Wyler
Screenplay by
Story byDalton Trumbo
Produced byWilliam Wyler
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byRobert Swink
Music by
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • August 20, 1953 (1953-08-20) (Venice)
  • August 27, 1953 (1953-08-27) (USA)
Running time
118 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Italian
Budget$1.5 million
Box office$12 million

Roman Holiday is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance; the film also won the Academy Award for Best Story and the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

The script was written by Dalton Trumbo and John Dighton, though with Trumbo on the Hollywood blacklist, he did not receive a credit, and Ian McLellan Hunter fronted for him. Trumbo's name was reinstated when the film was released on DVD in 2003, and on December 19, 2011, full credit for Trumbo's work was restored. Blacklisted director Bernard Vorhaus worked on the film as an assistant director under a pseudonym.

The film was shot at the Cinecittà studios and on location around Rome during the "Hollywood on the Tiber" era. The film opened the 14th Venice International Film Festival within the official program.

In 1999, Roman Holiday was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film has been considered one of the most romantic films in cinema history.