MovieChat Forums > Roman Holiday (1953) Discussion > Only TWO things I would change...

Only TWO things I would change...

posted 12 years ago by movie_fashion_girl-1
7 replies | jump to latest

...about this otherwise perfect movie!!!

1st: Take out the "camera-stealing" scene. That smacks of something written on the spot--probably to give Gregory's character something to do because the writer and/or director thought that Audrey getting her hair cut wasn't exciting enough on its own. Whatever.

2nd: At the very end, when Princess Anne is greeting the reporter and comes to Joe Bradley, I'd have him kiss her hand right after she says, "So happy, Mr. Bradley". That would have been SO PERFECT.

But it's still unfathomably wonderful anyway.

"I love knowledge. In fact I yearn for it." -from the TV show "Designing Women"

[–] willb-8 12 years ago

Huh, I liked the camera stealing scene. I don't think he was going to really steal it, I assumed he was going to give her something for it. It was the same joke as when he is giving her money and the landlord is watching him like he is paying a lady of the night...

[–] movie_fashion_girl-1 11 years ago

Haha that part where Joe Bradley's landlord watches him pay Audrey is hysterical!!!! Oh for the days of classic cinema where you could let sexual innuendos fly without saying a single crass word...

"I love knowledge. In fact I yearn for it." -from the TV show "Designing Women"

[–] hka-3 10 years ago

Too funny, I wasn't even thinking about that when Joe was giving her money. Now I'll look at that scene differently. I actually think there's more sexual symbolism/innuendos in this film than people realize.

As for the camera stealing scene, it's almost too awkward of a moment to watch...yet while I'm watching it I like making fun of Joe for doing that. lol

[–] mark-1589 9 years ago

The notion that Joe would kiss the princess' hand doesn't strike me as something that would work. Joe and his buddy the photographer were trying hard to communicate to her through the press conference while not revealing that they actually know her. To have kissed her hand would both have been an egregious breach of protocol and gotten Joe fired. Also, it would have raised scandal as to what was going on there - exactly what Joe was trying to protect her from. He felt somewhat guilty about deceiving her AND leading her astray for the day, so he certainly was not going to cause her further problems by pulling a stunt like that.

[–] leader-7 9 years ago

Kissing a woman's hand is a decidedly European custom, so it would have been truly out of character for an American journalist to have kissed her hand, as perfect as it might have been.

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[–] mark-1589 9 years ago

Well, as they say, "When in Rome . . .". There is no reason why an American cannot adopt the local customs. But the reason I consider the idea not feasible is because royalty is meant to be inviolable - in other words, a stranger cannot just come up and touch them, at least not without permission first. That's another European custom that didn't make it to America.

[–] leader-7 9 years ago

yes. exactly!

of course, in america, our "journalists" <used loosely> have no compunction about asking Presidential Candidates if they prefer "boxers or briefs."

I wonder if Helen Thomas would have asked Hillary, "So, Hill -- granny panties or a thong?"

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