#214 Roman Holiday (1953)

People claim that today's movies have no originality. I think the same thing should be said about a lot of movies from 50s-60s. All the characters are vaguely familiar from every other movie with the same devices employed. There is a quick-talking man that is usually about 10 years older than a helpless female (the discrepancy is usually 8-15 years). It's like I am watching the same movie over and over again. This one was particularly obvious considering I just got done watching It Happened One Night. Roman Holiday was almost an entirely a repeat. It is a story about a rich woman who never gets to do anything she wants. In It Happened One Night, it was the heiress to a fortune from Wall Street. In Roman Holiday, it is about a princess of an unnamed country. Both complain about being watched all the time and never getting to experience the "real life." That is until they run away and meet a "regular" guy who shows them how "regular" people live. This "regular" guy just happens to be a reporter who wants to use this opportunity as a way to get rich off writing the story (yes, it is literally the same concept and I just coincidentally happened to watch them one after another). During the process of trying to get the scoop, they both happen to fall in love with each other. I am glad I was able to watch It Happened One Night first because it came out first, so I could see it how everyone else saw it. I guess I just want a little more originality. I did enjoy the ending of this movie.
I didn't even know Audrey Hepburn was in this movie. I should've recognized her since there is a huge picture of her in my living room, but it slipped by me. In fact, Gregory Peck from To Kill a Mockingbird was also in this. These seem like two people +Leslie Roskovich would love to see in a movie. I could just have her watch It Happened One Night and tell her to replace Gable with Peck and Colbert with Hepburn and it would save time.
Now for some interesting history bits. They mention a lot about something called a European Federation and if it would be a good idea. I found this to be interesting because this movie predates the European Union (1993). This movie also came out about a decade after WWII so finding long lasting peace was paramount. I guess I never knew that people were considering something like the European Union back in the 50s. This also predates a lot of the more ridiculous Cold War stuff. So the Cold War might have put the plans on ice for a couple of decades.
Also, in these older movies there seems to be an obsession about what to wear to bed. Weird. I'd watch either Roman Holiday or It Happened One Night, not both.

"The Mouth of Truth. The legend is that if you're given to lying, you put you're 

hand in there it'll be bitten off." -Joe Bradley

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