Recordando 'Vacaciones en Roma'

Remembering 'Roman Holiday' (2002)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Very entertaining look at the making of ROMAN HOLIDAY features interviews with Catherine Wyler (the director's daughter), A.C. Lyles (Paramount publicity man) and actor Eddie Albert. At just over twenty-minutes we're get quite a bit of information on the making of the film including how writer Dalton Trumbo was blacklisted at the time and wrote this just so his family could have some money while he was in jail. We also learn that Frank Capra was originally going to direct the picture but backed out after learning Trumbo had written the screenplay. From here we talk about William Wyler getting ahold of the picture and getting both Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn cast. We also hear about how Cary Grant originally turned the role down and we get a funny bit from an archival interview with Peck who mentions that it was common knowledge that if a comedy script fell to him it was probably because Grant had already turned it down. We also learn about the costumes of Edith Head, filming on location and why they wanted the movie to be in B&W. With such a short running time they're able to get quite a few stories packed in here and fans of the film will certainly enjoy hearing them. There's even the funny story dealing with the prank Peck played on Hepburn during the famous "Mouth of Truth" sequence. We also get some outtakes of a dress rehearsal for Hepburn as well as her Oscar speech.