Roman Holiday

This sublime film rightly secured a best actress Oscar for Audrey Hepburn (in a role originally intended for Jean Simmons) and resulted in both Hepburn and Rome (not to mention motor scooters!) becoming the epitome of postwar chic. It's a charming love story about a princess who falls for a reporter (Gregory Peck) during an official visit to the Eternal City. The script was written by the uncredited, blacklisted Dalton Trumbo (a fact not revealed for almost 40 years after the film was made) and deals in some depth with issues of personal freedom close to his heart, though the setting and characters do distance the tale far from the communist witch-hunts in America. Immaculately directed by William Wyler, and written and played with style and grace, this is a film to treasure, both for its endearing action and marvellous performances.