How Greek is Roman Holiday?

When you hear someone say "romantic comedy", what do you think of? My mind immediately turns to Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck crashing through cafe tables and veering in front of buses on a runaway scooter.

1953's Roman Holiday follows Ann, the princess of an unnamed country, goes on a tour of large European cities. Frustrated with her busy, controlling schedule, she sneaks out of the embassy to experience Rome on her own. Under the influence of a sleeping drought, the princess, under the alias "Anya Smith", is taken in by an American reporter who takes her through Rome. The film, preserved in the US National Film Registry, is a regular on "Best Romantic Comedies of All Time" rankings. The film even calls itself an "immortal comedy-romance" on its promotional posters, but just how comedic (according to Aristotle) is Roman Holiday?

No one can deny the like-ability of Roman Holiday's heroine, Princess Ann, and, though she may be royalty, Ann longs for a freer, more ordinary life. Ann's "nobility", like Aristotle's comedic hero, is not derived from her blood, but from her charming personality, endearing quirks, and free spirit. In addition, despite her royal status, Ann's desire to escape, if only briefly, the pressures of her life is very ordinary. Ann does not face politics, death, serious betrayal, or other extraordinary problems. Her romance with Joe Bradley is, in less elegant terms, textbook dreamy, yet inaccessible due to Ann's royal obligations.

In a classic romantic comedy, Ann and Joe would find some way to overcome their barriers, reconcile, and marry. This plot point, however, is where Roman Holiday diverges from the classic definition of comedy. The film ends with Ann ultimately deciding to return to her royal responsibilities and bidding Joe farewell. Joe watches Ann's final interview, Ann secretly professes her love and admiration of Joe, and Joe is left alone, to wonder what might have been. The film's ending nearly disqualifies it from Aristotle's definition of comedy. However, Ann is still young, lively, and bright; abandoning her life in blind pursuit of love, while it may have been romantic, would not have been wise. Ann will, instead of providing the audience with the easy satisfaction of seeing true love prevail, carry her "Roman Holiday" as a fond memory, and retain some of the youthful abandon that carried her through her adventures. Things might seem more glum on Joe's end, but this is Ann's story, a story that launched Audrey Hepburn into fame because of its resonance.

The notion can seem bleak, but almost everyone has something they've given up on. Maybe not every dream meets Hughe's prevised fate. Roman Holiday manipulates the comedic form to deliver an important, albeit concealed message. The true comedy in Roman Holiday isn't Peck's "Mouth of Truth" gag, or Joe and Irving giving up the pictures of Ann, but in Ann's growth: learning to balance responsibility and freedom.