Also known as the one where my choice of films results in a rather awkward article title.
Roman Holiday (William Wyler, 1953)
There were three things that ended up drawing my attention to Roman Holiday. The first is when I learned that, in a poll conducted in Japan, they considered it the best foreign film of all time. The second is when I learned William Wyler directed it. I was curious to check out more of his films after being won over by Ben-Hur back in December. And finally, I noticed that the poster for Roman Holiday was one of many adorning a dream sequence in Paprika. That reminded me I needed to look into the film already.
And I’m glad I did; Roman Holiday is a fantastic film that captures the beauty of Rome, and the chemistry between its two leads, played by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, is perfect. It’s another one of those films that strikes a very good balance between comedy and drama, even coming across as ahead of its time in how subversive certain aspects of it manage to be. Definitely worth looking into if you’re a fan of this kind of film.
…And Justice for All (Norman Jewison, 1979)
Between this film and Serpico, it’s really interesting seeing Al Pacino in a heroic role. …And Justice for All isn’t just a classic Metallica album; it’s also the name of a good courtroom drama by Norman Jewison. It’s one of those cases where a line is arguably more famous than the film itself (and is often misquoted), so seeing the actual context behind it definitely made for a worthwhile experience.
I haven’t watched any of those, sadly. I have been going through the Best Picture nominees recently and I am looking forward to what you will write about them, if you ever get to it.
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I’m going to make an attempt to see all the Best Picture nominees, as I definitely want to keep my winning streak alive. I haven’t missed out on seeing the “Best Picture” winner since The King’s Speech, and I don’t want to end it here (though I still don’t intend to see any of the films in theaters). The basic plan is for me to watch and then review all eight films before typing up a list ranking them from worst to best.
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It’s a good plan! Coincidentally, we have a very similar Best Picture streak, because mine goes back to Argo, because I haven’t watched The Artist yet.
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Roman Holiday rings a bell from my childhood for some reason. Is that the film where the guy puts his hand into the mouth if truth and acts as though it has been caught as a prank on the girl?
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Yup, that’s the one, alright. Just one of many classic scenes from that film.
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My girlfriend hasn’t skipped an opportunity to remind me that I need to see Roman Holiday too. Glad to hear that it was quite an enjoyable ride on your end too. And yes, Al Pacino playing a “hero” is definitely odd haha! I last saw him in Insomnia last year and he clearly couldn’t help himself from finding himself in a sticky situation ha!
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Both are definitely worth seeing, I’d say. And seeing Al Pacino play a good guy was what made Serpico such an interesting watch. I really should check out Insomnia at some point.
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I haven’t seen either of these, but I hear that Roman Holiday is just required watching in general. Both the leads are legendary for a reason.
And I think And Justice for All is required watching for me as a lawyer — maybe I can relate to some of the bullshit associated with this field in there, at least judging from that one famous line. Anatomy of a Murder and 12 Angry Men are good to watch as well, along with the best law movie ever, My Cousin Vinny.
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Roman Holiday was something else, alright. It was pretty much made by its charismatic leads (though the great writing didn’t hurt either).
As a lawyer/law-taking guy, I think you’d really get something out of And Justice for All. I waited two hours to hear that line; it was totally worth it. I really should check out Anatomy of a Murder and My Cousin Vinny as well. I can certainly say 12 Angry Men was great.
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