8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
A runaway princess in Rome finds love with a reporter who knows her true identity.
Starring: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert, Hartley Power, Harcourt WilliamsRomance | 100% |
Drama | 10% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (224 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (224 kbps)
Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (224 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Swedish, Thai
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Director William Wyler's timeless 1953 film Roman Holiday is a fairy tale of sorts but one that isn't afraid of altering the formula to its whims and for its benefits. The film focuses on its story's here-and-now rather than the end goal of happily ever after. It's like a reverse of the classic Cinderella story, focusing on a princess trying to escape her life and experience life as a normal girl. It's a plot that the film helped to widely popularize and has become something of a staple for theatrical films (The Prince & Me) and several Hallmark movies.
Longing to be free.
Roman Holiday's 1080p picture presentation is quite attractive and faithful to its roots. The picture, framed at its native 1.37:1 aspect ratio (placing vertical "black bars" on either side of the modern 1.78:1 HD display), retains a pleasing grain structure, one that appears accurate and authentic, relatively light but very flattering and complimentary; it's a boon for the image's innate filmic credentials. Details are appropriately sharp across the board, whether exploring intimate facial features, a wide array of clothing (from royal garb to everyday attire), and of course plenty of wonderfully realized interior and exterior details around Rome where storefronts, streets, carts, people, all sorts of environmental elements appear on screen with practically perfect command of both the broad essentials and the intimate points alike. The grayscale is rewarding. Certainly the image could have only been bolstered by an HDR grading on a UHD disc but whites are pleasant, blacks are deep, and the expansive middle ground finds plenty of pleasing nuanced gradations, again seen through a broad range of visual elements including humans, clothes, and locations. There are some vertical lines and signs of debris on the newsreel footage to begin the movie (and appear deliberately so) but the film proper sees little in the way sourcing flaw. There are no encode issue of note, either. Fans are going to be thrilled with Paramount's work on this one; it's hard to imagine this classic looking substantially better on Blu-ray.
Roman Holiday's Dolby TrueHD 2.0 lossless soundtrack keeps things relatively simple. The track exhibits no frequent wants for an expanded soundtrack, offering enough expressiveness as-is to satisfy its meager sound design elements. The track keeps things largely within the confines of a simple front-center imaged area. Dialogue is obviously the most readily apparent sonic element, here naturally placing in that middle area with perfectly acceptable clarity and prioritization. A few random sound effects don't stray far, either, from the middle imaged spacing, such as basic city din in various exteriors or clanking typewriters and other era specific office effects as heard in chapter seven. Some wailing police sirens in chapter eight represent just about the most ambitious sonic output. They drift into and out of the stage with appropriate volume but not much feel for spacial engagement, unsurprising given the limited output (and it's really the only time the track desperately wants for that channel expansion). Music pushes a little farther to the edges while holding fast to good, basic fidelity. The track lacks verve, but it's not lacking in faithfulness to the source. Listeners should be well pleased with this one.
Roman Holiday contains a fine assortment of interesting bonuses. This release is the ninth entry in the collectible "Paramount Presents" line
which includes
unique packaging beyond standard Blu-ray case and slipcover components. No DVD is included, but Paramount has bundled in a digital copy code.
Beautifully filmed, great acting, a cherished story, numerous Oscar nominations, and several wins have created an endearing legacy for Roman Holiday, a long cherished film that is as technically beautiful and soothing to the soul today as it was many decades ago upon release. Paramount's new Blu-ray is just as charming. Great video, solid audio, and a healthy compliment of extra content make this one to own. Very highly recommended.
1954
1961
Limited Edition to 3000
1954
1957
1994
1990
Warner Archive Collection
1985
2010
2007
2013
1965
2006
1964
Warner Archive Collection
1958
2009
30th Anniversary Edition
1989
2011
2014
10th Anniversary Edition
2006
2003