Time may wither beauty and extinguish life, but it cannot dim the radiance of a classic.
The first time I watched “Roman Holiday,” I was deeply moved, but it’s only now that I understand why its brilliance has endured for 67 years…
A Serendipitous Encounter
“Roman Holiday,” a romantic comedy filmed by Paramount Pictures in 1953, tells the story of Princess Anne, who, after falling asleep on the streets of Rome, is taken in by Joe, a kind-hearted reporter. Upon discovering her identity, Joe sees an opportunity for an “exclusive interview” and “secret photos,” leading to a day-long adventure through Rome.
The film portrays a romantic yet bittersweet encounter with an idealistic touch.
Set in Rome during the last century, the protagonists are the noble Princess Anne and Joe, a common journalist.
The gap in their social status and their serendipitous meeting create a romantic atmosphere from the very beginning, drawing the audience into a hazy and beautiful world.
The film avoids dramatic separations and melodramatic plots.
Instead, it focuses on the emotional connection between the two characters during a simple and beautiful encounter, exploring love and freedom in a pure and profound way.
The first half of the film is gentle and romantic, while the second half is brutally realistic. This stark contrast places the film at the intersection of fantasy and reality, making it thought-provoking.
The Confined Love of Freedom: A Choice Made Without Choice
The ending of the film has saddened countless fans, as Princess Anne returns to the palace and is forced to separate from the reporter she has fallen in love with.
Some argue that the difference in their social classes is too great, and that she would not give up her royal life for a reporter, making the encounter destined for tragedy.
But as Oscar Wilde said, “Love is not a transaction in the marketplace, nor a weight on the scales of merchants.”
Princess Anne was born into royalty and has lived a life of luxury since childhood. She would never abandon her feelings for money.
The answer lies in the final scene of the film, where the butler looks at the returning Princess Anne and asks, “Your Highness, how am I to explain this to the King? Have you forgotten your responsibilities as a princess?”
Her title has given her so much, but it has also taken away so much. Therefore, I believe it is not that she doesn’t want to, but that she cannot.
It is not that she does not choose Joe, the reporter she loves, but that she must dedicate her life to her country, without the freedom to choose her own love, unable to be with Joe…
A Freedom Experience Pass: The Value of What You’ve Never Had
While this film is loved by many, it is also questioned by many. Some find the story cliché and unoriginal. Indeed, in our eyes, what Anne experiences in this one day is nothing more than ordinary things in life, but for her, it is extraordinary.
As seen in a scene in the first half of the film, Anne reviews her schedule for the next day with the butler before going to bed, memorizing the answers to reporters’ questions. As a princess, she cannot decide her own words and actions, and even her smiles in public must be planned in advance. Perhaps it is these trivial things that happen during this one day of freedom that are so desirable and unattainable for Princess Anne, who has lived in a royal cage since childhood.
For her, casually cutting her hair, eating ice cream, and smiling freely may only exist in her dreams.
Escaping the palace and experiencing ordinary things, she is like a canary breaking free from its cage, seeing the complete sky for the first time and breathing the air of nature. Her “overreaction” to the scenery of Rome stems from the fact that she has never enjoyed beauty on her own. It is because she has never had freedom that she knows how to cherish it. Many may think that Princess Anne was born into royalty and does not have to worry about food and drink, so freedom is not so important.
In this society, everything seems to be priced, and everyone envies the princess’s wealth and glory, but who has seen her loneliness and solitude for thousands of days and nights?
I think that instead of longing to be born noble, it is better to cherish the freedom to change your hairstyle at will, the freedom to smile at will, and the freedom to control your own life. Cherish freedom and be grateful that you were born free.
The deep and tender love between the two cannot be concealed by 67 years of trials, nor can a heart that yearns for freedom be sealed. Shakespeare once wrote: “Liberty is the spirit wholly composed of fire, so that I am persuaded it will not be heavy, but will be always upwards.”
Over the years, discussions about this film have always been limited to the sincere love between the protagonists, always ignoring the deeper things in the film - the desire and call for freedom. In this materialistic era, there are too many involuntary things. Perhaps we cannot ignore money and fame, but in the end, we still have the right to choose our own lives.
So instead of being in pain and regret day and night, it is better to cherish the sincere emotions around you, cherish freedom, and cherish everything in the present, because they may be fleeting…