By John Corrado

In honour of the film’s milestone 70th anniversary this year, Paramount has given a 4K Ultra HD upgrade to filmmaker William Wyler’s 1951 classic Roman Holiday, starring the incomparable pair of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

Shot on location in Rome, Wyler’s film captures the vibrancy of a post-war Italy, built around the chemistry between two stars at their most likeable and charming.

Hepburn, in her Oscar-winning breakout role, stars as Princess Ann, a young royal from an unnamed nation on official business in Rome, who sneaks away out of boredom and unwittingly falls for Peck’s reporter Joe Bradley as they spend the day together.

Sourced from the same 4K remaster that was previously only released in 2K 1080p on Blu-ray in 2020, the 2160p presentation (with HDR enhancements) offers an attractive, filmic image. It shows good definition and contrast in the film’s gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, especially in the darker scenes, with some added clarity to the Oscar-winning costumes designed by Edith Head. All in all, the 4K disc delivers a solid upgrade for the picture.

As for the film itself, I could not recommend it more highly; Roman Holiday is an absolutely delightful movie that I count among my personal favourites. Hepburn’s wonderful performance remains a shining testament to her star power, including showcasing some wonderful bits of physical comedy, while Peck is suave and charming in that old school movie star way. It’s in the remarkable bittersweetness of those final moments that the film cements itself as one of the all-time great screen romances, with a timeless, effervescent quality to it that somehow only grows more apparent.

For more on the film itself, you can read my review of the 2020 Blu-ray release here.

Bonus Features (Blu-ray):

The 4K disc has no bonus features, but the set comes with a Blu-ray disc that appears identical to the 2020 release, including the same nice array of bonus material. It ships with a standard slipcover.

• Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on Roman Holiday (6 minutes, 59 seconds)

• Behind the Gates: Costumes (5 minutes, 31 seconds)

• Rome With a Princess (8 minutes, 57 seconds)

• Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years (29 minutes, 55 seconds)

• Dalton Trumbo: From A-List to Blacklist (11 minutes, 55 seconds)

• Paramount in the ’50s (9 minutes, 33 seconds)

• Remembering Audrey (12 minutes, 12 seconds)

• Theatrical Trailers (Play All – 6 minutes, 28 seconds)

• Original Theatrical Teaser Trailer (1 minute, 48 seconds)

• Original Theatrical Trailer (2 minutes, 12 seconds)

• Theatrical Re-Release Trailer (2 minutes, 28 seconds)

• Galleries

• Production

• The Movie

• Publicity

• The Premiere

Roman Holiday is a Paramount Home Entertainment release. It’s 118 minutes and rated G.

Street Date: August 15th, 2023