“Rome. By All Means, Rome.” 

Despite being three calendar months, everyone knows summer is only two. This is probably due to September being a school month, so it doesn’t really count to me. Summer sings and soars past us in a symphony of sunsets, sunburns, and soggy rain days. It is almost everyone’s favourite month, but I can almost guarantee that this is not decided solely by the warm weather.

There is an air of freedom to summer. At least, it should entail a certain sense of freedom. As I rewatch what is arguably my favourite film of all time, Roman Holiday, I am reminded that summer is freeing, but this freedom is always fleeting. Released in 1953, Roman Holiday is directed by William Wyler, featuring a script by Dalton Trumbo and John Dighton. The film follows Princess Ann, a bored and tired princess on a tour of Europe, played by Audrey Hepburn. After a long, stressful day in Rome, Princess Ann is given an injection to sleep but sneaks out of the embassy she is staying at. She is found sleeping on a bench by American reporter Joe Bradley, played by Gregory Peck, who believes she is just drunk. After taking her back to his place to sleep it off, he then realizes that she is a princess and plans to get an exclusive interview with her. What ensues is a day filled with fun, laughter, and experiences Princess Ann’s rigid life would never allow her.

Roman Holiday is the quintessential summer film. Of course, it was filmed entirely on location in the gorgeous Eternal City. The shining sun feels like a character itself. However, the freedom Princess Ann experiences during her roman holiday is what solidifies Roman Holiday as a summer film. There is a vulnerability, newness, and wide-eyed approach Audrey Hepburn takes with Princess Ann as she navigates Rome by herself, which no doubt led to her eventual Oscar win for this role. She bumps into people, interacting with humans on crowded streets in a way she never would in her daily life as a princess. She is in awe of the new sights and sounds surrounding her, reminding us that summer is the ultimate season for exploring.

One of the most iconic moments in Roman Holiday is when Princess Ann spontaneously decides to get a haircut. On a practical level, this will help make her look different and it will help to beat the Roman heat. However, as she tells the barber to cut more and more of her hair, it is not the only thing being cut off. As she cuts her hair, she leaves behind her duty, her life which requires her to be perfect at all times, and rigidity. She is lighter because of this haircut, physically and mentally.

Princess Ann tells Joe that she wants to do whatever she’d like to the whole day long. And this is exactly what she does. From eating gelato on the Spanish Steps, to smoking her first cigarette, to a Vespa ride which leads to her arrest, Princess Ann experiences life in the most freeing way possible; without responsibility. Without duty to a nation or a people, Princess Ann experiences summer like it should be experienced; as a holiday or vacation away from this responsibility.

Most people know of the scene in the film where Princess Ann smashes a guitar on the head of an agent trying to take her back to the embassy. This no doubt exemplifies the freedom and chaos that Princess Ann feels during her time in Rome. I am also drawn to the scene where she jumps in the water after Joe, who falls into the water while fighting with one of the agents. To me, this is how her whole time in Rome feels. She is jumping into dangerous situations or fun, mundane experiences that she will remember above all the bureaucratic roles she took on during her tour. And isn't this what summer is all about? Leaving work and school behind for a few months of freedom?

At the end of the day, Princess Ann is a good princess. Reality sets in and she must return to the embassy and her role as princess, despite her admission that she would never return if not for her duty to her family and country. This feels like the end of summer, where students remember that school is about to start again and those on summer holiday must return to work. This is precisely why summer has always held mixed feeling for me. It is entirely too short. I – like Princess Ann and pretty much everyone I know – don't want duty. I want freedom. Since summer, specifically the independence that comes with it, is so short, it too feels that our freedom contains a time limit.

While Roman Holiday contains one of the best bittersweet endings of all time – as Joe and Princess Ann go their separate ways and return to their jobs – audiences are left with the memory of Princess Ann’s happiness during her short-lived holiday. It is in Roman Holiday that I find a reminder to take a break and enjoy it, no matter how impermanent it may be. May we all feel as free as Princess Ann did that day in Rome.