Blu-ray Review: Roman Holiday (Paramount Presents Series)

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Release Date: September 15, 2020

 Region: Region A

Length: 01:58:10

Video: 1080P (MPEG-4, AVC)

Main Audio: English Mono Dolby TrueHD Audio

Alternate Audio: French Mono Dolby Digital Audio

Subtitles: English, English SDH, French

Ratio: 1.37:1

Notes: This “Paramount Presents” edition of Roman Holiday marks the film’s Blu-ray debut and also comes with a digital copy of the film.

Roman Holiday is one of those rare films that matures with the viewer. It becomes a part of anyone open to it. It is true that the film is notable as Audrey Hepburn’s first starring role, but to reduce it to this is to ignore so many other virtues. If she is the heart of the film, then the Rome locations are its soul. It was wildly uncommon for a Hollywood film to shoot on location but William Wyler understood that the film would suffer if he was forced to shoot it in the studio. The unlikely story had to be grounded in the gritty ancient streets of Rome.

One wonders if Cary Grant had any regrets about turning down the role of Joe Bradley as he would have been perfect casting. Imagine the scene at the sidewalk café where Bradley (Gregory Peck) tries to keep Irving Radovich (Eddie Albert) from ruining his subterfuge as played by Cary Grant! He would have been excellent in the role, but Peck certainly handles the material admirably, and his performance allows Hepburn to shine. In fact, the actor seems to have felt Hepburn’s powerful screen presence because he insisted that her name should be credited above the title next to his in marketing materials. This was a shrewd and incredibly gracious request on his part as it is obvious from her first moments in the film that this amazing lady is a star of the first caliber. It’s virtually impossible not to love her.

Roman Holiday was as successful during its original run in theaters as it is with modern audiences. It earned ten Academy Award® nominations: Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Story, Best Cinematography (Black and White), Best Art Direction (Black and White), Best Film Editing, and Best Costume Design (Black and White). Audrey Hepburn took home the award for Best Actress while Ian McLellan Hunter was awarded the statue for Best Story (although it really belonged to Dalton Trumbo). Meanwhile, Edith Head would collect one of her eight Oscars for her costume design on the film. The American Film Institute ranked the classic as the #4 greatest love story of all time.

Roman Holiday appeals to anyone who has ever wanted to break free from the chains of their circumstance, to anyone who has ever felt the bittersweet sting of a brief but life-altering connection with someone, and to anyone who wishes that they could have such an experience. The subtle ending is as heart breaching as it is sensitive and subtle. It leaves us happy and heartsick at the same time. To write it off as a frivolous romantic comedy would do it a huge injustice. This is a terrific film that stands amongst Wyler’s best efforts, and it is one of Audrey Hepburn’s best performances.

The Presentation:

 4 of 5 Stars

This limited-edition is a part of a new series entitled “Paramount Presents,” and one of the primary selling points is the packaging. The disc is protected by a clear Amaray Blu-ray case that features a dual sided sleeve so that one can see film related cover artwork as well as interior art when one opens the case. The case itself is protected by a slip sleeve with the same cover design that opens to showcase the film’s re-release one sheet design. It’s all very nice, but one does wonder why the original one sheet wasn’t used for the foldout.

The static menu features a very simple pop-art rendition of Princess Ann and Joe Bradley on the Vespa taking a joyride. It is attractive enough and intuitive to navigate.

Picture Quality:

 4.5 of 5 Stars

Paramount’s 4K restorations aren’t always wonderful. It’s a Wonderful Life received a brilliant 4K restoration when one considers what they were up against, but other titles like To Catch a Thief have an unfortunate waxy appearance do to overzealous DNR. They also tend to crop the image rather drastically in some of their transfers. We are happy to announce that their restoration of Roman Holiday looks very nice indeed.

This video about the restoration may be of interest:

A Paramount press release also detailed the restoration process rather admirably:

“The original negative was processed at a local film lab in Rome and was unfortunately badly scratched and damaged.  The film had to be pieced back together, but the splices were so weak due to the damage that extensive amounts of tape had to be used to allow the negative to make it through a printing machine.  Because of the fragile state of the negative, a Dupe Negative was made and then blown up a few thousandths of an inch to cover all the splice tape that held the original negative together.

In anticipation of this new Blu-ray release, the film was digitally restored using the Dupe Negative and a Fine Grain element to capture the best possible image.  Every frame was reviewed, and the film received extensive clean up to remove thousands of scratches, bits of dirt, and other damage… The result is a film returned to its original vibrancy and beauty that remains true to director William Wyler’s vision.” –Paramount Press Release

Their work has given new life to a film that deserves to live forever. This is a surprisingly attractive image for a film released in 1953. Everything here impresses the eye. One will notice fine detail that has never before been evident on home video. Contrast has been handled skillfully as blacks are rich but don’t seem to crush pertinent detail. Grain is evident but looks fairly healthy (which is wonderful to see). This is a truly lovely transfer.

