Film Analysis: Roman Holiday

If a person chooses duty over someone they love, does that mean that they did not really love them? This question is posed in people’s lives all the time. Movies and books have taken on this difficult question and given us different scenarios and conclusions to choose from. One of the better movies that takes on this dilemma and solves it in such a way that everyone can connect to it even if the roles are different is Roman Holiday.

The two main characters both have their duty. The one a duty to their country and family; the other a duty to their job. The former is Princess Ann who is being suffocated by her duties. The latter is Joe Bradley who is supposed to be gaining an exclusive interview with the princess for his newspaper. He is hoping to gain enough money from this interview to pay off his debts and return home to the States. They run into each other late one night after Princess Ann has run away from the Embassy. Ann had been given something to help her to sleep before she ran away and so she falls asleep on a park bench. Joe finds her and ends up taking her home because she is too drugged to tell him where she belongs. In the morning, Joe goes to his office where he realizes the woman in his apartment is the Princess. Joe decides to use this opportunity to his advantage. He negotiates a deal with his boss to get an exclusive interview in exchange for enough money to pay off his debts. Joe returns to the apartment and begins a charade with the princess, leading her to believe that he doesn’t know who she is. He lets her think that he is clueless to her identity and that he believes she is just a runaway schoolgirl. Ann leaves his apartment with the intention of returning to the Embassy. As she walks through Rome, ho...

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... gives her all the photos taken. Her confidence in him is clear and you can tell that the trust between them has been restored. Ann leaves the room without a look back as she is firm in her decision to honor her duty but will clearly always cherish their love. Joe lingers before slowly leaving as well.

Despite that fact that Ann chose her duty over Joe, it is still clear that she loved him but she recognized that sometimes duty must come first. She loves him no less than he loved her despite her choosing duty and him choosing love. Even though everyday people are not princesses or reporters, they can connect with having to choose between duty and love. Sometimes duty needs to come first. Love does not always prevail. Both duty and love have their place in our lives. The true dilemma is not choosing between the two but deciding whether you really have to choose.