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AFI Movie Club: ROMAN HOLIDAY
ROMAN HOLIDAY is ranked #4 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Passions list of the greatest love stories of all time, and Audrey Hepburn is #3 on AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Stars list of the greatest American screen legends. And both Gregory Peck and director William Wyler were recipients of the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1989 and 1976, respectively.
Watch Hugh Grant announce the film:
Movie Trivia about ROMAN HOLIDAY
–DID YOU KNOW that ROMAN HOLIDAY was the first Hollywood film to be shot and processed entirely in Italy?
–DID YOU KNOW that ROMAN HOLIDAY was written by Dalton Trumbo, but he was not credited onscreen? Trumbo was blacklisted as one of the “Hollywood Ten,” so Ian McLellan Hunter “fronted” his name on the script. A Best Writing Academy Award® was posthumously restored to Trumbo in 1993.
–DID YOU KNOW that ROMAN HOLIDAY was initially a Frank Capra production? He planned for the film to star Cary Grant and Elizabeth Taylor but backed out when the budget topped Paramount’s ceiling of $1.5 million. William Wyler’s version surpassed $2 million!
–DID YOU KNOW that ROMAN HOLIDAY marked Audrey Hepburn’s American feature film debut? It was also her first and only Academy Award® win for Best Actress!
–DID YOU KNOW that ROMAN HOLIDAY earned more than $10 million upon its first release? That’s approximately $100 million today!
–DID YOU KNOW that ROMAN HOLIDAY won three of its 10 Academy Award® nominations, including Best Costume Design for famed designer Edith Head? Edith Head was nominated a total of 35 times for an Academy Award® holds a record eight Oscars® for Best Costume Design.
Learn more at the AFI Catalog.
The movie doesn’t end at the credits: Family-friendly Discussion Questions
Join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram now using #AFIMovieClub. Or post your responses in the comment section below.
-ROMAN HOLIDAY has been described as a Cinderella story in reverse. Can you describe references to the familiar fairytale, and how this story is told differently?
-Director William Wyler famously insisted on filming on location in Rome, effectively inflating the budget. Do you think ROMAN HOLIDAY would have been as successful if it had been shot on a Hollywood set?
-What did you think of the ending? Would you have chosen obligation over love? Do you think the story would have a different conclusion if made today?
-What are some other Audrey Hepburn films that you love?
-Why do you think ROMAN HOLIDAY is still so beloved after more than six decades?
-How would you rate ROMAN HOLIDAY?
Watch this exclusive AFI Archive clip of Vanessa Williams talking about the film:
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