Roman Holiday

William Wyler 

USA 1953

A ravishing apology of untruthfulness, Roman Holiday is a poetic portrait in chiaroscuro of the Eternal City, as well as a charming journey back through time to the cinematographic escapism of the 1950s. 

Richard Curtis rightly acknowledges Roman Holiday as a source of inspiration for his cheesy iconic movie Notting Hill, a fairy tale of swinging London at the close of the last century. Common to both films is a romantic encounter between the common man and the inaccessible celebrity – albeit a film star or princess.

Language level

Easy: note the obsolete pseudo aristocratic drawl of the epoch.

Key Words and Expressions

Nightgown

Slippers

Crackers

I didn’t sleep a wink

Foundling Home

One o’clock sharp

Spill

You can’t handle liquor

Snoozing away

Would you care to make a statement?

Dizziness

Rough it

Keats or Shelly?

You have my permission to withdraw

Pledge

Screwball

Shrewd

Have on

Swallow

Fired

A longing

Whine

He was mean to me

Have a fit

Wallet

A dead ringer

Take a hint

Long

Slumming it

Go straight

I won’t hold you to it

A wish fulfilled

A shrine

Blank

Shindig

Outset