Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, shows on December 12 at 1:00 PM at 801 Magnolia.
One of the happiest pleasures of movies is seeing one with friends and then chatting about it when the lights come up. That’s just what Piedmont’s Flix Fest, which meets on the second Thursday of each month, offers: a great movie in a comfortable setting, and then a lively discussion of it afterward.
December’s offering is one of the most beloved of American romantic comedy classics: 1953’s Roman Holiday. Directed by William Wyler, it earned its female lead a Best Actress Academy Award. We all know her name: Audrey Hepburn.
It’s hard to believe that, before she starred in Roman Holiday, Audrey Hepburn was not well known. She had appeared for about one minute as Alec Guiness’s daughter, Chiquita (!), in The Lavender Hill Mob, and in a few other films. She was a dancer, as well. Most people forget that in 1953 she won another important award, a Tony for Ondine.
And then came Roman Holiday, earning her instant worldwide stardom—who can resist her delicate charm? Of course her co-star had already risen to entertainment heights: Gregory Peck. Together they make irresistible the story of a princess who, itching to escape her restricted life, decides to take a holiday from it by sneaking out into the bustle of modern Rome. Peck plays the American newspaper guy who discovers who she is and, pretending ignorance in order to get a scoop, takes her on a breezy tour of the Eternal City. (Watch for the scene in which a giant stone head bites off Peck’s hand—it’s classic.) Of course their time together turns into a love story, but can an ordinary guy possibly get a girl who’s a princess?
A factoid: Hepburn may have had a leg up in playing a princess: her mother was a baroness.
details
Roman Holiday will be screened on December 12th at 1:00 PM. Sponsored by the Rec Department, the event takes place in the Center for the Arts at 801 Magnolia Avenue on the second Thursday of each month. Doors will open at 12:45. The event is free and open to anyone over 18 years of age. Participants are invited on a drop-in basis, though registration with the PRD is encouraged and can be done at online HERE. Everyone is welcome to bring snacks or lunch.
The next movie in the Piedmont series is the far out Mel Brooks comedy/western, Blazing Saddles. It will be
shown on January 9th.