Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday is a 1953 romantic comedy film which tells the story of Princess Ann, a young royal who runs away during a state visit to Rome and befriends Joe Bradley, a cynical expatriate American reporter who first just wants an exclusive story about a princess gone AWOL but finds himself falling in love with her. The film is also known for its Vespa footage, much praised by classic scooter enthusiasts the world over.

Plot

Princess Ann is a royal princess and heir to the throne of an unnamed country. She is officially touring several European capitals, and so arrives in Rome, where her visit is widely publicized. One night, she is very agitated and expresses her tiredness of her official role. The court doctor gives her an injection in order to calm her down, but she nevertheless secretly leaves her country's embassy in Rome and goes out alone to explore the city. She ends up falling asleep on a public bench where Joe Bradley, an expatriate American reporter, sees her but does not recognize her. He offers her money so that she can take a taxi and return home safely, but Anya Smith, as she introduces herself, is so sleepy that she is unable to talk to the taxi driver. Bradley finally decides to take her to his apartment so that she can spend the night in a safe place. The next morning, Bradley leaves the sleeping woman alone and arrives late at his office where his boss asks him if he has conducted the scheduled interview of the princess during the morning. Bradley first lies and gives details of the alleged interview until his boss announces to him that the princess has suddenly fallen ill and has cancelled all interviews. He then shows a picture of her to Bradley, who suddenly recognizes the young woman whom he left sleeping in his apartment...

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