My Favorite William Wyler Film

It was a challenge to pick a director this month, because I kept coming up with choices I wasn't sure I'd seen quite enough from to say anything definitive about yet. And then there was William Wyler, who has made a lot of films I haven't seen, but going over his filmography, I was surprised at how much of his work that I was familiar with. I knew and loved many of his pictures, but I had never quite gotten my head around the fact that they had all been directed by the same person - "Wuthering Heights" with Lawrence Olivier, "The Heiress" with Olivia De Havilland, "The Best Years of Our Lives," "Ben-Hur," "Funny Girl," "The Children's Hour," "Mrs. Miniver," and my favorite, "Roman Holiday."

"Roman Holiday" is a fairy tale about a beautiful princess who runs away from her life of privilege. In some ways it is very modern and cynical. Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn), exhausted from a long tour of Europe, skips out on her entourage during their stop in Rome. An American reporter, Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), recognizes Anne after she stumbles into his apartment. Hot for an exclusive, he and his photographer pal Irving (Eddie Albert) play tour guide for the incognito princess, taking her sightseeing all over Rome, while never letting on that they know who she is. Of course in some ways, "Roman Holiday" is very old fashioned, as the princess and the reporter fall in love, despite knowing they can never be together.

We have "Roman Holiday" to thank for the existence of a hundred inferior imitators, for setting the requirement that every American-made romantic comedy that takes place in Rome must have a scene with characters racing about the city on a scooter, just as "La Dolce Vita" popularized drunken dips in the Trevi Fountain. It's easy to forget the fun and spontaneity of that first scooter ride, though, the joy of playing hooky from responsible life for one, perfect day. Here we must mention blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo, whose credit as the film's screenwriter was finally restored last year. Because once upon a time, those tired old plot devices about keeping up flimsy deceptions, and choosing between the money and the girl, were perfectly appropriate for the story being told. And the instant make-over of the leading lady with one simple haircut? I wonder if anyone but Audrey Hepburn could have pulled that off to such delightful effect.

Way back in 1953, this was America's first introduction to Audrey Hepburn. She was lovely and charming in the film, but over multiple viewings, I'm always a little startled by how wonderfully funny she is. The early slapstick scenes in Joe's apartment, her ability to banter and tease, and the pure silliness of her participation in the boat brawl prove her strong comedic skills. However, she always keeps that fairy-tale aura, and it's her glowing presence that makes "Roman Holiday" work so well as a modern-day fantasy. Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert are great to watch, especially the gag Peck pulls with the famous Mouth of Truth, but it's Hepburn's girlish wonderment and impetuousness that come across so strong, it's easy to get swept away with her on the adventure.

I'm supposed to be writing this entry for William Wyler, though, so let's talk about the production. Wyler fought to make the film on location in Rome. Then he went considerably over budget to give the film the impressive scope and the grandeur to capture the city's immensity, cementing it as a romantic European travel destination for decades to come. It's hard not to see "Roman Holiday" as a ramp-up to "Ben-Hur," a massive production that would go down in history as one of the most grandiose and expensive Hollywood pictures ever made. I certainly admire "Ben-Hur," but it's not an easy watch and often suffers under the weight of its own spectacle.

"Roman Holiday," by contrast, is a breeze of a picture, a film that hardly even feels like it's trying. There are nods to famous landmarks, but no didactic history lessons. The romance is tender and heart-rending, but plenty of room is reserved for the laughs. This was Wyler's first comedy in nearly twenty years, and it feels like the director having his own holiday with the lighter, feel-good material after a glut of melodramas and war pictures. And he brings to it all the same care and craftsmanship as he brought to his more serious, more "important" productions. So I can't think of another film more emblematic of Wyler's versatility and ambition.

You might guess that this is another nostalgia pick, but that's not the case here at all. Despite being a fan of Audrey Hepburn from an early age, I didn't see "Roman Holiday" until I was in college. By that point I had heard so much about the film, had grown up seeing clips and references and homages so many times, I was convinced I couldn't experience the movie with a clean slate. Surely, it could never live up to my expectations.

It ended up surpassing them completely.
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What I've Seen - William Wyler

Dodsworth (1936)

Dead End (1937)
Jezebel (1938)
Wuthering Heights (1939)

The Letter (1940)
The Little Foxes (1941)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Heiress (1949)

Detective Story (1951)
Roman Holiday (1953)

Friendly Persuasion (1956)

The Big Country (1958)
Ben-Hur (1959)
The Children's Hour (1961)
The Collector (1965)
How to Steal a Million (1966)
Funny Girl (1968)

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