Roman Holiday(1953)
Roman Holiday is a romantic comedy that was released in 1953. Its director is William Wyler. Roman Holiday tells the story of European princess Ann who was unable to sleep due to a headache caused by a long work schedule, and after her doctor gave her a sleeping tranquilizer, she secretly ran out of the embassy and met Joe Bradley on the streets of Rome. Spent a day. At first, Bradley didn't know that this girl who was dressed richly and knowledgeably but was lying on the street sleeping was a European princess Ann. Until he saw the newspaper, he began to plan an exclusive interview about princess Ann. Ann did not tell Bradley his true identity. During the day spent on the streets of Rome, Bradley accompanied Ann to do what she wanted to do. Finally, Princess Ann returned to the embassy, and Bradley met her again as a reporter.
Film stock: The entire movie is a black and white scene. In 1953, the shooting of color films may require a lot of money. According to Eric (2016), William Wyler could only choose black and white shooting to cut his budget because of insufficient budget, even though Wyler had planned to make the film in color before shooting. In addition, I think the whole film is fine grain. It can be seen from every lens of the movie that the picture is very delicate and the picture quality is very good. I can look at the close-ups of the characters - for example, Princess Ann's last shot was when she turned and smiled at all the people in the media field at the press conference.
This is a medium shot which could make the audience pay more attention to the face and expressions of princess Ann. This shot can clearly show that it is fine grain, because it allows the audience to see the face of the actor very clearly.
As for the Actors, Audrey Hepburn is the actor of Princess Ann, her acting skills are very good. According to Eric(2016), Willam Wyler thought she was very suitable for the role of princess Ann when watching her audition, so the director also delayed the shooting date in order to wait for Audrey Hepburn. I really like her two acting skills at the beginning and the end of the film. The beginning of the movie was to introduce princess Ann's busy work schedule every day. Even though she was very tired and took off her high heels when greeting her, on the surface, she was still elegant and beautiful. After all, as a princess, she needs to pay attention to her own image. I feel from this paragraph that this situation is so funny and sympathetic. In the last segment, I was very shocked by Audrey's acting skills. After answering everyone's questions, she proposed to get to know the friends in the media industry in the audience. In the content of this paragraph, she simply shook hands with everyone one by one, but I felt some expectations, joy and dismay from her expression and eyes. Even though she has a lot of feelings, she did not say it, because she must maintain her image. I think this is why Audrey Hepburn has won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, Academy Award for Best Actress and BAFTA Award for Best British Actress. Her acting skills are really good, this is a fact recognized by the world.
At the same time, the costume of this film is also designed with ulterior motives. When she faced everyone as the princess Ann, her dress was very generous and decent. As a princess, she needs to dress appropriately. From the lens, we can see that her strapless dress is equipped with a belt and badge. She also needs to wear high heels. In addition, the right earrings, necklaces, and crown jewelry on the hair are not exaggerated at all. In order to reflect her identity, she also put her hair on her head. The skirt at the end of the press conference is also very elegant. With unique headwear and necklaces, Princess Ann's feminine elegance is fully exuded. And when Ann ran out of the embassy, she was wearing more casual clothes and skirts, draped in hair and flat shoes. From other shots in the film, it can be seen that this style is a popular look among girls in that era. When she wandered the streets of Rome, she was curious about everything she saw and wandered around. This kind of plot reflects princess Ann's desire for daily life because she usually cannot do these things. More, she cut her own hair on her own initiative. After cutting her hair, Ann is so playful and lively that I think she is such a young and energetic girl. The costume designer Edith Head of this show also won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
As for the Set design, different scenes are set with different content. For example, in the embassy, Princess Ann’s bedroom is very gorgeous-she has a big bed, some gorgeous decorations at the head of the bed, sculptures and murals on the ceiling, and the decorations such as doors and curtains are very beautiful. Gorgeous. In Bradley's house, I saw a very small single bed and a very small living space, and there was no kitchen in his room. When Princess Ann woke up and saw that there were no murals on the ceiling and the water heater, she was also very shocked. This shows that Bradley's life is very frugal or poor compared to the life of Princess Ann. For the Location, this film was shot in Rome, and I think the director shot the Italian style street scene very well.
For the Shot blocking and camera placement, the director also used many shooting methods. For example, a high-angle shot of princess Ann leaving from Bradley's residence and princess Ann walking to the hot spring while walking around.
The director also used pan right to film the car that came to pick up the princess. More, dolly in is also used in the plot when the princess intends to stretch her hand into the hole that will bite her hand. The composition of the whole movie is also very interesting. The director only shoots scenes of others and scenes with no one (after Princess Ann left Bradley's car, Bradley watched where Ann walked for a long time). I think this movie is very classic. It shows the streetscape of Italy and the style of street people in that era. It also tells the story that although Princess Ann wants to escape from the busy daily life, she also knows that she has a responsibility.
I really enjoy this movie.
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