Oh it's a Roman Holiday with Audrey!

Oh it's a Roman Holiday with Audrey - no wonder that it's Audrey that we love! 

Ok!  Enough of my bad singing and butchering of a beloved Disney movie tune.

On Friday I borrowed a DVD of Roman Holiday by Paramount Pictures from Missy M (who co-authors another blog with me M & C Hide and Seek Brisbane ).  I had never seen Roman Holiday and the extent of my knowledge about it was that it starred Audrey Hepburn and there was a scene that involved her on a scooter.

I settled down for the evening in pink PJs, with a bowl of peanut M&Ms and some nail polish.  (I had opted for O.P.I's 'No Bees Please' from the Garden Party range because I had a reenactment event to go to the following day so anything more colourful was out of the question.)

The black and white opening credits and title began to roll.  I was tickled pink by the statement that the whole movie had been shot in Italy.   In 1953 this was a big deal as most films used motion backdrops rather than location shooting in foreign countries.

I happily munched on a few M&Ms and enjoyed the first moments of the film.  Then Audrey Hepburn elegantly swanned onto the screen wearing a royal ballgown with a nipped in waist.  I looked at her delicate frame, her amazingly tiny waist and couldn't bring myself to eat another M&M!  I will never have a waist so very tiny as hers but I hope to make it to a 28 or even 27 inch waist some day.  M&Ms are not part of that plan.

The movie was delightful, with utterly charming acting by Audrey balanced by the suave and manly Gregory Peck.  The play between the two main characters was endearing and the story engaging.

I loved the way that Princess Ann's growth of character and confidence throughout the movie is echoed by her look.  Though she wears the same skirt throughout the majority of the film, her metamorphose comes by way of a new hairstyle, a change of shirt, the inclusion of cute sandles and a neckerchief.   By the end of her Roman Holiday she's hardly recognisable as the same girl that wanders lost at the beginning.

The DVD also has a number of extras, including a 'Remembering Roman Holiday' segment where you get to see a portion of the screen test of Audrey Hepburn and interviews with an older Gregory Peck. 

A sweet, funny and memorable film.  There is a reason that this is ranked at 209 out of the top 250 movies of all time (IMDB at the time of writing this) and won 3 Oscars awards. 

What I took away from this movie:

• the knowledge that long circle skirts can be adopted in a chic casual look when paired with the right top and shoes.
• confirmation of my belief that neckerchiefs are all that and more. 
• a desire to slow down while speaking and moving, to be more deliberate in my choice of words and actions as I think this is half of Audrey's charm.
• total confusion about how such short locks (at the nape of her neck) can be curled so perfectly.  Pincurling?