Sound Quality:

 4.5 of 5 Stars

“…Because audio elements to properly up-mix to 5.1 do not exist, the original mono track was remastered, and minor anomalies were corrected…” –Paramount Press Release

Frankly, this reviewer prefers a lossless representation of a film’s original theatrical mix to a recreated 5.1 version of the film’s soundtrack. It’s true that the original mono track isn’t as dynamic or as robust as a proper 5.1 re-mix, but this does represent the film as it sounded at the time of its theatrical release. This seems more important. Dialogue is clean and clear despite the limited dynamic range. The film’s music sounds much better than it ever did on DVD but does occasionally feel boxed in by the mono mix. This is to be expected and is not an issue with the transfer but rather an honest presentation of the original sound elements. If the track has a flaw, it is that one can hear some minor hissing if they happen to be listening for it. It isn’t distracting in any way, and many viewers probably won’t even notice it. Fans should really be quite pleased.

Special Features:

3 of 5 Stars

Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on Roman Holiday – (06:59)

The new addition to this disc is Leonard Maltin’s informative appreciation of Roman Holiday. It is much too brief to provide a comprehensive overview of the production, but it is a nice addition to the disc as it manages to offer at least a view interesting pieces of trivia.

Rome with a Princess – (08:57)

Rome with a Princes discusses the various locations featured in the film and one is allowed to see newer location photography and compare it with scenes in the movie. It’s an interesting addition to the disc and made me want to visit Rome. However, there isn’t much here that is revelatory.

Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years – (29:55)

Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years may very well be the most in-depth supplement on the disc. It discusses the half-dozen films that she made at Paramount and discusses her personal life and these productions in very broad and general terms. Films covered include Roman Holiday, Sabrina, War and Peace, Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Paris When it Sizzles. 

Remembering Audrey – (12:12)

Remembering Audrey almost feels like a memorial service in some ways. It is wonderful hearing her son and close friends discuss Hepburn on a slightly more personal level. Unfortunately, it is too short and hardly scratches the surface of the subject.

Dalton Trumbo: From A-List to Blacklist – (11:55)

This is one of the more interesting short featurettes on the disc as Dalton Trumbo is an interesting subject. It is wonderful to see that Paramount is honoring his work on the screenplay in this manner since he was not able to receive credit when the film was originally released. The trouble is that we aren’t given a more comprehensive look at the man’s life and work. This is a subject that really deserves a more thorough examination.

Paramount in the 50’s – (09:33)

Unfortunately, this particular featurette plays like an extended commercial for Paramount Pictures. It really does feel like a publicity reel that screams, “look at all the terrific films that we have made throughout the years!” It’s nice to see footage from some terrific 1950s classics, but the reel is short on pertinent information and falls short of some of the other featurettes included here.

Behind the Gates: Costumes – (05:31)

Randall Thropp (Paramount’s Costume Archivist) discusses Paramount’s costume department as he displays a number of vintage costumes from the studio vaults. It is wonderful to see glimpses of these costumes, but this is another featurette that occasionally plays like a promo reel for Paramount.

Trailer Gallery:

Theatrical Teaser – (01:48)

Theatrical Trailer – (02:12)

Theatrical Re-release Trailer – (02:28)

It is wonderful to have these three vintage trailers included on the disc. As a matter of fact, we are allowed to see footage from Hepburn’s screen test in the original teaser for the film.

Four Photo Galleries: 

Production

The Movie

Publicity

The Premiere

These slideshows allow the viewer to scroll through these images at their own pace, and there are some very worthwhile photographs scattered throughout the four sections.

Missing Supplements

Those who own Roman Holiday on DVD would be wise to hold on to their old discs. Most of the supplements from previous editions of Roman Holiday are here in all of their glory, but the most important supplement — Remembering ‘Roman Holiday’ — has not been carried over to this Blu-ray edition. This was an extremely careless oversight because the twenty-six minute look at the production was both charming and instructive. It also includes some very nice footage from Hepburn’s screen test for Roman Holiday that never appears on this Blu-ray disc.

Also missing is Edith Head: The Paramount Years. This fourteen minute look at the costume designer’s contribution to a number of important Paramount films has appeared on quite a few other releases throughout the years, so this seems like a slightly less problematic oversight. One imagines that a great many collectors probably have it on some other Blu-ray currently sitting on their shelves.

Finally, Restoring ‘Roman Holiday’ doesn’t really count as an oversight because this seven minute featurette discusses a previous restoration of the film and not the one included on this disc.

Final Words:

Roman Holiday exudes a charm that goes beyond Audrey Hepburn’s performance. This is one of those classics that hits all of the right notes on the way to its perfect bittersweet ending. We are happy to announce that Paramount’s Blu-ray transfer of their 4K restoration is a winner, and this “limited edition” disc is essential for cinephiles. Highly Recommended.

Note: While we were provided with a screener for review purposes, this had no bearing on our opinions. We do not feel under any obligation to hand out positive reviews. All screenshots and poster images are the property of Paramount Pictures.