Princess Ann of *mumbles in European* is visiting Rome on a state visit where Ann's royal obligations have driven her mad. She is given a sedative to calm down but before it kicks in, she secretly escapes from her country’s embassy. Plain looking, drugged, and on the streets, she happens upon reporter Joe Bradley who reluctantly gives her a safe place to stay for the night. The next day, Joe finally realizes who she is and, sensing she’s trying to get a ground-level taste of Rome, he hosts her around the city for a romantic, fun-filled day. All the meanwhile, Joe intends to write a detailed expose on the royal. But, life is life, and Joe finds himself increasingly falling in love with her. He is faced with a decision—cash in and violate the trust of a woman he will never see again or yield to his heart, his better self.
This movie is charming and works on so many levels. Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck are two of the most delightful, beautiful actors to grace any romantic comedy. As I watched, I kept thinking that Peck would have made a great Superman (after all the personal trainers were done with him); he’s kind of already playing Clark Kent in this film. And while I was initially bored with Princess Ann’s now-unoriginal “lucky bird in a gilded cage” routine, Hepburn’s unreal beauty, fish-out-of-water antics, and sense of wonder melted my heart. I felt tension in her vulnerability and reveled in her newfound power at the film’s end. And then there’s Rome. Filmed entirely in and around actual ‘50s Rome, the film has captured the city at its most endearing.
The script, co-penned by Dalton Trumbo, plays a great deal with truth, vulnerability, and the violation of trust and self. The first act meeting between Joe and Ann sort of sets up the whole plot: when a drugged, amiable, and flirtatious Ann stumbles into Joe’s world, he goes out of his way to not take advantage of her, sexually. But when he realizes who she is and begins spending the day with her, he is fully prepared to take advantage of her, financially. The whole film sort of plays as metaphor for predatory dating, with Irving (a photographer) playing wing-man to Joe as he lures Ann in. The heartbreak of knowing a magical day will end and the tension in wondering what Joe will do was the sparkling pay-off to this initially slow-burn. And the longing, closure, and tragedy of the final scene in the Palazzo Colonna was the dramatic exclamation point on an otherwise lighthearted flick.