Roman Holiday

Swooping orchestral music and white titles on black and white scenery signal the fact you’re in for a Sunday afternoon classic. Audrey Hepburn is Ann, crown princess of an unnamed European country, and her Royal tour is taking its toll. In a Cinderella role reversal, she kicks off her too-tight shoes before the ball, and flips out so marvellously on hearing the next day’s schedule, that her aides drug her up to calm her down. This backfires somewhat as Ann then runs away in Rome, where she’s discovered, sleepy and strung out, by sleekit hack Gregory Peck. Rapidly recognising her, Peck knows he’s onto tabloid gold. So, will he betray her for cold hard cash? Or will he fall in love with the utterly beguiling Audrey? What do you think? Funny and gorgeous, Hepburn is so fresh in her first role, it’s hard to believe this film is 56 years old. Forget Slumdog - this is feel-good at its glorious best.